What do the programs offer?
Power For All is pleased to offer opportunities for clients with physical, cognitive and psycho-social challenges. The programs are delivered by a registered occupational therapist and volunteers who work in a variety of disciplines with clients of different abilities. . Efforts are made to use adventure as an innovative medium for therapy. Many children and youth in our programs have tried Stand Up Paddle Boarding and Kayaking for the first time and they have reported to feel “a sense of mastery and normalizing of ability”. Caregivers, parents have also reported that children learn “social and interpersonal skills, problem-solving, self-management and skills such as helping others and community integration. Clinicians have complimented our organization for the purposeful selection of quality equipment and teaching approaches. The variety of devices and teaching adaptations we use enable clients to practice physical activities essential to daily living such as seating, feeding, transferring, activity endurance, to name a few. These are all instrumental skills for the job of living. Additionally, if you are working with a treatment team in the community or at school, we are happy to collaborate with them to continue to help your child/youth achieve their treatment goals as they participate in our programs. We sincerely hope that you consider our programs as a therapeutic medium for you this summer to continue to grow, develop and progress in your goals.
SUMMER 2023 PROGRAMS REGISTRATION!
Starts May 2023!
Paddle Boards are adapted as needed to compensate for any function the paddler has lost due to disability. While an adaptation may be made to the paddle grip or the seating support, the sport of paddling is not changed. Our Adaptive paddling programs are committed to providing full integration for anyone with a disability through the intentional use of equipment, teaching styles, and paddling locations. This ensures that we meet each paddler’s needs. Bursaries area available for all ages to have access to our programs. Equipment purchases have been made possible thanks to the donations of the various donors listed in our website.
Certified staff and volunteers will instruct clients on how to use the adaptive paddling equipment in a fully inclusive paddling program. Clients with physical, cognitive, psycho-social and/or chronic conditions are welcomed to our programs. Individuals 5 to 18 years old can book sessions with Power For All. The program goals are related to the basics of physical literacy, sensory and motor development. Balance, coordination, physical strength and endurance, socialization and integration goals, executive function skills, are just a few of the goals that our clients work towards when engaged in our programs.
Who can attend?
Children with physical, cognitive and psycho-social challenges. Examples of some of the diagnosis are: Developmental Coordination Disorder, Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Learning Disabilities, Down Syndrome, Depression, Anxiety, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, etc.
What kind of adaptations are made? Adaptations are made for physical, cognitive and psycho-social challenges.
New Clients
Services are delivered by an occupational therapist; when a participant is accepted, they will then go for an initial assessment to meet the instructors and to adapt a therapeutic/paddling plan according to their personal needs. Please ensure to book a date for an initial assessment in order to be able to attend program sessions.
When you are new to the Power for All programs, we want to meet you and set goals with you and your family in order to serve you better and ensure success in our program. Initial assessments cost $150 and need to be booked in order for us to approve registration in any programs in the summer/fall/winter. When clients come to an initial assessment, we ask that you bring any medical reports for diagnosis and any current treatment plans. Our occupational therapist will assess and ensure that we have the appropriate aids and equipment to serve you better in each of our sessions. For registering for an initial assessment check our website after May 1, 2023.
Registration Steps for Returning Clients using Third Party Funding (ASD, AHP, MCFD Respite, etc):
- STEP ONE: Register for each session you want to attend. If you want to attend our programs every morning session on Tuesdays in July, then this means that you register for 4 sessions. For each session, if you are using third party funding like Autism, At Home Program, MCFD, then each session you will enter the coupon code to avoid paying fees. All of our sessions and assessments are billed as occupational therapy sessions.
- STEP TWO: FOR ALL THIRD PARTY FUNDING USERS, this means that if you are using Autism, At Home Program, MCFD funding, then you need to submit a deposit. This deposit is returned to you upon receipt of payment from the funding sources. This can be up to Nov or Dec in the fall as it can take several months for processing. When selecting an option for deposit, you only select one that applies to you. If you registered for one initial assessment and one session, then pick the Third Party funding for one session. If you registered for an initial assessment and 2 or more sessions, then select Third Party funding for multiple sessions. All of our sessions and assessments are billed as occupational therapy sessions.
- You are all done!
Registration Steps for New Clients not using Third Party Funding
- STEP ONE: Register for an Initial assessment and pay using credit card.
- STEP TWO: Register for each session you want to attend. If you want to attend our programs every morning session on Tuesdays in July, then this means that you register for 4 sessions. For each session, you register and pay individually.
- You are all done!
Registration Steps for Returning Clients not using Third Party Funding
- STEP ONE: Register for each session you want to attend. If you want to attend our programs every morning session on Tuesdays in July, then this means that you register for 4 sessions on 4 Tuesdays. For each session, you register and pay individually with a credit card.
- STEP TWO: You are all done!
Extended Health Care Benefits Coverage
- STEP ONE: Get a referral from your GP or paediatrician for Occupational Therapy. The sessions are billed as occupational therapy sessions.
- STEP TWO: For new Clients, you will register for an initial assessment and pay for it with a credit card. Once the session has taken place then you will receive an invoice which allows you to get reimbursed through your plan. Returning clients can skip this step unless significant medical, physical, developmental changes have taken place for a client.
- STEP THREE: Register for each session you want to attend. If you want to attend our programs every morning session on Tuesdays in July, then this means that you register for 4 sessions. For each session, you register and pay individually with a credit card. Once the session has taken place then you will receive an invoice which allows you to get reimbursed through your plan.
