Our Programs

Five programs. One extraordinary life.

Each program is funded through your SDP budget, mapped to your loved one’s IPP goals, and designed to be something they actually look forward to.
Book A Call
Explore Programs
John participating in an outdoor fitness session on a lawn, facing another man who is jogging in place.
Program 01

Adventure Club

San Diego is one of the most beautiful cities on earth. Your loved one should get to experience it, not just watch it from a window.
Adventure Club is our community-based program built around real experiences at iconic San Diego destinations like Little Italy, Liberty Station, Balboa Park, and One Paseo Del Mar. Members work on interpersonal connections and friendship-building, and are encouraged to help choose activities they care about to complement our monthly calendar.

What’s included:

  • Social outings to iconic San Diego city centers
  • Peer interaction and friendship-building support
  • Participant-driven activity selection
  • During group outings meals are enjoyed socially, participants are encouraged to make healthy choices and coached into appropriate/effective payment transactions themselves. Independent living skills are a main theme.
  • 3-hour sessions in groups of 4 to 6 members
Divider (1)

Support note:
Fully funded through your SDP budget | Led by John Afshari

Program Cost: $225

John stands in the ocean waves, guiding a man who is lying prone on a surfboard.
Program 02

Aqua Adventure

For serious beach enthusiasts and aspiring wave riders, Aqua Adventure turns the ocean into a place of confidence, connection, and joy.

This weekly group meets at Del Mar Powerhouse Park, La Jolla Shores, North Cardiff State Beach, or Mission Bay. Participants can enjoy adaptive surfing, stand-up paddleboarding, kayaking, beach games, sand play, and sensory-based activities. All necessary equipment is provided, making each experience welcoming and accessible for participants of all skill levels.

Omid John Afshari is a World Paddle Association-certified instructor and former professional stand-up paddleboard racer in the Elite Division. He brings extensive paddle sports experience, fitness training, and a passion for teaching proper paddling techniques to every session on the water.

What’s included:

  • Weekly Saturday sessions at Del Mar Powerhouse Park, La Jolla Shores, North Cardiff State Beach, or Mission Bay
  • Adaptive surf instruction for all experience levels
  • Stand-up paddleboard and kayak instruction, lessons, and adventures at Mission Bay
  • We provide all equipment: boards, wetsuits, adaptive gear, life vests, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards
  • Beach games, sand activities, and sensory play
  • 2-hour sessions with peer interaction and friendship themes
  • 1 on 1 water safety/support
  • 3-1 beach supervision

Support note:
Fully funded through your SDP budget | Led by John Afshari

Program Cost: $200

John stands in the ocean waves, guiding a man who is lying prone on a surfboard.
John and Christina exercising in a park, sharing a high-five while balancing on fitness equipment.
Program 03

Fitness & Wellness

Physical health is one of the most underserved needs in disability services. Our Fitness & Wellness program was built to change that.
Designed to meet and serve participants at any level of ability or disability with person centered adaptive training programs and workouts. Participants build strength, reduce anxiety, improve body awareness and wrap up their sessions feeling genuinely good.
What’s included:

  • Adaptive strength and conditioning
  • Yoga, breathwork, and mindfulness
  • Sessions tailored to each participant’s needs
  • Nutrition coaching and healthy habits
  • 2-hour sessions
Divider (1)

Support note:
Fully funded through your SDP budget

Program Cost: $200 / 2 hours
A group of people gathered in a grassy park area for an outdoor fitness session, with two men sitting on a blue yoga mat in the foreground.
Program 04

Life Design Coaching

What does your loved one actually want from life? What are their goals, fears, and dreams?
Life Design Coaching is built around those questions. Through weekly one-on-one and small group coaching, adults build the confidence, self-knowledge, and practical skills needed to direct their own lives. This program focuses on personal growth in a way that is rarely offered in traditional services.

What’s included:

  • Personal goal setting and life vision
  • Emotional intelligence and regulation
  • Social skills and relationship building
  • Independence planning and decision-making
  • One-on-one and small group sessions available

Support note:
Fully funded through your SDP budget | Led by Christina Hutchens, OTR/L

Program Cost: $125/hr
A group of people gathered in a grassy park area for an outdoor fitness session, with two men sitting on a blue yoga mat in the foreground.
A man wearing headphones, singing with his eyes closed while playing a keytar with his hand extended forward.
Program 05

Rhythm and expression

Music has a way of reaching people that nothing else can.

