Participation Niagara (PN) is a private day program located in St. Catharines for adults with developmental disabilities who reside in the Niagara Region. PN is a privately owned company; originally opened by Stephen Vukovics and now owned and operated by Kayla Martin who has been working in the field of disabilities since 2014.
PN focuses on encouraging personal growth and independence through participation in learning and physical activities which are important components of overall health and well being. The company motto “Everyone has the right to Participate” comes out of the belief in the right to participate in activities with their peers. PN considers participation in learning and physical activities to be integral in building and maintaining a healthy self esteem, as well as a feeling of belonging within any program and the greater community.
PN believes that personal growth and development is the most important aspect for the clients, as can be seen in the following mission statement:
Participation Niagara provides physical and fundamental learning services to individuals with developmental disabilities, enabling them to build their social, psychological, emotional and intellectual tools in aspiring toward an independent lifestyle.
PN has been in operation since October 2012. What started with a simple idea to help improve services for individuals in the Niagara Region, and 2 Participants, has now grown to a program sought by the community and a growing list of Participants!
Meet the Owner - Kayla Martin!
Growing up I was introduced to the developmental service field by my mom who was an Educational Assistant. I was given opportunities to meet the individuals she supported and saw first-hand how important these services are. After taking a peer support class in high school this interest grew and ultimately led me to enrolling in the Educational Assistant – Special Needs Support Program at Niagara College.
In 2014, my journey officially started after my first college placement with Participation Niagara. Beginning as a part time employee who helped facilitate programming, and eventually becoming the program manager responsible for day to day program creation prior to purchasing the business in April of 2024.
As program owner, my goal is to continue to create on going programming that facilitates a safe and inclusive environment and where individual needs are met. Ensuring that all individuals that attend Participation Niagara have the opportunity to participate.