Conference sessions for people with Down syndrome

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When:  Saturday, 9th October 2021

Time:    10am – 11am

Where: Zoom

Who:    Sir Robert Martin

What will he talk about?

From Institution to Knighthood

 

A little more about Sir Robert Martin

Sir Robert has spent his life advocating on behalf of disabled people and in particular people with learning disability, both in New Zealand and around the world

Sir Robert was New Zealand’s nominee for the Committee for the United Nations Convention of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities and was successfully elected to this role in June 2016. He has completed his first four-year term as an Independent Expert and was re-elected for a second term  which started in 2021.

Sir Robert received his knighthood in January 2020 for his achievements and it is believed that he is the first person with a learning disability to have received such an award.

 

 

When:   Thursday,  14th October 

Time:    7pm – 8pm

Where: Zoom

Who:   Erika Butters

What will she talk about?

Supported Decision Making – a Human Right

Everyone has the right to make decisions, and everyone has the right to access support to make those decisions. This workshop will help you understand Supported Decision Making in New Zealand and the rest of the world. It will also help you understand who may require decision making support and give suggestions on how to practice supported decision making. The workshop will also talk about capacity, will and preference, and safeguarding.

A little more about Erika

Erika works as the Director of The Personal Advocacy and Safeguarding Adults Trust. She wants all New Zealanders to have their rights and well-being protected and promoted. Erika has worked to make independent advocacy and support for decision making available to all disabled people in New Zealand. Erika works and lives in Wellington.

 

When:  Thursday, 21st October 2021

Time:    7pm-8pm

Where: Zoom

Who:    Dr Mark Sinclair

What will he talk about?
Managing your feelings

A little more about Dr Mark Sinclair

Dr Sinclair is a registered psychologist with 40 years of experience in clinical psychology in New Zealand and Canada. He has worked in a variety of mental health services within the public and private sectors, specializing in developmental disorders and challenging behaviour.

He continues to have a private clinical practice in Auckland and Thames which includes forensic assessment for the Family Court and reports in relation to immigration matters.

 

When:              Thursday, 21st October 2021

Time:                7pm-8pm

Where:             Zoom

Who:                Meet all the Stars

What will they talk about?

They will tell us why they got an award or a nomination for an award?

They will also share with you how they create a great life.

 

Joining this star cast

Libby Hunsdale – actor in the movie Poppy

Michael Holdsworth – member of the New Zealand Order of Merit

Rochelle Waters – NZDSA National Achievement Award

Amelia Eades – NZDSA National Achievement Award

Jacob Dombroski – NZDSA National Achievement Award

Luka Willems – nominated for the Attitude Youth Award

Lily Harper -nominated for the Attitude Creative Award

Carlos Biggemann – nominated for the Attitude Creative Award

Bradley Lewis – nominated for the Attitude Enterprise Award

Alfie Linn – nominated for the Attitude Sporting Endeavour Award

 

 

Stunning Virtual Down Syndrome Conference programme announced

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You do not want to miss this.

Make sure you check out the long list of world-leading presenters, who will cover most key topics that may be important to people with Down Syndrome as part of the NZDSA Virtual Down Syndrome Conference.

REGISTER HERE

The NZDSA this month will celebrate its 40th anniversary by hosting the largest Virtual Down Syndrome Conference ever organised in this country, to coincide with World Down Syndrome Month.

The virtual conference will offer a stunning variety of high-profile Kiwi and international expert speakers who will cover a wide range of topics including education, health, speech, relationships, ageing and legal issues.

The conference will have several presentations focused on health with Andrea Simonlehner from Natural Equilibrium doing two sessions on gut health and fussy eaters, while Geraldine Whatnell will share her expertise on growing old with Down syndrome.

One session that will be exciting to parents as well as younger adults with Down syndrome will be relationship expert Dave Hicks talking about the theory and practicalities of getting into a relationship. Dave is likely to become a familiar face on New Zealand television as he was the expert on the upcoming television series Down With Love.

One of the speakers from the United States will be Kavita Krell from Massachusetts General Hospital who will explain how you can develop an innovative online health plan from anywhere in the world, while her colleague Dr Brian Skotko will do a presentation about and for siblings of people with Down syndrome.

REGISTER HERE

The conference will also offer sessions wellbeing, speech therapy, advocacy and educations, so there will be there something for all stages of life and every member of our community.

