The Education Committee has today published the report of its inquiry into special educational needs and disabilities (SEND). They have concluded that this generation is being let down by the current system, and that parents are facing a “titanic struggle” to find the right help and support. We contributed to the Special Education Consortium’s submission, […]
The Information and Training Team have spent much of the last year developing a new eight week training course package for adults with Down’s syndrome covering all aspects of relationships and sex education (RSE). Whilst most people with Down’s syndrome will have had access to some form of RSE at school, the timescales of these […]
Marie Evans recently attempted to break the Guinness World Record for the fastest marathon dressed as DNA, inspired by her son Gabriel, who has Down’s syndrome. She tells us how it all happened… In 2013, the year before our wonderful son Gabriel was born, I ran the Edinburgh Marathon, taking 4 hours, 50 minutes. Upon […]
Today sees the culmination of coordinated work across the DSA with the submission of our response to The Department of Health and Social Care consultation on mandatory learning disability training for health and care professionals. For a long while now we have been concerned about the variability in quality of healthcare individuals with Down’s syndrome […]
A Hertfordshire man is gearing up for a 10,000 mile motorcycle challenge in memory of his son Tom, who died when he was just seven years old. Richard ‘Dicky’ Barr will ride from London to Mount Everest, leaving the capital on 20th April, the day on which Tom would have turned 22. Tom had Down’s […]
Karen Gavin and her husband John are older parents, at 60 and 69. Their son Matthew (21) has the dual diagnosis of Down’s syndrome and severe Autism Spectrum Disorder, and the couple share looking after him at home. Matthew needs 1:1 care, 24 hours a day. John is at retirement age and works part-time and […]
Michele is married to Matthew and she has two children, Lois 9 and Elliot 7. Elliot has Down’s syndrome and they live in South London. This is her story… I can clearly remember the day I went for my 12 week scan. I’d told Matt not to bother taking time off of work, it was […]
Maxwell was born on World Down Syndrome Day 2014. Now as he turns five on March 21, his mum Molly tells us about Maxwell starting school and his journey into the next stage of his life. As this year’s WDSD theme is #LeaveNoOneBehind, Molly particularly talks about how Maxwell’s school makes sure every single student […]
By Harps Kaur When Saajan entered this world, much to our surprise, he came with a little something extra – he had Down’s syndrome. To say we were devastated is an understatement. The grief and sheer shock that washed over me bought with it a wave of deep devastation as my mind was clouded with […]
By Debbie Austin My 10 year old daughter Lucy has a dual diagnosis of Down’s syndrome and autism and when stressed, has behaviours that can be described as challenging. The ‘Leave No-one Behind’ theme for this year’s World Down Syndrome Day is most welcome. As the years go by and it becomes clear that autism […]
