National Down Syndrome Society

NDSS National Policy Center Blog: Go Behind the Scenes!

The NDSS National Policy Center Blog will give you a glimpse of how our policy center works. Each week you may learn about a meeting at the White House or an experience one of our staff members had with a member of Congress. Also look for special guest bloggers and important updates! Click here to view the blog.

Regal Entertainment Group Set to Air Buddy Walk PSA

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The Regal Entertainment Group has agreed to donate three weeks of air time to promote the Buddy Walk. The 30-second Buddy Walk PSA will air nationwide on 7,200 screens before every movie from September 17th to October 8th.

Click here for theater locations.

NDSS featured in ShoeBuy.com "In Their Shoes" Campaign on Thursday, September 9th

Shoebuy.com is running an "In their Shoes" campaign this week where over the course of four days, they will feature four charitable organizations (including The Home for Little Wanderers, Citizens Schools, Boys and Girls Club of America).

On the day that the organization is featured, there will be a site-wide discount of 15% and for every purchase made, $1 will go towards the organization.

NDSS will be promoted on their site on Thursday, 9/9.

My Great Story of the Week

Finding the Treasure

Kelli Webber, Baton Rouge, LA

My name is Kelli Webber, and I work in the Office of Orientation at Louisiana State University. I am also the proud advisor of the LSU Ambassadors, a student organization on campus whose mission is to recruit, orient and advise incoming students. All of my students were able to share my pregnancy with me, and I knew that my son would always have a special place in their hearts. However, I could have never have imagined the special gift they would give our family.

While I was on maternity leave, my students made a video for me to watch. As the video played, I was greeted by several of my students sending us well wishes, saying how much they missed me, and talking about how excited they were to meet Parish. Each message touched my heart immensely. I was flabbergasted at the amount of time they had spent on this video - time away from so many other commitments they had, time they made for our family and our new son. At the end of each clip, each Ambassador said, “We are finding the treasure in each Parish.” I thought that was such a sweet play on his name, and I giggled at their creativity.

Click here to continue reading Kelli's story.

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Two My Great Story submissions have been featured in the Philadelphia Tribune.

Click here to read the article.

State of the Art Conference on Postsecondary Education and Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities

The National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the 2010 National State of the Art Conference on Postsecondary Education and Individuals with Intellectual Disabilities sponsored by NDSS and the George Mason University. The conference will be held on October 28 and 29 at George Mason University’s new conference center in Fairfax, Virginia. The conference is being cosponsored by the Steve Riggio family, the Office of Postsecondary Education (OPE) and the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDRR), U.S. Department of Education, the American Association of Colleges for Teacher Education (AACTE), the University of Minnesota’s Institute on Community Integration, ThinkCollege, Association of University Centers on Disabilities (AUCD), and the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. The conference is dedicated to the memory of Melissa Riggio.

This conference will provide an opportunity for students, parents, researchers, colleges and universities and practitioners to meet with top experts in the field and hear about exciting postsecondary initiatives across the country. The conference registration is expected to fill up fast. If you are interested in attending we encourage you to register immediately. If you are a person with Down syndrome or a family member of a person with Down syndrome and the cost of travel and registration prohibits your participation, contact Beth Finkelstein, NDSS VP of Community Relations, to inquire about possible support from NDSS.

Click here for more information.

NDSS Joins Forces With Prudential

Click here to view the press release.

The 2010 Toys“R”Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids

Has Arrived!

Toys“R”Us, Inc. has released the 2010 edition of the Toys“R”Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids^®, an easy-to-use toy selection resource that can help parents of children with special needs select toys that develop skills through the power of play. This year, actress, author, philanthropist and mother of a son with autism, Holly Robinson Peete appears on the cover, along with Tommy Austing, a 5-year-old boy from Beverly Hills, CA.

All toys featured in the Guide are available at Toys“R”Us^® stores nationwide and online by clicking here. “Flippable” and downloadable digital versions in both English and Spanish are available here.

Click here to read more about the Guide.

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