The conference will also include a number of sessions specifically for people with Down syndrome, so for the full list of those events, please click here (all these sessions are marked in orange below).

The NZDSA has hosted many conferences, seminars and workshops during its history, but geographical and financial restraints often restricted the number of people who were able to attend.

All those barriers have now been removed by modern technology and the new digital skills we have learned during lockdown.

With modern video conferencing technology, there is no reason to miss out so keep an eye on our E-new and Facebook page for upcoming details how to register.

To get all this information, make sure we can send you our newsletters, so please register your details on the NZDSA website FOR FREE, at www.nzdsa.org.nz

Some sessions will be recorded as a future resource, but many others will not, so make sure you do not miss out on the webinars you are interested.

The NZDSA is non-for-profit charity that receives no Government funding and fully depends on grants and donations, so when you register or think the webinars are of value to you and your community, please remember to make a donation, so we can continue to offer these services to raise the awareness and knowledge around Down syndrome.

REGISTER HERE

 

THE FULL PROGRAMME OF THE VIRTUAL DOWN SYNDROME CONFERENCE

Tuesday 5th October, 7pm – 8pm

Bridget Snedden, President of Down Syndrome International(DSi)

Theme: Wellbeing and Rights

Title:  Getting to the good life – The importance of having a vision

Audience:  Everyone

 

Wednesday 6th October, 7pm – 8pm

Dr Mark Sinclair, Private Practice

Theme: Wellbeing

Title: Keeping an Emotional Balance (At home with children and teens)

Audience:   Parents, whānau, professionals – all ages

 

Thursday, 7th October, 7pm – 8pm

Trish Grant, Director of Advocacy IHC

Theme: Education and Rights

Title: Are we there yet?

Audience: Parents, whānau, professionals with a focus on school-aged children

 

Saturday, 9th October, 10am – 11am

Sir Robert Martin

Theme: Rights and Wellbeing

Title: From Institution to Knighthood

Audience: Everyone

 

Tuesday, 12th October , 7pm – 8pm

Erika Butters, Director, The Personal Advocacy and Safeguarding Adults Trust

Theme: Rights

Title: Supported Decision Making – a Human Right

Audience: Parents, whānau, professionals with a focus on youth and adults

 

Wednesday, 13th October, 7pm – 8pm

Dr Maree Kirk, Director, STPDS NZ

Theme: Education

Title: Individual Education Plan – The capabilities approach

Audience: Parents, whānau, professionals with a focus on school-aged children

 

Wednesday, 14th October, 12pm-1pm

Andrea Simonlehner, Natural Equilibrium

Theme: Health

Title: Brain and Gut Health for people with Down syndrome

Please note this session will view the recorded session hosted in September (there will be no Q&A)

It will be beneficial to view this for the session with Andrea on the 27th October

Audience: Parents, whānau, professionals – all ages

 

Thursday, 14th October, 7pm – 8pm

Who: Erika Butters, Director, The Personal Advocacy and Safeguarding Adults Trust

Theme: Rights

What: Supported Decision Making – a Human Right. 

Audience: People with Down syndrome

 

Saturday, 16th October, 10am – 11am

Dr Brian Skotko,  Director of the Down Syndrome Program at Massachusetts General Hospital

and Susan Levine, Co-founder and social worker at Family Resource Associates, Inc.

Theme: Siblings 18+

Title: Adult brothers and sisters of siblings with Down syndrome: Exploring past experiences and current roles

Audience: Siblings 18+

 

Tuesday, 19th October,  7pm – 8pm

Fiona Kenworthy, Speech & language therapist

Clinical Director /Small Talk Therapy

Theme: Speech and Language Therapy

Title: Early literacy skills for children with Down syndrome – Families making a difference

Audience: Parents, whānau, professionals with a focus on early literacy skills (not age specific)

Hosted by UpsideDowns Education Trust and the NZDSA

 

Wednesday, 20th October, 7pm – 8pm

Dave Hicks, Academic Programme Manager – Unitec

Theme: Wellbeing

Title: Relationships – Theories and Practicalities

Audience: Parents, whānau, professionals – all ages

 

Thursday,21st October, 12pm -1pm

Gretchen A. Good, PhD, Senior Lecturer in Rehabilitation and Disability Studies, Massey University and Jane Lee, MSW, Tutor in Rehabilitation and Disability Studies, Massey University

Theme: Wellbeing and Rights

Title: Parenting during a pandemic:  Have any lessons been learned?

