People with Down syndrome speaking up worldwide

Dear Supporter,

Thank you for supporting our project, “People with Down syndrome speaking up worldwide.” We wanted to update you on some of the work your support has helped with.

First, a quick reminder of what this is about. Self-advocacy means people with Down syndrome speaking up for themselves, and for other people with disabilities. It helps them have a say in decisions that affect their lives and their communities.

In May, we held two online meetings to launch a global consultation on self-advocacy. Through it, we are asking people and organisations around the world to tell us about the self-advocacy work happening in their country.

Both meetings were led by members of our Self-Advocacy Network Group - a group of people with Down syndrome and staff from member organisations around the world. Members from more than 60 organisations took part, from many different countries, and a lot of people stayed to ask questions.

During the meetings, self-advocates talked about the work they are doing at home. A few examples:

• In Australia, a network of self-advocates helps their national organisation speak up for people with Down syndrome.

• In Turkey, a self-advocacy group spoke at their national parliament and worked to improve health and daily life for people with Down syndrome. Members said they now feel more confident speaking up than they used to.

• In the UK, self-advocates work to help other organisations become more inclusive.

We also heard from members in China, New Zealand, Ireland, Uganda, Kenya and Bhutan. Some are just getting started and some have been doing this for years, which is why sharing and learning from each other is so useful.

Over the coming months, we are asking our member organisations to tell us more through surveys, small group discussions, and one-to-one interviews. We want to understand:

• What self-advocacy looks like around the world
• What gets in the way of people speaking up
• What help and support already exist
• How we can support organisations to do more

We will then write a report and create new tools and materials to help self-advocacy groups get started and grow.

Your support helps people with Down syndrome take part in meetings like these. Thank you for being part of it. We will keep you updated as the consultation continues and the report takes shape.

Many thanks,

Robin Gibson 
Down Syndrome International