When you focus on someone’s disability you’ll overlook their abilities, beauty and uniqueness. Once you learn to accept and love them for who they are, you subconsciously learn to love yourself unconditionally.
— Yvonne Pierre‘s The Day My Soul Cried: A Memoir
Myth: Down syndrome is a rare genetic disorder.
Truth: Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring genetic condition. One in every 691 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome, approximately 6,000 births per year. Today, there are more than 400,000 people living with Down syndrome living in the United States.
Myth: People with Down syndrome have severe cognitive delays.
Truth: Most people with Down syndrome have cognitive delays that are mild to moderate. Children with Down syndrome
fully participate in public and private educational programs. Educators and researchers are still discovering the full educational
potential of people with Down syndrome.
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The mission of the National Down Syndrome Society is to be the national advocate for the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome. The National Down Syndrome Society envisions a world in which all people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to enhance their quality of life, realize their life aspirations, and become valued members of welcoming communities.
- Down syndrome occurs when an individual has three, rather than two, copies of the 21st chromosome. This additional genetic material alters the course of development and causes the characteristics associated with Down syndrome.
- Down syndrome is the most commonly occurring chromosomal condition; one in every 691 babies in the United States is born with Down syndrome.
- There are more than 400,000 people living with Down syndrome in the United States.
When speaking about issues relating to Down syndrome in a way that is both factually accurate and inoffensive to the general public, including people with Down syndrome and their families, Continue reading