Spotlight: Free Speech Therapy at GiGi’s Playhouse Portland with Rose Bud Speech Therapy
The Amina Grace Speech & Language Program at GiGi’s Playhouse Portland brings free speech therapy to people with Down syndrome! This program is offered in partnership with Rose Bud Speech Therapy. People with Down syndrome of all ages can receive speech therapy with a licensed speech-language pathologist completely free—no insurance...
Literacy Power Summer for 2nd – 8th Graders 📚☀️
From July 21st to August 6th, 2026, GiGi’s Playhouse Portland is excited to offer Literacy Power Summer, a three-week literacy intensive designed for students with Down syndrome in 2nd–8th grade, at any reading level. The program meets twice a week for three weeks on Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10 AM –...
Family Speaker Recap: Special Needs Trusts and ABLE Accounts with CiCi Gaynor
On February 7th, GiGi’s Playhouse Portland welcomed CiCi Gaynor from The Arc Oregon to speak on Special Needs Trusts and ABLE Accounts. This session provided an overview of three important financial planning tools for individuals with disabilities: Special Needs Trusts (SNTs) Pooled Special Needs Trusts ABLE Accounts These tools help...
Program Spotlight: Rice Bowls at GiGi’s Kitchen for Teens & Adults
Jackie and MJ put on anti-cut gloves before cutting green onions. GiGi’s Kitchen: First Two Sessions Recap We’re excited to share highlights from the first two sessions of GiGi’s Kitchen! Our pilot class for teens and adults kicked off with connection, accessibility, and a delicious hands-on meal. GiGi's Kitchen support...
Speaker Recap: Setting Relationship Boundaries & Goals as a Team with Among Friends
Earlier this month, GiGi’s Playhouse Portland hosted a Family Speaker training with Shanya Luther of Among Friends. This training brought teens and adults with Down syndrome together with their parents to address topics many families care deeply about, but often lack structured support to discuss: relationships, boundaries, and consent. Among...
Participant Voice: Soraya’s Experience at GiGi’s National Leadership Conference 2025
Soraya, Portland, OR ambassador, and ambassadors from Canton, OH, and Madison, WI at the original GiGi's Playhouse in Hoffman Estates, IL. This year, GiGi's Playhouse Portland's very own Soraya attended the GiGi's National Leadership Conference in Schaumburg, Illinois, to begin training to be Portland's first GiGi's Ambassador. What follows is...
Les Schwab, Delta Galil, FOX 12, iHeart Media, and More Partner with GiGi’s Playhouse Portland to Advance Down Syndrome Awareness in Oregon 🌟
Soraya, GiGi's Playhouse Portland's ambassador, brings good luck to our Oregon Charity Championship team. GiGi’s Playhouse Portland has been busy sharing the message of acceptance for all during Down Syndrome Awareness Month 2025! 🏌️ GiGi’s Wins Big at the 2025 Oregon Charity Championship A team representing GiGi’s Playhouse Portland tied...
💛 Against All Odds: GiGi’s Playhouse Portland Honored for Design Excellence During Down Syndrome Awareness Month
Kara (program coordinator and former start-up committee member), Brad (co-president), Sermin (architect), and Niki (start-up committee lead) shine with pride at the IIDA Design Excellence Awards. This October, as we celebrated Down Syndrome Awareness Month, GiGi’s Playhouse Portland received a very special honor from the Oregon Chapter of the International...
🍳 GiGi’s Kitchen for Teens & Adults is Coming to Portland!
Fantastic Friends' cooking days are the best attended sessions! Kitchen skills are independence skills. Launching January 2026🗓 2nd and 4th Tuesdays, 6–7:30 PM📅 January 27 – June 9, 2026 We’re so excited to announce GiGi’s Kitchen for Teens & Adults at GiGi’s Playhouse Portland, a hands-on cooking program designed for...
New Sock Designs Arrive to Celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month at GiGi’s Playhouse Portland
Soraya and the "Love" sock. This October, we’re celebrating our incredible friends with Down syndrome—and the first full year of GiGi’s Playhouse Portland—with a brand-new set of limited edition DSAM socks, available all month long to those who donate to our DSAM Fall Fundraiser! Get Your Socks Back in 2024,...
Out and About with Fantastic Friends
Fantastic Friends meets up at the Oregon Zoo. This late summer, our Fantastic Friends program brought us to two wonderful local destinations. For those who don’t know, Fantastic Friends is designed for adults of all abilities to connect socially and practice independence skills together. And practice they did—first at the...
Family Speaker Recap: Using AI to Adapt School Curricula
At a recent presentation by Sruthi Muralidharan, PhD (Physics Teacher at Ida B. Wells-Barnett High School) and Radha Joy, MS, CCC-SLP (Speech Pathologist), families and educators explored how artificial intelligence (AI) can support more inclusive learning in schools. The session highlighted both the challenges teachers face and the opportunities for...