For people who are unfamiliar with what World Down Syndrome Day is, this day is focused on all individuals with Down syndrome. If you look at a regular body, they have 46 chromosomes and that is just as awesome! If you look at a person with Down syndrome, we have 47, one extra chromosome, how cool is that! World Down Syndrome Day is on 3/21 because people with Down syndrome have three copies of the 21st chromosome.
I believe Down syndrome doesn’t hold us back or stop us from pursuing our dreams. We all have the same wants and needs as everyone else. We are humans too! Like everyone else we want to be able to go to college, drive a car, own businesses and find meaningful and gainful employment and do outstanding things in our daily life. My friends and I in the Down syndrome community are able to express our talents, our abilities and really show what we are capable of doing. We are living proof that Down syndrome is not a sad diagnosis!
We have a number of action alerts that go out to our community and affiliates. One of our action alerts is a proclamation for World Down Syndrome Day. This is asking self-advocates and their families to reach out to their local governors and request a proclamation recognizing World Down Syndrome Day on March 21st. These proclamations are official documents that commemorate a specific period (day, month, or week). This is to raise awareness about this particular event because we want to commemorate such an important day in the Down syndrome community. We are so grateful to all of the advocates who reached out to their states! If you missed out this World Down Syndrome Day, you can follow this link for more information to gear up for next year!
World Down Syndrome Day is March 21st throughout the entire world. This day is very important to me, a day on which the focal point is on Down syndrome to help encourage and lift awareness through our messages, our videos and media outlets. Our voices are louder and better together. At the National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) we are always advocating for the lives of people with Down syndrome, promoting our rights, inclusion, diversity and education. They encourage us to advocate and to have a voice for our lives in the Down syndrome community. My colleagues and I work tirelessly to make sure that we are fully included in schools, church, homes and employment.
Finally, we are very grateful for what we have and what life brings all of us every day. I would like to mention two of my favorite mantras. You may have heard me say them before. “Nothing worth doing is easy and nothing is above our reach if we all work together,” and lastly, “we are more alike than different.”