Where others see negative, Catherine "Kitty" Williams, of Bridgeville, sees positive.

Three years ago this month, Ms. Williams' sister, Jane Williams, died at age 43 from heart complications. She had had Down syndrome.

After her sister's death, Ms. Williams, 48, self-published a book, "Lessons from Jane,'' a tribute to her sister and the lessons she learned growing up with a disabled sibling. In the book, Ms. Williams praises the support systems available in the Pittsburgh area.

"There are people with big hearts out there who understand what you need at the exact moment that you need it," she said.

Recently, Ms. Williams decided to become a part of that support community. Starting Saturday, she will offer yoga classes for disabled people in the South Hills.

Her class will be offered through the local nonprofit group, PA Connecting Communities.

"I'm excited to share yoga with the disabled community," said Ms. Williams, who is a managing director at Travelers Insurance.

The class is not limited to those who have Down syndrome but is open to any person with developmental, cognitive or sensory disabilities and the person's caregiver.

The yoga classes are suitable for beginners. The yoga poses will be modified for different capabilities and are appropriate for those who use wheelchairs. PA Connecting Communities will help with staffing.

The six weeks of classes will run from noon to 1 p.m. each Saturday at Bethel Park Community Center. The cost is $10 per class. Students are not required to take the entire six-week session but can drop in for individual classes. Class size will be limited to about 15 students. All equipment, including mats, straps and blocks, will be provided. Students should wear comfortable clothing and are advised to eat lightly before class.

"We are very excited to help offer yoga to the disabled community," said Peggy Mannella, Connecting Communities co-founder and executive director. She said the program strives to fill voids in the lives of disabled people by offering programs that are not offered elsewhere.

Connecting Communities was founded in 2004 and serves about 2,500 people in Allegheny and surrounding counties.

"We can't keep up with the demand,'' Ms. Mannella said.

The nonprofit agency employs about 40 and has roughly 50 volunteers. Among its most popular programs are monthly dances and classes, such as a gardening class it started recently.

A majority of the group's funding comes from private donations. The group waives fees for low-income students.

Jane Williams attended several programs offered through the group, and her sister said she particularly enjoyed the rare opportunity to socialize.

Socialization is an important aspect of Connecting Communities' programming, Ms. Mannella said, because often disabled people spend much of their day at home.

"Many parents send us letters saying that their son or daughter didn't have any friends before attending one of our programs,'' she said.

In addition to the opportunity to socialize, Ms. Williams said, yoga can help a disabled person in the same ways it helps any student: by offering calming skills and enhancing physical strength and alignment.

Ms. Williams remembered a difficult time in her sister's adult life, when she had to move into a group home.

"She had no coping skills for that," Ms. Williams said.

She also said that her sister had poor posture from using a wheelchair.

"Yoga would have given Janie some tools to help her physically," Ms. Williams said.

Yoga also helped Ms. Williams cope with her grief after her sister's death, she said.

"Yoga helped keep me grounded.''

Ms. Williams has studied yoga for seven years and has taught yoga for two. She said her yoga skills combined with her compassion for disabled people will help her offer a meaningful class.

"I don't see the disability," Ms. Williams said. "I see the possibility."

For more information on PA Connecting Communities, call Peggy Mannella at 412-784-1470 or visit www.paconnectingcommunities.org.