Address details


Down Syndrome NSW
Level 6/410 Church St, North Parramatta
9am-5pm Monday - Thursday
T: 9841 444


Friday 17 March 2017

Weekend reading and viewing: 18 - 19 March 2017

CoorDown, Italy, Down Syndrome International, Down Syndrome Australia, Down's Syndrome Assocation (UK)Jérôme Lejeune Foundation​ (France), 16 March 2017

We’re proud to present Not Special Needs, the new CoorDown campaign for World Down Syndrome Day, 21 March. The video will be presented at the UN conference on 21 March.
What “special needs” does a person with Down syndrome really have? None.
People with Down syndrome, like everyone else, have basic human needs – to eat, drink, breathe and sleep – to be nurtured, loved, educated and sheltered – to move, communicate, contribute and work – and to share, love and live. 
Sure, people with Down syndrome may need extra assistance. Sometimes they even need significant assistance, and adjustments, to meet a particular need. But that doesn't make that common human need “special” ... see the video, read more on the campaign, the thinking behind it, and suggestions for taking an active part.
Visit the Not Special Needs website, and CoorDown Onlus on Instagram, and you will see some familiar Aussie faces!

You can also see and share  the video via You Tube:



'People make assumptions based on the way people look and act and do not always see the person behind the condition.' 
... 'Just because a person has a disability does not mean that they do not have dreams and hopes for the future,” (Ceridwen) Hughes said. “Many people with disabilities want to work and be valuable members of the community, and often they just need that opportunity' ...
4 March 2017

I’ve never been too fussed either way and have used ‘Down syndrome’ ... it’s the term everyone knows. When I write I don’t particularly want to preach to the choir. It’s no great achievement convincing other parents that our kids are pretty cool—we know that already. I try to reach people who know very little about Down syndrome and may have never met anyone with the condition. I want to show people how much Down syndrome has changed so they may be more understanding and willing to accept Wade–and others with the condition–into the schools they attend or the workplaces they share or any other paths they may cross in the future. It’s a bit hard to change people’s hearts and minds about a condition they’ve never heard of or if they think I am talking about a completely different condition all together ... But I think I’ve changed my mind ...
Leticia Keighley, Embracing Wade
13 March 2017

The University of Kentucky Human Development Institute (HDI) is expanding its photo library and creating an important resource to improve the broad representation of people with disabilities from diverse backgrounds. 
... To create this library of resources, photographers Justin and Andy Meredith will also contribute to this project by donating their time to engage in photo shoots coordinated with the Massachusetts Down Syndrome Congress, the Down Syndrome Association of Central Kentucky and other HDI programs with connections to individuals with disabilities who are interested in participating in the photo shoot ...


This will also be the first time an individual with Down syndrome will participate as one of the principal photographers in this kind of effort. His involvement will also be an important vision of future potential for the many families participating in this photo shoot whose young children have Down syndrome and other disabilities” ... 
Whitney Harder, UKNow 
13 March 2017

Down Syndrome International, 14 March 2017
Ahead of World Down Syndrome Day on Tuesday 21 March, Down Syndrome International (DSi) is delighted to announce the recipients of the 2017 World Down Syndrome Day Awards.

The World Down Syndrome Day Awards are presented to individuals or organisations whose voluntary, professional or scientific activities have strengthened and enriched the lives of people with Down syndrome, or contributed to scientific advancement related to Down syndrome.

Two awards were made to Australians:

For outstanding contribution towards scientific advancement related to Down syndrome:
Dr Pat Gunn (Australia) – Dr Gunn is now retired and in her eighties but she dedicated her entire working life to researching development in children with Down syndrome. Her research explored the psychological and environmental factors influencing how pre-school and school-aged children with Down syndrome acquire social and academic skills. The potential practical implications of this research were always at the forefront of her thinking and she was one of the first researchers in the field to look at development in Down syndrome through the lens of the wider family.
For outstanding contribution towards scientific advancement related to Down syndrome:
The University of Queensland Down Syndrome Research Program (Australia) - This award is for the Down Syndrome Research Program at The University of Queensland – the researchers, participants with Down syndrome, families and benefactors. The program has included a number of aspects; however, the centre piece is a longitudinal study which began with babies and their families in 1978. In 2018, the longitudinal study will celebrate 40 years of continuous research with these individuals and their families.
Read the full list of award winners and their profiles here.

All recipients are invited to a formal presentation of World Down Syndrome Day Awards taking place at the 13th World Down Syndrome Congress (WDSC) in Scotland, United Kingdom in July 2018.


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