Rhythm and Expression is our music-based group program where adults explore percussion, vocals, songwriting, and instrument play together while building social skills, emotional expression, and genuine friendships through the universal language of sound.

Led by John Afshari and Christina Hutchens, this program brings together John’s 20 years of guitar and music experience and Christina’s OT expertise and lifelong background in violin and guitar. Together, they create a program unlike anything else in San Diego’s SDP market.

What’s included:

  • Drumming, percussion, and rhythm instruments
  • Group singing and vocal expression
  • Songwriting and creative collaboration
  • Instrument exploration including guitars, ukuleles, and keyboards
  • Music and movement experiences
  • 2-hour sessions with no musical experience required
Divider (1)

Support note:
Fully funded through your SDP budget | Led by John Afshari and Christina Hutchens, OTR/L

How It Works

The Self-Determination
Program — simplified

If you're new to SDP, here's what you need to know. It's more straightforward than it sounds, and we’ll help you every step of the way.
John fist-bumping a man riding a motorized mobility scooter down a residential street.

Enroll

your loved one in the Self-Determination Program through the San Diego Regional Center
Arrow
John and Christina smiling as they walk across a wooden suspension bridge with rope railings.

Work

with an Independent Facilitator to design your spending plan and select services
Arrow
John wearing a wetsuit while pushing a person in a specialized beach wheelchair along the shoreline with a long wooden pier in the background.

Choose

Venture Life Program based 
on your loved one’s IPP goals

Arrow
John and Christina posing together outdoors in athletic wear with green shrubbery in the background.

Let Us Handle

billing through your Fiscal Management Service
Divider

Not sure if your loved one qualifies for the Self-Determination Program?

Any adult receiving services from the San Diego Regional Center can enroll.
The program has been open to all eligible individuals since July 2021.

Book A Call
Who We Serve

Is Venture Life Program right for your family?

We work with adults with developmental disabilities such as Autism Spectrum, Down Syndrome, Intellectual Disability, and Cerebral Palsy. We support families who are ready for more than traditional programs.

This is a great fit for:

  • Adults (22+) receiving services through the San Diego Regional Center
  • Families enrolled in or exploring the Self-Determination Program
  • Individuals who want real-world experiences, not just routine care
  • Those interested in building independence, confidence, and community
  • Those working with an Independent Facilitator, or looking to get started with one
Book A Call

Families & Members

What a different kind
of program feels like

These are the kinds of experiences we aim to create for every member and family we work with.
John has worked with my son for many years. John is patient and flexible. He has been very intuitive in identifying my son’s changing needs over the years. John is trustworthy and dependable. The mentoring and experiences have all been rewarding.
Testimonial Rrating

Cori Friend

John and my son have a genuine friendship, which I believe makes the mentoring and job coaching process really enjoyable for our son and effective in the end. John has encouraged personal growth & maturity and supported a lot of life experiences. John has worked with our son for better part of a decade as mentor, roomate, travel companion. They have actually traveled the world together!
John helps my son live a fun and meaningful life.
Testimonial Rrating

Candace Humber

John has provided a wide range of services for our son for more that 20 years. From sports like basketball, gym sessions, stand up paddle boarding, kayaking & bodyboarding to music, art and social activities or just hanging out… the time always puts a smile on our son’s face.
Testimonial Rrating

Edward Durfey

“John’s Life Design Program is great! He helped guide my 18 year old son into the perfect vocational development situation in a field he is passionate about. John coached & supported him the whole way!”

5
Dr Keeran Kumar

“John has worked with us for years & makes music fun for my son! He has helped him create community at the Museum of Making Music.”

5
Shari Sapp

Get Started

CTA image

Let’s find the right fit for your loved one

Every family's situation is different. Tell us about your loved one and we'll help figure out which programs are the right fit and how to fund them through SDP.

Book A Call Submit an Inquiry