Audience: Parents, whānau, professionals – all ages

 

Thursday 21st October, 7pm – 8pm

Who: Dr Mark Sinclair, Private Practice

What:  Managing your feelings

Audience: People with Down syndrome

 

Saturday, 23rd October, 10am – 11am

Kavita Krell, Director of Customer Experience for Down Syndrome Clinic to You (DSC2U)

Theme: Health

Title: DSC2U: An online personal care plan for caregivers and primary care physicians

Audience: Parents, whānau, professionals  – all ages

 

Tuesday, 26th October, 7pm – 8pm

Andrea Simonlehner, Natural Equilibrium

Theme: Health

Title: Fussy Eaters

Audience: Parents, whānau, professionals – relevant for all ages

 

Wednesday, 27th October, 7pm – 8pm

Geraldine (Dina) Whatnell, Nurse Practitioner Mental Health and Addictions Service Palmerston North Hospital

Theme: Health

Title: The Golden Years: Ageing and Down Syndrome

Audience: Parents, whānau, professionals – focus on adults who are 25+

 

Thursday, 28th October, 7pm – 8pm

Who: Libby Hunsdale, Michael Holdsworth, Rochelle Waters, Amelia Eades, Luka Willems, Lily Harper, Carlos Biggemann, Bradley Lewis, Jacob Dombroski, Alfie Linn

What: Meet the Stars!

Audience: People with Down syndrome, but others are welcome to join

 

Saturday, 30th October, 10am – 11am

Dr Maree Kirk, Director, STPDS NZ

Theme: Education/Wellbeing

Title: Making visions work – Social skill development for identity across the lifespan

Audience: Parents, whānau, professionals with a focus on school-aged children

 

WeThe15 campaigns to break down barriers

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Launching at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games, WeThe15 plans to initiate change over the next decade by bringing together the biggest coalition ever of international organisations from the world of sport, human rights, policy, communications, business, arts and entertainment.

At a time when diversity and inclusion are hot topics, the 15% who have a disability want effective change to remove the inequality and inactivity. Like race, gender and sexual orientation, we want to have a movement all persons with disabilities can rally behind. A global movement that is publicly campaigning for disability visibility, inclusion and accessibility.

WeThe15 will shine a light on 15% of the world’s population. It will build greater knowledge of the barriers and discrimination persons with disabilities face on a daily basis at all levels of society. By doing so we will break down these barriers so all persons with disabilities can fulfil their potential and be active and visible members of an inclusive society.

For more information go to: www.wethe15.org

 

 

Rochelle Waters makes Canterbury proud

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Rochelle Waters recently received the NZDSA National Achievement Award from Rt Hon Governor-General Dame Patsy Reddy. She was nominated by the Canterbury Special Olympics administrator Helen Mitchell, who describes how Special Olympics are just part of Rochelle’s terrific list of achievements.

I would like to nominate Rochelle Waters for the NZDSA 2020 National Achievement Awards.

I know Rochelle through her involvement with Special Olympics and am amazed at what Rochelle has achieved throughout her lifetime, which is why I would like her to be considered for this Award.

Rochelle started swimming with Special Olympics in 2002 after shifting to Christchurch from Hamilton, where she had lived for five years.

She began competing very early on in ribbon days held throughout Christchurch, Regional Games which were held throughout the South Island and then on to compete in National Games which have been held in Palmerston North, Wellington, Dunedin and Christchurch.

In 2016 she became a Global Messenger for Special Olympics which has meant she has been called upon to speak about Special Olympics and what it has to offer and how she has benefitted from her involvement with Special Olympics.

She has been the Chairperson of the local Special Olympics Athletes Committee which meant she also had to attend the Upper South Island Regional Committee meetings and, after finishing her term as Chairperson, she still remains on the local Athletes’ Committee.

As well as being a member of the Special Olympics team, Rochelle belongs to Jolt Dance, which is a mixed ability dance group and has offered Rochelle a multitude of opportunities also.

Rochelle has performed in many shows with Jolt and has been a part of their teacher trainee programme which now sees Rochelle teach her own class of students with disabilities on a Monday afternoon.

She has travelled to Gisborne and Wanaka to perform in schools in a programme which is a collaboration between Jolt Dance and the Christchurch Symphony Orchestra.

Rochelle attended Darfield High School and in her final year at school, secured work experience with the Darfield Bakery as a bakery assistant working out the back in the kitchen.

