Awareness Week 2013

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Monday 18th - Sunday 24th March 2013

Focus on Vision

Every year we target one aspect of living with Down's syndrome. This year we will be "focusing" on raising awareness of the poor visual acuity in Down's syndrome and the impact is has upon daily life.

Fact: Vision is poorer in all people with Down's syndrome.

Up to 50% of people with Downs Syndrome will need to wear glasses, but even when glasses are worn, 100% of people with Down's syndrome have poorer visual acuity than other people. Visual Acuity is still poor even when a person with Down's syndrome is wearing correctly fitted glasses for either long or short sight.

Awareness Week Aim : To increase greater understanding of visual acuity and what it means for people with Down's syndrome.

What can we do to help?

Appreciate that people with Down's syndrome see the world differently – their world lacks fine details and sharp contracts. In order to compensate for the poorer visual acuity we can make the world around them big and bold.

Big and Bold printed materials and images will help – people with Down's syndrome are visual learners so to help them succeed make sure they can see things.

We also need to ensure that all professionals from school and onwards are aware of the poorer visual acuity and make simple changes to ensure that it is big and bold.

Schools and colleges

In the run up to awareness week we will be writing to all local education authorities and explaining that all children and people with Down's syndrome have poorer visual acuity. As children with Down's syndrome are described as 'visual learners', it is very important to take their poorer visual acuity into account in all learning environments.

You could take our School Stragies Information Sheet to your school - download - Think Big and Bold along with example of writing sheet and color in and cut out sheet

Opticians/dispensing opticians in the high street

We are also asking you to join the Down's Syndrome Association Facebook Group and let us know about your local opticians so that we can create a map of good, helpful and friendly Opticians across the country. Let us know where you get –

A good easy eye test for children, teenagers and adults
Well Fitted Frames with lots of choice
Helpful friendly staff

Join our Facebook Group today, click the Like button and tell us -Business Name of Good Opitican, Town and County

On your next visit to your opticians take our Awareness Week Opticians Poster

Families/Carers/Membership

Order an awareness week pack online and have some fun with our funky glasses –

The pack contains about

strategies to overcome visual difficulties in school – Think Big Think Bold
How I See Things – explaining visual acuity in people with Down's syndrome and what it means.
Facts poster to take to your local Opticians.
Funky Glasses Colouring ang Cut Out Sheet, plus great ideas on how to have fun during awareness week

Research Background

We thank Dr Maggie Woodhouse and her team at The Down's Syndrome Vision Research Unit, Cardiff University, School of Optometry and Vision Sciences for their research and help in creating our awareness week materials.

We encourage you to read and share Dr Maggie Woodhouse's research into understating Visual Acuity in children with Down's syndrome and testing and fitting correct glasses for people with Down's syndrome featured in our latest Journal.