3-21: It’s World Down Syndrome Day!
Today, we celebrate World Down Syndrome Day! Below is some information about WDSD from the WDSD website.
America World advocates for babies and children with Down syndrome who have been orphaned and need forever families. We have recently highlighted just a few of these children and our adoption team would love to talk more with you about making one of these precious children a part of your family. You can view the waiting child photolisting on our Waiting Child pages to learn more! Visit our Down Syndrome Adoption page to learn more about adopting a child with Down syndrome.
Additionally, we wanted to share a couple of great videos with you to highlight WDSD and the beauty of this celebration.
First, LynnMarie, a friend of one of our Home Study Coordinators, performs one of her songs, “He Will Never Be“, about her son, James. LynnMarie is quoted on her website,
“The news that James would have Down syndrome took me to a place of darkness so black I never thought I would get out. I didn’t want to raise a son with this disease. All I wanted to do was “fix” him.”
But through therapy and the help of family and friends, LynnMarie slowly began to heal. She is now ready to tell her powerful story in the hope that it will help others to do the same. Read more about LynnMarie at her website!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKlD0I9d5D4&feature=youtu.be
Another video is of John Franklin Stephens, an actor with Down syndrome, giving a speech at the UN.
About World Down Syndrome Day
World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), 21 March, is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012.
Down Syndrome International (DSi) encourages our friends all over the world to choose their own activities and events on WDSD to help raise awareness of what Down syndrome is, what it means to have Down syndrome, and how people with Down syndrome play a vital role in our lives and communities.
For this purpose DSi created this dedicated website as a single meeting place where the global community can share their experiences and advertise their activities (see WDSD World Events) and participate in DSi’s WDSD initiatives, including our WDSD Call To Action, the WDSD Global Video Event, the WDSD Conference at UN Headquarters, New York, the WDSD event at UN Geneva, the LOTS OF SOCKS campaign and the WDSD Awards.
Join in with us to create a single global voice for advocating for the rights, inclusion, and well being of people with Down syndrome on 21 March. Each year the voice of people with Down syndrome, and those who live and work with them, grows louder.
Why 21 March?
The date for WDSD being the 21st day of the 3rd month, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome.
History of WDSD
WDSD was first observed in 2006 in many countries around the world and Down Syndrome Association Singapore launched and hosted the WDSD website from 2006-2010, on behalf of DSi, for global activities to be recorded.
On 19 December 2011, the United Nations General Assembly declared 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day. The General Assembly decided to “designate 21 March as World Down Syndrome Day, to be observed every year beginning in 2012” and “invites all Member States, relevant organizations of the United Nations system and other international organizations, as well as civil society, including non-governmental organizations and the private sector, to observe World Down Syndrome Day in an appropriate manner, in order to raise public awareness of Down syndrome”.