For nine residents of Main Street Apartments in Rockville, MD, a summer of learning, planning and connecting came together with a day at Rio Lakefront.
The outing on August 26 was the final chapter of the Tech for Independent Living team’s summer Connect & Go partner series with Main Street Apartments. The six-part webinar and travel series focused on building connections, planning activities with others and developing the skills needed to navigate the community more independently.
Over the course of the series, residents had opportunities to think about the kinds of activities they enjoy, connect with their neighbors and consider what it takes to make a community outing happen. The webinars provided a chance to work through some of those pieces together, while the travel component gave residents an opportunity to put those ideas into practice.
The destination for the final trip was up to the residents. During the last webinar, participants voted together on one of four possible destinations. Rio Lakefront won the vote, and the group worked together to plan the outing.
Then it was time to put that plan into action.
On August 26, the group boarded a bus for Rio Lakefront, where they had lunch at Potbelly, explored the lakefront, shopped, took pictures and even fed the fish. They had a great time, but the day also offered some small reminders of what the series was designed to accomplish.
On the way back to Main Street, for example, one participant showed the group a better bus stop to use when they returned. It was a small moment, but a fitting one: after spending the summer learning about navigating the community, a participant was able to share that knowledge with the group.
The day brought together many of the skills the residents had been practicing throughout the series: making choices, planning with others, navigating the community and enjoying an activity together.
That combination of learning and doing is at the heart of Connect & Go. The goal isn’t simply to get people somewhere. It’s to help build the skills and connections that make it easier to decide where you want to go, and then figure out how to get there.
Jen, who helped lead the partnership, summed up the experience simply: “This series totally rocked and I can’t say enough how much I appreciate partnering with you and The Arc of NoVA on this!”
The summer series may be over, but there are plenty of destinations still waiting to be explored.
As a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, The Arc of Northern Virginia relies on private support from individuals, corporations, organizations, and foundations to fund our efforts. Your generous donations help make it possible for us to provide programs, services, and advocacy so that people with IDD can live “A Life Like Yours.”
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