After she left school, she was able to continue doing work experience for three hours per day two days a week, as well as doing work experience at West Melton School, the primary school she attended, and also the West Melton Kindergarten.

Halfway through the year, the Darfield Bakery owner advised he would like to start paying Rochelle and then even offered her an extra day of work, which was a credit to Rochelle’s work ethic and reliability and the Bakery’s recognition of Rochelle’s work.

Unfortunately, this meant Rochelle had to give up her work experience at the school and the kindergarten, but Rochelle loves working at the Bakery and takes great pride in her work and enjoys the camaraderie she has with her work colleagues.

Helping out with flouring the tins for the bread, sweeping the floor, doing the dishes and icing the biscuits are a few of her duties.

Rochelle has attended self-advocacy camps with the NZDSA, which she has enjoyed immensely, and would eventually love to be a self-advocate on the STRIVE group.

She has also been on the Committee of the Canterbury Down Syndrome Association.

Rochelle has learnt to travel independently on buses and planes through her involvement with Special Olympics, Jolt and the NZDSA, and she is hoping to go flatting in the near future – maybe even with her boyfriend, Sam!

Rochelle’s family has had a significant role to play in helping Rochelle achieve all she has achieved.  Her Mum and Dad, Shelley and Jeff, and her two sisters, Jessica and Gemma, have supported and encouraged Rochelle along the way.

I know they are very proud of the confident, well-grounded young woman Rochelle has become.

 

 

STRIVE meets for self advocacy workshops

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The NZDSA’s Self-Advocacy Leadership and Advisory Group, STRIVE, met in Wellington on June 19-20 to focus on gaining more self-advocacy and leadership skills.

While some may think a Funshop is all about fun, Funshops are really about allowing our self-advocates to do lots of important work and gain new skills in a fun and engaging way.

The Funshops are actioned packed and run for a full day, from 9 am until 5 pm.

The focus of all the Funshops is learning more about the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, and the skills the self-advocates need to share this information with their peers or to advocate for others.

The key focus this weekend was learning more about Article 25, which recognises that people with disabilities have the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of health without discrimination on the basis of disability.

The group also spent time on Article 27 which recognises the right of persons with disabilities to work, on an equal basis with others; this includes the right to the opportunity to gain a living by work freely chosen or accepted in a labour market and work environment that is open, inclusive and accessible to persons with disabilities.

The self-advocates are in the process of developing their Declaration on Employment.

To explore and discuss these rights further they\ group met with Brian Coffery, Director of Office of Disability, Paula Tesoriero, Disability Rights Commissioner and  Sarah Fuhrer‐ Advisor, Disability. Office of the Health and Disability Commissioner.

The weekend also included work on a piece of research that STRIVE have conducted, learning more about interviewing and presentations skills.

Paula Tesoriero with STRIVE and the Self-Advocates

Everyone had a wonderful time.

Down syndrome advocate joins co-design team for Project Mobilise

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The New Zealand Down Syndrome Association congratulates Andrew Oswin for joining the co-design team for Project Mobilise.Project Mobilise was launched recently by the Human Rights Commission to inspire social change.

Over the next few months, Project Mobilise will be working hard to understand attitudes surrounding disability – the stories, beliefs, and assumptions held by New Zealanders.

The project team aims to create a media campaign based on these insights to help people think differently about disability.
Andrew Oswin has been part of the leadership team of the NZSDA self-advocacy group STRIVE for many years.

He has also been an eloquent and passionate advocate for New Zealand people with Down syndrome on many national and international advisory groups.

NZDSA National Executive Officer Zandra Vaccarino has congratulated the Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero for this much-needed initiative to shift and change attitudes towards disability in Aotearoa.

“The NZDSA will be supporting and promoting Project Mobilise as we believe that changing attitudes is crucial for addressing discrimination, so that all people with Down syndrome can enjoy the same rights as all citizens of New Zealand,” says Mrs Vaccarino.

“The NZDSA believes a national media campaign is vital to help people think differently about disability and to celebrate diversity,” says Vaccarino.

She adds that Project Mobilise will create the space for all New Zealanders to reflect on their attitudes and to consider how we might contribute to dismantling barriers that disable people from having full access to their community.

To disrupt harmful narratives and help New Zealanders view disability in an entirely new way
the Human Rights Commission is working with creative agency Curative to better understand the stories, beliefs, and assumptions held by New Zealanders about disabled people and co-design a national campaign strategy to change those attitudes.