2. Third-Party funding Deposit Payment
For families using Autism Funding, Respite funding from MCFD, At Home Program Funding or extended Health Plans with a note for Occupational Therapy referral, we still ask for a deposit to reserve your spots. If for some reason, you need to pay by cheque please contact us. At the end of the summer or the fall, when funding sources have paid, the deposit will be refunded to the families.
Please contact us for making arrangements for outside funding to be processed soon after you register so we can guarantee your spot. When no arrangements are made for third party funding, we cannot guarantee your spots even if you have registered on-line.
3. Group sessions registration
Session details Adaptive Paddling Program
Sessions will be held on Mondays in Delta. Tuesdays and Wednesdays in Fort Langley. Thursdays in Abbotsford. All locations offer one morning session from 10:30am – 12:00pm. The afternoon session is from 1:15pm – 2:45pm for each day.
As it stands, we will have a maximum of 6 participants per session. We want to avoid the inconvenience to you of filling out multiple times your child’s or client’s information. Just include all information on the first session and then for the rest you can write “refer to Session blah, blah, for details”. This should avoid the troubles of doing this task multiple times.
We apologize as we know that our website and registration system is not as accessible as we would like it to be. We are putting efforts to fundraise for a better design for this site. We are doing what we can with what we have and hope to gather enough funds in the future to make upgrades for simple and accessible solutions. We appreciate your understanding in this regard.
For questions or concerns, please contact us at: powerforallats@gmail.com
Requirements for Registration
We ask that a caregiver/parent comes with the client to each session. ABA workers or any other caregivers are expected to paddle and participate in our programs with the client they bring. This is especially important when the client does not know us and has not experienced our programs before.
Payment and Information Required for Registration
Please use the individual links below provided for each session to register and process payment. Each date and session has a link to where registration and payment will be processed. To avoid repetition on order form questions, you are welcomed to enter “see info provided for session… “. We just ask that you provide the information required at least for one session so that we have all the information that we need for your child/youth to succeed in our programs.
Communicable and Infectious Disease Measures
For each session, if the participant is sick, a new date will be accommodated for the families or a credit for future sessions will be granted. Refunds can be available minus the processing fee of the third party application that was used at time of payment (i.e. Eventbrite). More details about our protocols will be provided to families upon registration.
WINTER ADAPTIVE POOL PROGRAMS COMING SOON OCT 2023!
We hope to be able to offer our programs this 2023. Please connect with us to inquire further.
FAQ
Why is all the paper work required? Power For All programs are structured as occupational therapy groups for all clients to pursue therapeutic goals through accessing adventure. The questions asked in each form advise us as to the kind of adaptations and/or compensating devices we will use for each client. We learn about you, your needs, and your level of ability and function, so that we can more appropriately individualize your program.
What should I bring to my Initial Assessment appointment? We value collaboration with other members of your treatment team. We also want to provide continuity of care in the work we do. Any previous reports indicating diagnosis, recommended strategies and interventions are highly encouraged to bring to your initial assessment appointment.
Who looks at the paper work? Trained and certified occupational therapists contracted to work for PFA will look at your paper work to guide and tailor resources to best meet your needs. They are the only ones authorized to look at your forms. Paddling buddies only receive the instructions and guidance related to the services each client will need. They only learn about the information relevant to ensure the success of each client in our sessions (i.e. types of transfer a client will need, types of support, any side effects of medications related to sun exposure, etc.)
When is the paper work due? All paper work is required to be submitted and completed at least one week prior to the scheduled sessions. Late submission of paper work will result in a client not being able to attend the program. We require all the paper work so we can best prepare all the equipment, staff and volunteers necessary to ensure success and safety for all involved.
When do we show up for each session? The time for each session has been especially arranged and reserved for each client. We require everyone to show up on time so we can offer the full session to all participants. We are not able to make up any time missed due to being late nor finish sessions late. We also do not recommend that clients show up more than 5 minutes earlier than the scheduled time to avoid too much waiting around, which may result in getting bored and/or impatient. Showing up on time is the best practice for everyone! Clients with different seating adaptations, will connect with staff to see when to come prior to the session.
What should I bring for each session? This information is provided with you in the paper work package along with a map and directions to our site.
What can affect the length or distance clients travel in a session? Adventures in the outdoors entail a great balance between measuring the risk for each participant and the fun that each participant is meant to have. Safety conditions on the water are always influenced by the weather (wind, rain, etc.) as well as the conditions of the river or ocean that we paddle in (speed of the current, water levels, etc.). We truly appreciate your flexibility and trust in our expertise as we guide each client through his/her session to ensure safety. Sometimes this guidance may involve paddling near to shore and a short distance only, other times, it may involve finishing a session earlier to avoid major incidents or hazards for clients.
What’s the refund policy? We work really hard to reserve your spot; others are denied admission to our program due to limited spots. It is important for us that cancellations only occur due to an emergency or unexpected circumstances, otherwise payment for session is required when we are not notified at least one week in advance. In the event that Power For All has to cancel the session due to inclement weather or other circumstances compromising safety, we will provide opportunities for re-scheduling, if this is not possible, then as a last resort, a refund will be issued back to you. Refunds are rare and only will occur if rescheduling is not available. Should a refund be granted, a processing fee will be applied before the refund is returned.