Hi Everyone –

I’m excited to begin accepting new participants for the Best Buddies programs at Seattle University and University of Washington for the 2019/2020 school year.  I’m taking names to enter into a lottery for the limited spaces available in these programs through end of day Sunday, September 29th.  Names will be drawn and individuals notified on Monday, September 30th.

Rules and Requirements:

  • Participants must be people with intellectual or developmental disabilities age 18-30 who are not currently attending high school or a transition program that is located within a high school (although exceptions will be considered)
  • Participants must be able to attend monthly chapter meetings at the college campus they are assigned, as well as travel to the neighborhood of that campus (U District or Capitol Hill) for buddy hangouts and other events.
  • Participants cannot miss more than one monthly chapter meeting per school quarter.
  • Participants commit to a one-on-one friendship match for the length of the academic year (October-June)
  • Participants commit to hanging out with peer buddy a minimum of once a month and to make contact (text, phone, etc.) at least once a week.
  • Please note, the peer “buddies” are college students who have expressed interest in being friends with people with disabilities.  They are not trained professionals and cannot take responsibility for supervision, personal care support, or behavior support.  They do complete a criminal background check and get basic training and support from the Best Buddies Chapter Leadership Team, however it is important to realize that they are just college students.

To enter your name into the lottery, provide the following information to Robin Tatsuda (rtatsuda@arcofkingcounty.org) by end of day, Sunday, September 29th.

            Full Name of Individual with Disability:

            Birthday:     

Gender:

Diagnosis:

Parent/Guardian Name:

Address:

Email:

Rank the options in order of preference:

_____ Seattle University on Capitol Hill

_____ University of Washington in U. District

_____ It’s all the same to me, no preference

Contact me if you have any questions.

~robin