“Sometimes, it’s lack of knowledge that prevent us from interacting with persons with down syndrome. Thanks to the insightful session, I am now more confident and look forward to interacting with these unique individuals!” – Amalina, RLAF Volunteer
Last Friday, we learnt a lot more about persons with Down Syndrome and how we, as the community, must challenge the stigma that Down Syndrome is a disease.
Mr Andrew Soh (Assistant Director of Community Partnerships and Corporate Communications, Down Syndrome Association) further shared how his organisation was formed and the various services that they are currently providing for persons with Down Syndrome.
The key takeaways were :
• Down Syndrome is a naturally occurring chromosomal arrangement that is present across racial, gender and socioeconomic lines
• With appropriate intervention and support, they are able to attend mainstream schools, socialise and be employed when they are older
• When interacting with persons with Down Syndrome, always put the person first when addressing and engaging them. Volunteers can also empower them by giving them a chance to try things out, giving them a choice in making decisions and offering help only when required.
We also commemorated World Down Syndrome Day by encouraging everyone to wear mismatched socks to create awareness for the condition and posting it with #RockYourSocks on 21 March 2020. To know more about this and the services that Down Syndrome Association provides, head down to http://www.downsyndrome-singapore.org/
We would like to take this opportunity to thank our participants who attended the talk and also to everyone for consistently following and supporting our cause.
