Jessica is an amazing young woman with Down Syndrome. She is recognized world wide as the first person with Down Syndrome to become a certified yoga teacher. She teaches weekly “Inclusive Yoga” classes to others with physical, developmental, and intellectual disabilities.

She is also an artist, learning to make, market and sell her creations. She studies knitting, sewing, felting and ceramics. We have supported Jessica (as we have with our other children) to create her way of making a living from something she loves.  When we asked Jessica what she loved, she said : “Yoga and art … and dogs!”

Even though Jessica does very well, life with an intellectual disability can be challenging for Jessica as she still needs help understanding and coping with the complexity of life. She is a very loving person and is greatly affected by change. She cares deeply for her family, friends, caregivers and all animals. She has had several losses this year, grieving the death of friends in the community and the loss of her dog Sam. 

On top of it all she is in the process of learning to live independently. With the help of a support team, she has bravely moved from her family home into an apartment of her own. Her helpers are there to teach and reinforce her skills and provide her with protective services in case of emergencies.

 

We have been so grateful and have found wonderful helpers but the reality is that they do not often stay for long periods of time. It is understandable that roommates and helpers are often students or folks in a transition themselves. Jessica gets attached to her helpers and misses them dearly when they move on. 

An advocate and friend suggested that Jessica may be eligible for a service dog, and that a service dog could provide a stable, loving presence in the midst of her ever-changing, unpredictable life. In researching service dog organizations we were pleased to find Doggie Does Good, a non-profit in Arroyo Grande, not too far from where Jessica lives. We applied for eligibility and were so happy to be notified that Jessica qualifies and they are willing to find and match Jessica with a service dog! 

Her service dog would be specially trained to help her navigate in the community. Her dog would provide safety, stability and emotional support that would make a positive impact on her learning to live independently.  Her dog would provide love and companionship as well as responsibility and purpose. Once Jessica’s dog is trained, Doggie Does Good provides a training period for Jessica and her support team to learn how to work with her new dog. Doggie Does Good would also allow Jessica and her dog to come to their Arroyo Grande location to attend classes for free and continue her dog training as often as she likes for the life of the dog.  

We were surprised to discover the high cost of buying and training a service dog and that Jessica would need to raise $5000 to get the process started. But when visiting Doggie Does Good and meeting the dogs and the trainers, we saw how amazing this organization is and now understand the need for funding. Fortunately, Doggie Does Good realizes this is expensive for families and individuals with disabilities to afford, and suggested that these expenses are covered through fundraising, as Doggie Does Good is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. 

Jessica really loved the dogs she met at Doggie Does Good. She was amazed how well a professionally trained dog responded to commands. Every dog she met was so loving and lovable that she decided that having a service dog of her own would, indeed, be great! 

Jessica’s other love is fundraising!  In the past she has donated much of her proceeds to organizations that help people with disabilities. Jessica has decided that this year all of the proceeds that she raises through selling her art will be donated to Doggie Does Good and go towards her goal of owning a service dog!

Check out her wares. She has beautiful ceramics, knitted scarves and hats, greeting cards, ornaments and more.

You can purchase items through her website: JessicaParsonsYoga.com/shop.

or if you are in Santa Barbara, please, stop by a local art fair, HomeSpun on December 7th, Casa de la Guerra from 10:00 – 5:00, where Jessica will have her items on display. 

or you can donate directly to DoggieDoesGood.org/donate . Please, be sure to mention Jessica Parsons, so that your donation can go directly into her fund.

Many thanks from Jessica and  the people who help her. We will keep you posted on her progress.

 

Sue Anne Parsons 500 EYT, CYT – owner of Let It Go Yoga since 1986

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