“Anything’s Possible” for S:US: Scenes from Developmental Disabilities Championships
October 14, 2026
Queens Ledger
Kylie Volavongsa
ASTORIA — Last Thursday morning, a crowd of orange and blue t-shirts filled Astoria Park — except, they weren’t for that night’s Knicks game.
It was part of the Service for the UnderServed (S:US)’s annual Developmental Disabilities Championships and Family Fun Day, which has taken place for over 17 years. Broadly speaking, the organization operates across Queens, Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Bronx. It serves approximately 700 adults with intellectual or developmental disabilities, as well as those with neurologic and psychiatric disorders.
But at the Championships and Family Fun Day, staff and S:USers gathered for an Olympic-style parade, track and field competitions, relay races and more. According to Chief Program Officer Monica Santos, participants’ ages ranged from 21 all the way up to 99.
That this year’s (Knicks-inspired) theme was “Anything’s Possible” makes it no surprise.
“So, it’s not like they’re 40 years old locked behind doors,” Santos said. “And if anyone has children who have special needs, they can see, like, ‘Oh, look what’s possible for my child.’”
Per the Mayor’s Office for People with Disabilities, there are over one million New Yorkers with disabilities across the five boroughs. The Comptroller’s Office also reported in 2024 that the employment rate for those with a disability is 41%, compared to 81% for non-disabled workers — a gap larger than that of the national average. Accordingly, S:US runs a wide range of programming from behavioral health to housing. It also offers classes to reinforce social skills, like how to talk to people at parties, make conversation in the workplace or visit the library. Mary, who’s been with S:US since 2008, is always a fan of the arts and crafts table. But this time, she was excited to enter the races as a runner.
“Every time they have this, I always come to grow,” Mary said.
That wasn’t the only thing Mary looked forward to: soon, she’ll be moving from a 24-hour care program to living independently in her own apartment.
S:US has more than one way to keep everyone active. Those supported by S:US join in volunteering opportunities that include maintaining a network of community fridges across four boroughs and an urban farm initiative with eight community farms and beekeeping at the S:US beehive. They’ve also begun an experiment of running pop-up stores for secondhand clothing donated by NYU.
“The idea behind that, from the state, is that if you are an active member in your community, it’ll break down the stigma. You’ll be part of that group and accepted,” Jajaida Gonzalez, VP of Day Services, explained.
Whoever wasn’t in the mood for the more athletic activities could take part in arts and crafts, too. In line with the Met’s ongoing Jackson Pollock exhibition, Gonzalez also came up with an activity where anyone interested could throw a paint-covered basketball at a hanging canvas for S:US’ own Pollock-esque painting.
“No matter what their ability level is, participants’ lives are celebrated,” Santos added. “It’s the fact that they have a beautiful day, people with developmental disabilities are out here enjoying the park and the community gets to see them.”
