New Zealand Down Syndrome Association (NZDSA)

Achievements that Inspire - NZDSA Award Winners’ Panel
2025-10-04 16:30 - 18:30 (Pacific/Auckland) | Zoom, New Zealand
4th October at 4.30pmMeeting ID: 880 8355 1384Passcode: [REDACTED]
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Improving Support and Improving Lives through Supported Decision-Making
2025-10-06 19:30 - 21:00
6th October at 7.30pmFocus: Improved Supported Decision-Making-Improved Lives
Audience: All
Supported decision-making is central to people having the support and lives they want, need, and deserve. In this presentation, Brigit will talk about what supported decision-making is and why it is such an important part of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. She will also tell us how we can all be involved in supported decision-making. Having a better understanding of what supported decision-making is, and how to put it into practice, will mean that everyone has more choice and control over their own decisions and lives.
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Creating, Sharing and Empowering
2025-10-11 16:00 - 16:30
11th October at 4pmMeeting ID: 861 7365 3928Passcode: [REDACTED]
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STRIVE and STEP-UP: Shaping Futures Through Advocacy
2025-10-11 16:30 - 17:30
11th October at 4.30pmMeeting ID: 883 0045 4710Passcode: [REDACTED]
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Books Beyond Barriers and more!
2025-10-13 12:00 - 14:00
13th October at 12pmFocus: Improved Information-Improved Lives
Audience: Parents, whānau and professionals
Krissy is the National Librarian at the CCS Disability Action Library and Information Service. Krissy will talk about her passion in sharing information to empower people. Krissy will share the different accessible forms of information and talk about sharing information through community radio and podcast.
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Supporting people with learning difficulties experiencing grief
2025-10-13 19:30 - 21:00
13th October at 7.30pmFocus: Improved Wellbeing and Resilience-Improved Lives
Audience: All
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Home & School: Joyful connections and a strong relationship
2025-10-14 12:00 - 14:00
14th October at 12pmFocus: Improved Education–Improved Lives
Audience: Parents, whānau and professionals
I’m presenting in my capacity as a parent, not in a professional capacity. My daughter Charlotte is in Year 4 at our local primary school. I’ll be sharing with you about this journey so far and how we work together with our school to ensure that we have a strong relationship. It’s a long-term relationship, and it’s not always smooth – but I’ve learned some important things along the way.
I’ll talk about how we communicate, plan and solve problems together, and how our focus has changed over the last 4 years.
This is suitable for anyone who is starting school in the next few years or who has already started primary school.
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From Voices to Power: Making Accessibility a Political Priority
2025-10-14 19:30 - 21:00
14th October at 7.30pmFocus: Improved Advocacy-Improved Lives
Audience: Parents, whānau and professionals
How do we transform lived experience into political influence? In her talk, Juliana Carvalho will share the story and strategy behind the Access Matters campaign, a grassroots movement working to make accessibility a political priority in Aotearoa New Zealand. Drawing on lessons from collective action, community organising, and coalition-building, Juliana will explore how diverse voices can be amplified into a united call for change. She will highlight practical steps the campaign is taking to engage policymakers, mobilise supporters, and shift public narratives—demonstrating the power of collaboration to create a more inclusive society for all.
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The IHC Library - Responding to Change
2025-10-15 12:00 - 14:00
15th October at 12pmFocus: Improved Information-Improved Lives
Audience: Parents, whānau and professionals
A brief look at what the IHC Library is and how it can support parents, caregivers and anyone with an interest in intellectual disability.
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Babble Boot Camp
2025-10-15 19:30 - 21:00
15th October at 7.30pmFocus: Improved Communications-Improved Lives
Audience: Parents, whānau and professionals
This presentation shares a pilot study of Babble Boot Camp, a caregiver-led programme that supports early speech and language development in infants with Down syndrome, offering insights into proactive strategies for lifelong communication
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Health equity for people with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities
2025-10-16 19:30 - 21:00
16th October at 7.30pmFocus: Improved Health-Improved Lives
Audience: Parents, whānau and professionals
This talk will cover the unfair health outcomes faced by people with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities, including findings from Down Syndrome International’s ‘Our Say in Our Health’ report. We will also discuss work happening on this topic from the World Health Organization, and actions that we can all take to make things better.
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Ageing and future aspirations: Navigating Ever-Changing Seas
2025-10-20 12:00 - 14:00
20th October at 12pmFocus: Improved Aging-Improved Lives
Audience: Parents, whānau and professionals
Navigating Ever-Changing Seas is a new model for understanding the experiences of ageing people with intellectual (learning) disabilities and the family/whānau who support them. These relationships can be complex and change over time, often involving multiple generations. Everyone’s experience is shaped by their identity, relationships, past and present support, and the wider community and social context. Understanding these perspectives helps guide future planning, support practices, service development, research, and inclusive policies.
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Improving Brain Health for people with Down syndrome
2025-10-20 19:30 - 21:00
20th October at 7.30pmFocus: Improved Aging-Improved Lives
Audience: Parents, whānau and professionals
People with Down syndrome are at increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease. This talk will discuss common symptoms of dementia, and how medical specialists can assess memory and brain health. It will cover current and emerging treatments. Lastly, it will cover how to optimise brain health across all life stages.
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Building Capability Through Supported Independence
2025-10-21 12:00 - 14:00
21st October at 12pmFocus: Improved Wellbeing and Resilience–Improved Lives
Audience: Parents, whānau and professionals
Dr Maree Kirk’s presentation situates the World Down Syndrome 2025 theme — Improved Support, Improved Lives — within the New Zealand context. Drawing on her PhD research, she developed the theory of wellbeing for children with a disability, which identified three principles of acceptance, recognition, and supported independence. She highlights how capability must be intentionally built across home, school, and community. Supported independence is not about doing everything alone, but about balancing autonomy and support to enable full participation in education, family, and community life. Maree also shares insights from recent Ministry of Education pilot projects and the national Network of Expertise (NEX) contract, alongside findings from her action research on the Transition Capability Pathway. Her presentation shows how family-led, holistic, and rights-based approaches to support can transform independence and inclusion for learners with Down syndrome.
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Empowering Self-determination with Volition
2025-10-21 19:30 - 21:00
21st October at 7.30pmFocus: Improved Supported Decision-Making-Improved Lives
Audience: All
Having choice and control in your life starts with knowing what is important to you and then telling others. This session will walk through Volition, a new app that empowers Decision Makers to work with their Supporters to understand and communicate the things that matter to them.
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