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.
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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
  • Group meals and social time as core program themes
  • 3-hour sessions in groups of 4 to 6 members
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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

Saturday Surfers

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

This weekly group meets at Del Mar Powerhouse Park or La Jolla Shores or North Cardiff St Beach, where participants are supported through adaptive surf experiences, beach games, sand play, and sensory-based activities. Boards, wetsuits, and adaptive surf equipment are all provided, making the experience welcoming and accessible for all levels.

What’s included:

  • Weekly Saturday sessions at Del Mar or La Jolla Shores or North Cardiff St Beach
  • Adaptive surf instruction for all experience levels
  • We provide all equipment: boards, wetsuits, and adaptive gear.
  • 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 by our OT co-founder Christina Hutchens, each session is adaptive, personally tailored, and focused on what the body can do. Participants build strength, reduce anxiety, improve body awareness, and leave feeling supported, capable, and 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 designed by a licensed OT
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Support note:
Fully funded through your SDP budget | Led by Christina Hutchens, OTR/L

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
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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

Each program is funded through your SDP budget, aligned with your IPP goals, and designed to be engaging, structured, and meaningful.
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
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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
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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
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John and Christina posing together outdoors in athletic wear with green shrubbery in the background.

Let Us Handle

billing through your Fiscal Management Service
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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.

Annual budgets typically range from $30,000 to $120,000+ depending on support needs. Reach out and we’ll help you determine if SDP is the right fit.

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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
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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.
A mirror selfie of a smiling woman with bright green and blue hair holding a large grey cat.
Cori Friend
Testimonial Rrating
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.
A smiling young woman with blonde hair
Candace Humber
Testimonial Rrating
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.
A woman wearing a knit beanie taking a mirror selfie while holding a baby
Edward Durfey
Testimonial Rrating

“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

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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.

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