World Down Syndrome Day 2023; March 21st.

FORUM: "With Us Not For Us." World Down Syndrome Day 2023.

The message of With Us Not For Us is key to a human rights-based approach to disability. We are committed to moving on from the outdated charity model of disability, where people with disability were treated as objects of charity, deserving of pity and relying on others for support. A human rights-based approach views people with disabilities as having the right to be treated fairly and have the same opportunities as everyone else, working WITH others to improve the lives of the persons with down syndrome.  Follow the conversation with the hashtags: #WithUsNotForUs and #WorldDownSyndromeDay.

CAMPAIGN: For WDSD 2023, we call for people and organisations around the world to be With Us Not For Us. Read more about the global campaign here.

In December 2022, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution, promoting and mainstreaming easy-to-understand communication for accessibility for persons with disabilities. 

EVENTS: 

New York

On World Down Syndrome Day 2023, the Down Syndrome International network will host the 12th World Down Syndrome Day Conference (WDSDC) at the United Nations headquarters in New York.

Geneva

For the World Down Syndrome Day 2023, self-advocates with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities from around the world will be gathering in Geneva to discuss the resolution and speak up for their right to easy-to-understand communication. We welcome you to our 2023 WDSD celebrations.

World Down Syndrome Day - Geneva 2023;
20 – 21 Mar, 2023.
- 14:00 (CET) - Geneva - Switzerland.

World Down Syndrome Day 2022; March 21st.

FORUM: #InclusionMeans - World Down Syndrome Day 2022.

The United Nations, in the general principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD), calls for “full and effective participation and inclusion in society”. Everyone should have the same opportunities, take part in the same activities, be able to go to the same places and enjoy the same experiences in life. But around the world people with Down syndrome and disabilities do not benefit from full and effective participation and inclusion in society. There are many reasons for this. One reason is a lack of agreed understanding about what inclusion is and what inclusive systems look like in practice. Not everyone understands:
- How to include people with Down syndrome and disabilities;
- How full inclusion benefits everyone – with or without disabilities;
- What is happening around the world to bring about inclusion for all.

Self-advocates from around the world will explain in their own words what #InclusionMeans?.
The World Down Syndrome Day 2022 event will be attended by members of the Committee, government officials, and other major stakeholders.

Why #InclusionMeans?
• People with Down syndrome have a right to be included in all parts of society, like everyone else.
• Not everyone understands exactly what inclusion means or how to include people with Down syndrome.
• It is important to hear from people with Down syndrome what inclusion means.

WEBINARS

Event on the margins of the Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities

#InclusionMeans at United Nations in New York.

#InclusionMeans at United Nations Geneva

Find out what we think #InclusionMeans in #Employment , and what it doesn't mean! #InclusiveEmployment #WorldDownSyndromeDay

Related Documents:

Read more about #InclusionMeans

World Down Syndrome Day 2021, March 21

"CONNECT" is the theme chosen to observe World Down Syndrome Day on March 21st.

In 2020 around the world, we all had to adapt the ways we connect with each other. It was a big challenge and many people have been left behind. But it was an opportunity to find new ways to connect. This can be a positive outcome from the COVID-19 pandemic. For WDSD 2021 we want to focus on improving connections to ensure that all people with Down syndrome can CONNECT and participate on an equal basis with others.

We CONNECT so that we can:
Share ideas, experiences and knowledge,
Empower each other to advocate for equal rights for people with Down syndrome, and
Reach out to key stakeholders to bring about positive change.

FORUM: "CONNECT"  World Down Syndrome Day 2021. 

Join Down Syndrome International online for  10th annual World Down Syndrome Day Conference as a series of virtual events. Speakers will include people with Down syndrome, supporters and advocates, government and UN officials and NGO representatives. They will share their experiences, knowledge and expertise, bringing perspectives from around the world. Connections are key for people with Down syndrome to lead full, meaningful lives and to enable them to fully participate in all aspects of life. Connections enable others to hear their voice.

Session 1 - 10th World Down Syndrome Day Conference - Opening and launch - #CONNECT.

In session 1, we will look at the importance of #CONNECT (connecting) for people with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities, in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting exacerbation of inequalities. We will identify barriers and solutions to connecting to inform COVID-19 recovery plans and to build a future where connecting is possible on an equal basis with others.

Broadcast live on Wednesday 17 March 2021 10:00 AM EDT / 2:00 PM UTC.

SESSION 1 PROGRAMME

This event is captioned in English

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Session 2 - 10th World Down Syndrome Day Conference - The importance of inclusion and connection in education - barriers, solutions and COVID-19.


Session 2 will explore the vision of inclusive education, the challenges faced in its realisation and the effect of COVID-19 on education around the world. We will see experiences, information and examples of good practice in inclusive education during COVID-19 and innovative strategies for inclusive education during the COVID-19 recovery and beyond.

