South Sound Parent to Parent (SSP2P) began in 1987 for the families of children with disability or chronic illness and the professionals who support them. SSP2P helps families find needed services, mutual support and reliable information at every step of their child’s journey.
It’s estimated that nearly 50,000 Thurston County residents are living with a disability. While some are readily visible, many disabilities are unseen and dealing with them can lead to misunderstandings, anxiety and isolation.
Invisible Disabilities Can Be Harder to Diagnose, Treat and Support
Kim Smith, executive director of South Sound Parent to Parent, has been with the organization for almost 23 years. During a school practicum with Head Start, she was introduced to the program and later applied for a job as a family resources coordinator before stepping into a leadership role in 2010.
Smith says that invisible disabilities are exactly what they sound like; namely things not obvious when simply looking at a person. “Chronic illness; hearing, vision and cognitive difficulties; mental health conditions; neurodiversity like autism; and learning disabilities are all examples,” Smith explains.
Because these are not readily apparent, says Smith, they can be “grossly misunderstood.” When this comes in the form of whispers or snide comments about a child’s behavior, for example, it can lead to anxiety and social isolation. “Think about attending a family holiday meal where there are no safe foods for your child who can only tolerate certain textures or a single kind of bread,” she adds. “Many families just choose to stay home.”
SSP2P Supports Families of Children with Disabilities in Thurston, Mason and Grays Harbor Counties
At South Sound Parent to Parent, they’ve spent the last four decades working with local families across Thurston, Mason and Grays Harbor counties. Smith says that they “provide early support services for children ages 0 to 3, with developmental evaluations and therapy services for those who qualify. In addition, our Helping Parent program provides workshops, recreational events, support groups – like Mom to Mom, Dad to Dad or Sibshops – as well as one-on-one mentor support and soon the Holland Program for small groups to learn how to support each other.”
Resources are available in both English and Spanish and their overall mission, says Smith, is very simple. “Our goal is to empower parents and families to live the lives they want to. We want to remove barriers to accessing services in our region and reduce the isolation that comes with raising children with disabilities.”
South Sound Parent to Parent Offers a Helping Hand, One Family at a Time
Smith reminds us of the adage that we can never really know what someone else is going through. “If you see a parent struggling with a child in the store,” she encourages, “rather than passing judgement, offer them a hand.”
At South Sound Parent to Parent, they received more than 83,000 requests for assistance in fiscal year 2024-2025 alone. To tackle this need, SSP2P trained 963 Helping Parents volunteers, provided information to over 47,000 mailing list recipients and 38,000 social media followers, served every county in Washington State and hosted multicultural and multilingual service options. These figures are for the entire state Helping Parent program, not just SSP2P.
They keep an active calendar of events including upcoming classes and seasonal family fun events like Harvest Fest, Easter egg hunts, game nights, magic shows and more.
You can help by checking out their Amazon Wish List, volunteering, becoming a Helping Parent, or considering a donation to benefit their work.
Find the latest updates through their newsletter or by following them on social media. They’ve broken down their digital footprint into Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, Latino Facebook, Grays Harbor Peer Support Facebook, and TikTok posts.
The Invisible Disabilities Association says that approximately 75% of Americans living with a severe disability, for example, do not use visible adaptive devices like wheelchairs, canes, crutches or walkers. Their expert’s use the term ‘invisible disability’ to include symptoms like debilitating pain, fatigue, dizziness, cognitive dysfunctions, brain injuries, learning differences and mental health disorders, as well as hearing and vision impairments.
If your family could use a helping hand raising children with visible or invisible disabilities or chronic illness, reach out to South Sound Parent to Parent today.
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