Project Mobilise is anchored in co-design, a human rights framework, and Te Tiriti o Waitangi.
The project aims will share power, enable authentic participation, prioritise relationships, and centre the perspectives and realities of disabled people.
Project Mobilise is working collaboratively with the disability sector, and wants the disability community to be a part of Project Mobilise.

Visit www.projectmobilise.co.nz to learn more and find out how you can take part.

 

Busy year for STRIVE self-advocates

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The STRIVE self-advocacy team had another busy year and even the  lockdown could not stop their work.

STRIVE is a team of people with Down Syndrome who are a members advisory and leadership group who advise and support the New Zealand Down Syndrome Association board, and are ambassadors and advocates for people with Down Syndrome.

Judging by the STRIVE report to the AGM recently, the STRIVE team has developed its skills and influence significantly during 2019-2020.

The team regularly meets for Funshop, which are workshops with different topics, where guest speakers share their expertise with the young ambassadors.

The past year, the meetings covered Research, Advocacy, Writing Reports, Tips for Public Speaking and developing a Succession Plan.

This final subject is particularly important as some of the STRIVE team have been in their role for several years, and may want a change, while it is also important to get new people involved with fresh energy and ideas.

Once Covid 19 started affecting our day to day lives and New Zealand went into lockdown, the STRIVE team started using Zoom meetings.

The group got together on eight occasions between April and June to share their Covid 19 experiences and continue their other work.

Aside from sharing ideas with each other, the group has been very active in the wider community on behalf of the NZDSA.

Andrew Oswin attended the Disability Consumer Consortium in Wellington, Edward Borkin presented to Auckland Timber Industry as well as the Auckland Success in Schools workshops, Erin Smith was a Support Buddy on the Youth Development Camp and Andrew presented at a meeting of Down Syndrome Australia.

The group worked with the Health And Disability Commission on the script for digital resources to help people with disabilities, in which Duncan Armstrong featured as the lead actor.

On the international stage, STRIVE was part of the a feedback group for the Down Syndrome International research on Covid 19, as well being part of a disabled person-led monitoring programme  in Health and Wellbeing by the Donald Beasley Institute.

The STRIVE members have made huge progress as a group but are also proud of the successes they have enjoyed individually.

“On the 13th October 2020 I received and Achievement Award for the outstanding artistic achievement from Arts Access Aotearoa,” said Duncan Armstrong.

“I am taking up a leadership role in the kapa haka group in Invercargill and will be performing alongside other people with Down syndrome from the Invercargill Down Syndrome Group,” said Alexandra Hewitt.

Edward Borkin said will be going flatting which is a goal he has had before he even joined STRIVE, while Caroline Quick is a member of the EGL regional leadership group in Christchurch as one of three disabled representatives.

Caroline is also a member of the Disability Advisory Group for the Christchurch City Council, for which she is paid  a meeting fee.

In the far north,  Erin Smith is a youth leader in the Great Mates Social group.

“I am still a member of the Northlands DSA committee and I continue to enjoy my dance classes.  I have done training workshops at work and I am helping with the induction training at work and doing meet and greets,” says Erin.

Andrew Oswin said he really enjoys being a self-advocate and a member of STRIVE.

“I am happy and privileged and to have made a commitment of service to the Down syndrome community and country of New Zealand.”

Great videos to help people with learning disabilities

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Actor Duncan Armstrong stars in a series of new videos released by the Health and Disability Commissioner and the Nationwide Health and Disability Advocacy Service to help people with learning disabilities think about their own experiences with using disability services and their rights under the Code.

There are five videos, each with a different story. The videos look at how Sam, played by Duncan, and his friends use disability support services and how they resolve any concerns that they have.

The videos were produced by Film for Change Aotearoa and made locally in Wellington with Wellington actors, including people who use disability services.

Each video has a closed captions option, and the closed captions and slides have been transcribed into Word documents. Deaf Aotearoa has created New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL) for each video.

 

NZDSA urges Govt to ignore Health and Disability review

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The New Zealand Down syndrome community is urging the Government to ignore the recommendations in the recent Health and Disability Sector Review.

“New Zealand has made terrific progress to enhance the quality of life for people with Down syndrome and other disabilities and these recommendations which place disability under the health umbrella would take us back generations where disability was seen as a disease,” says Kim Porthouse, president of the New Zealand Down syndrome Association (NZDSA).