Broadcast live on Thursday 18 March 2021 10:00 AM EDT / 2:00 PM UTC

SESSION 2 PROGRAMME

This event is captioned in English

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Session 3 - 10th World Down Syndrome Day Conference - How to #CONNECT - barriers and solutions for people with Down syndrome?


Connections are key for people with Down syndrome to lead full, meaningful lives and to enable them to fully participate in all aspects of life. Connections enable others to hear their voice. Session 3 will showcase good examples of connecting and what it can achieve. Solutions to connecting and innovative projects for removing barriers in the future with be showcased.

Broadcast live on Friday 19 March 2021 11:00 AM EDT / 3:00 PM UTC

World Down Syndrome Day 2015, March 21st.

世界唐氏综合征日, 3月21日.

World Down Syndrome Day , 21 March.

 Día Mundial del Síndrome de Down, 21 de marzo.

. متلازمة داون اليوم العالمي لل- 21 مارس

Всемирный день людей с синдромом Дауна, 21 марта.

United Nations Secretary-General's Message for the World Down Syndrome Day 2015.

This year’s World Down Syndrome Day falls as the international community is striving to create a universal, transformative agenda for sustainable development. The links between disability, human rights and development span a wide spectrum of development issues relating to economic, social and environmental factors.  Every year on this observance, we reaffirm that persons with Down syndrome are entitled to the full enjoyment of all human rights.  This year, we must make every effort to ensure that the new sustainable development goals address equality and help build a life of dignity for all, including people with Down syndrome and other persons with disabilities.
Persons with Down syndrome face stigmatization, abuse and lack of support.  Too often, their challenges begin early in life when they are excluded from quality education systems.  Adequate access to health care, early intervention programmes and inclusive education, as well as appropriate research, are vital to the growth and development of individuals with Down syndrome. 
The role of families is central to supporting persons with Down syndrome by promoting their equal status in society and empowering them to be their own advocates.  At the same time, we must recognize our collective responsibility to create conditions for all persons with disabilities to make valuable contributions to our shared future.  We must promote inclusive policies and raise awareness about social justice for people with Down syndrome, and do everything possible to enable them to live where they want and with whom, to form their own families, to administer their own assets and to pursue their own happiness.
I applaud all those who champion the rights and lives of persons with disabilities, and I urge others to support them.  Let us use this World Down Syndrome Day to advocate for a more socially just and inclusive world.

Ban Ki-moon

 

How people with Down syndrome play a vital role in our lives and communities.

Our focus is ‘My Opportunities, My Choices’ – Enjoying Full and Equal Rights and the Role of Families in 2015

‘My Opportunities, My Choices’ (Information Leaflet) - Down Syndrome International

My Opportunities, My Choices,– Enjoying Full and Equal Rights and the Role of Families People with Down syndrome, on an equal basis with other people, must be able to enjoy full and equal rights,both as children and adults with ‘opportunities’ and‘choices’.

People with Down syndrome face many challenges as children and adults which can include:

° being abandoned, subjected to abuse and segregated from their communities;
° being discriminated against and treated unequally in education s ystems;
°  being discriminated against and having health conditions misdiagnosed by health systems;
°limited opportunities to live independently, work and be fullyincluded in the community;
° a lack of control over the right to marry and have relationships and families;
°limited opportunities to vote, participate in public advocacy or be elected to public office.

These challenges prevent many people with Down syndrome from enjoying their basic human rights. Those directly or indirectly responsible for this may be families, education, health and social professionals, authorities or the general public and the primary reason for this is a failure to understand that people with Down syndrome are people first, who mayrequireadditional support, butshould be recognised by society on an equal basis with others, without discrimination on the basis of disability.

Preamble (X) of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) confirms that “persons with disabilities and their family members should receive the necessary protection and
assistance to enable families to contribute towards the full and equal enjoyment of the rights of persons with disabilities.”

In order for people with Down syndrome to enjoy full and equal rights, their families, who have a deep personal interest in their well-being, must be informed and empowered to promote the equal status of their family members in society, so that they can provide support, advocate foropportunities and choices in all aspects of life and crucially so that they can empower people with Down syndrome to express their own views freely on all matters affecting them and make their own decisions, as well as advocate for themselves. Society can assist families to support children wi th Down syndrome to be protected from harm, to be heard, to have access to education and healthcare and to be fully included in their communities, with opportunities to participate, on an equal basis with others.

Adults with Down syndrome, on an equal basis with others, must have choices, be able to make decisions and have control in their lives. Society can assist families to ensure that people with Down syndrome have access to support they may require in exercising their legal capacity, to empower them to lead independent lives and be accepted and included as valued, equal and participating members of their communities.

On 21 March 2015, the 10th anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day and in the‘21’st anniversary year of the‘International Year of the Family, Down Syndrome International will focus on the role of families and the positive contribution that they can make towards the enjoyment of full and equal rights for people with Down syndrome.

World Down Syndrome Day - General Poster - 2015 

World Down Syndrome Day - Family Poster - 2015 

The twentieth anniversary of the International Year of the Family (IYF)