“When all of us, and not only a few of us, have more opportunities at school, at work and in our communities, then we’ll truly have reasons to celebrate. LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND.” Ruben Reuter, star of CBBC’s The Dumping Ground and the moving documentary My Life: The Real Dumping Ground joined an international […]
Today, Gillian Bird, Services Director at the DSA, presented at the World Down Syndrome Day Conference at the United Nations, New York. She spoke about education…what has been achieved here in the UK, what works and what still needs to improve…we are concerned that some learners are being left behind. Few learners with complex needs […]
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 […]
Denise Humberstone’s daughter Kathleen is 19 and has just started college in London. Here, her mum talks about her flying the nest and starting the next chapter in her life… My husband is driving. Kathleen is in the back seat behind him, happy as Larry and totally engrossed in her phone. Thankfully, I’m in the […]
You may remember Aaron who told us about his love for free running a few months ago…he’s now made a great video for Awareness Week! My name is Aaron and I am 14. My dad helped me make a video for World Down Syndrome Day about what I get up to. Check it out… I […]
Margaret Hogan was horrified when teachers told her that 9 year old Shauna, her daughter who has Down’s syndrome, was a “health and safety risk” and not allowed to learn to swim like the rest of those in her class. Horrified, Margaret fought the decision and now 17 years later, Shauna has represented Great Britain […]