The NZDSA has joined the chorus of outraged voices from inside and outside the disability sector who are concerned about the key recommendation to make disability support the responsibility of district health boards.

“Disability cannot be treated as a health issue, but as a condition that affects every part of someone’s life,” says Porthouse.

NZDSA President Kim Porthouse

“Good health is only one part of creating well-being, but so are education, employment, financial independence, strong community and getting access to every aspect of society. That is no different from any other person.”

To achieve a meaningful life, disabled people require support from multiple agencies, including the ministries of Health, Education and Social Development.

“The review makes all the right noises, but if the responsibility is given to DHBs, we fear the delivery will be too fragmented, inconsistent and too health focused.”

Porthouse points out that the Government has done great work with the sector on a System Transformation to give people with disabilities more decision-making and create better lives, “so these recommendations seem a backwards step”.

“The biggest failing is that people with disabilities were not consulted at all, and that is very apparent in the report.”

Down syndrome self-advocate Caroline Quick says disabled people have been excludes from this review.

Caroline Quick is member of the NZDSA’s self-advocacy leadership group STRIVE and is concerned that the review is not available in an easy read format.

“This means that many disabled people will not be able to read what impact the report will have on their lives, will not be able to respond to the proposals and are excluded from participation,“ says Quick.

Porthouse says that the review recognises the importance of  Māori having their own Authority, but fails to pay the same respect to people with disabilities who make up 24% of the population.

“We strongly urge the Government to set up a separate Disability Authority that represents all sections of the disability sector.”

She says a Disability Authority would be a natural progression of the System Transformation pilot program which, with the inclusion of people with disabilities, their whānau and service providers, has already created high-level policy design and implementation.

“That program shows that strong collaboration between the disability sector and Government has enabled the implementation of the Enabling Good Lives principles for thousands of New Zealand’s with a disability,” says Porthouse.

“In 2020 people with disabilities are dynamic and want to create independent and meaningful lives and be involved in making the decisions that impact their lives.

“However, by burying disability services within DHBs without adequate inclusion of disabled people on governing boards, this review instead upholds the archaic view of disability being an illness and the disabled being incapable,” says Porthouse.

“This will leave the disabled wilting in unfulfilled lives, unable to reach their potential. I’m sure this is not where a progressive New Zealand wants to be.”

 “We Decide” message from Down syndrome community

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We Decide.

That is the message people with Down syndrome want New Zealanders to hear loud and clear.

Far too often people with Down syndrome have their decisions made for them, even when they are very capable of making their own choices.

In many cases they are not consulted over the hundreds of small decisions made each day or even the big, life-changing decisions.

“Those decisions make us who we are, but the reality for many people with Down syndrome is that other people are making small as well as significant decisions for them,” Zandra Vaccarino, National Executive Officer of the New Zealand Down Syndrome Association (NZDSA).

Imagine if someone decided when you get up, what you eat, where you go to school, what you do with your money, who your friends are and even the romances you have. For most of us that would be impossible to imagine but for many people with Down syndrome this is their daily reality.

“Often with best intentions these decisions are made by others, but this year we want to remind all of New Zealand to support people with Down syndrome to make their own decisions,” says Vaccarino.

Saturday, March 21 is World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) and the NZDSA has launched a special #WeDecide video message from its own members to explain how important it is to make their own choices.

In the clip, Lily talks about becoming an actress, Rachel and Vincenzo talk about getting married, Abigail talks about her career in media while Alec and Jessica proudly explain how they bought a house.

Disability Rights Commissioner Paula Tesoriero highlights that 34.9 per cent of people with Down syndrome are not in education, training or employment and asks New Zealanders to consider how their actions can help change those statistics.

“A child deserves the right to decide what a good life looks like, just like all of us,” says the commissioner.

The #WeDecide video is one of thousands of initiatives and special events around New Zealand and around the world to raise awareness for Down syndrome and to promote the global “We Decide” message.

In New Zealand, local groups have organised gatherings in their own community, but unfortunately some had to be cancelled because of Covid-19.

Hundreds of schools around the country have also embraced the “Odd Socks” campaign in which students wear non-matching socks to demonstrate that we are all different and to fundraise for their local Down syndrome community.

“These events are growing every year and this shows there is an increasing involvement by local schools and communities,” says Vaccarino.

“And of course, World Down Syndrome Day is a special day for our families and whānau to get together, connect and celebrate the amazing feats our people with Down syndrome have achieved.”

 

You can download the video here