Down Syndrome Alabama

Thank You!

Wed, 21 May 2025 20:02:00 GMT

YOUR generosity matters! One May 7, 2025, Down Syndrome Alabama Awarded 21 grants, for 11 different agencies, across 6 Alabama Counties, totaling $5,000. When you give to DSA, you are helping us fund grants for our families and scholarships for our students. Our next grant cycle will open October 1! Thank you for all you do to help us!

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Down Syndrome Alabama Scholarship sponsored by The Gardendale Civitan Club

Wed, 21 May 2025 18:25:00 GMT

This scholarship is presented by the Gardendale Civitan, and it is open to individuals who have a Down syndrome diagnosis, with permanent residence in one of the surrounding counties of the Birmingham Metropolitan Area and will be attending a post-secondary educational program at an institution of higher learning or trade school.

Like the Civitan Members, this recipient should be helpful, brave, and giving back to his or her community in order to make the world a better place.

This scholarship may not be deferred, is non-renewable, and will be paid directly to the institution for tuition only. Students who received the scholarship last year are eligible to re-apply.

Students will be notified by letter and will be expected to attend a Gardendale Civitan Club Meeting with their family to be officially presented their scholarship.

The deadline to submit an application is Saturday, May 31.

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Edge Up for Down Syndrome

Wed, 21 May 2025 15:52:00 GMT

EDGE UP for DOWN SYNDROME is DSA’s brand new program focused on reading and education for our students with Down syndrome. We piloted this program with a two-day Holiday Reading Camp in December, and now we are reading to launch two deifferent, three-day camps this summer! The space for attendees is limited so make sure to register today!

***Once you register, you will need to complete a reading assessment form so we can place you in a session.

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National Down Syndrome Congress commends new U.S. Department of Education Transition Guidance

Fri, 31 Jan 2025 17:07:00 GMT

Check out the news from NDSC including a press release from January 23, 2025

This new guidance makes it very clear that VR funds may be used to support students with disabilities in CTPs. The guidance also provides information about the conditions under which IDEA funds may be used, such as in dual enrollment programs. NDSC has led this years-long effort to encourage the department to issue these clear guidances.

NDSC Policy & Advocacy Co-Director, Stephanie Smith Lee, stated, “This is a significant step forward and we deeply appreciate the Department releasing this guidance on an issue individuals with Down syndrome and their families have championed for many years. VR and IDEA funding will open doors for students with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities to access inclusive programs that pave the way to employment and community living.”

Congratulations to our Policy team and everyone else who worked on this for their tireless efforts. Even if our policy and advocacy work is not always fast-moving, it is always important and necessary.

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Down Syndrome Awareness Month

Sun, 02 Oct 2022 02:26:00 GMT

We will be adding a fact about Down syndrome each day of the month of October in honor of Down Syndrome Awareness Month! Follow along all month to learn facts about Down syndrome!

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#WDSD21

Wed, 17 Mar 2021 15:34:00 GMT

Celebrate World Down Syndrome Day on 3/21/2021!

See how the Wouldn’t Change a Thing organization is celebrating!

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CoorDown normalizes Down syndrome in the workplace

Fri, 12 Mar 2021 17:10:00 GMT

by Sabrina Sanchez of Campaign

The campaign includes a partnership with LinkedIn to connect employers and prospective hires.

To celebrate World Down Syndrome day on March 21, nonprofit organization CoorDown launched “The Hiring Chain,” a global awareness campaign that encourages employers to hire people with Down syndrome.

The campaign, led by New York-based creative agency SMALL and Indiana Productions, kicks off with a spot that highlights people with Down syndrome in professional roles set to a performance by grammy-award winning artist Sting.

Click here to continue reading…

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Healthy Tip

Mon, 01 Mar 2021 13:30:00 GMT

Just getting your loved one outside for a small amount of time several times a week can increase their physical activity and help their mental health!

If you’re stuck inside, this could look like online family fitness classes like the recent series launched by NEO Kids , PopSugar Fitness’ family sweat sessions, or UNICEF Kid Power dance and yoga platform. This article from Dance Parent 101 has many links to free fitness classes.

With the weather warming up soon, this is a perfect time to get outside and get moving!

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COVID-19 is 10 times deadlier for people with Down syndrome, raising calls for early vaccination

Wed, 20 Jan 2021 22:11:00 GMT

When the COVID-19 pandemic descended last winter, Catherine Ross was filled with dread. Her 36-year-old sister, Amanda Ross, has Down syndrome (DS), which makes her especially vulnerable to respiratory viruses. Amanda Ross had been hospitalized repeatedly with pneumonia. In 2017, she ended up on a ventilator and nearly died.

In April, she was back on a ventilator. She lives in a group home in Somers, New York and had been diagnosed with COVID-19 on 31 March. The doctor told her close-knit family that, given her history, they needed to prepare for the worst. “It shook us,” Catherine Ross says. Her sister and others with DS, also known as trisomy 21, “are dealing with a stacked deck against them in terms of dealing with the virus,” she says.

Among groups at higher risk of dying from COVID-19, such as people with diabetes, people with DS stand out: If infected, they are five times more likely to be hospitalized and 10 times more likely to die than the general population, according to a large U.K. study published in October. Other recent studies back up the high risk.

Continue reading the article by Meredith Wadman in Science Magazine.

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Who are the #theluckyfew?

Sat, 03 Oct 2020 22:00:00 GMT

#theluckyfew…. we hear this term and we see it all over social media. We see the tattoos but where did it start and what does it mean? Who are the lucky few?

Heather Avis wrote a book called The Lucky Few: Finding God’s Best in the Most Unlikely Places and it’s a book worth adding to your list. “The phrase ‘The Lucky Few ‘ started as something that came from Heather’s heart when talking about her kiddos, because we all do , indeed, feel like we are ‘the lucky few ‘ who get to have people with Down syndrome in our immediate family,” said May.

How did the #luckyfewtattoo trend start? Read all about it in this article from Today . The trend took off all over the world and yes, even in Alabama. In celebration of Word Down Syndrome Day in March 2018, Lauren Waites, a DSA member, gathered many of our Lucky Few Tribe together to get a #luckyfewtattoo.

Heather Avis has branded the lucky few and her website is a great resource for our DS community. Her and her husband adopted 3 children and two have Down syndrome so she speaks from experience. Heather is an author, speaker, shouter of worth, narrative shifter. She recently published a second book called Scoot Over and Make Some Room .

Heather also hosts the lucky few podcast with two other mothers, Micha Boyett and Mercedes Lara. All three moms have children with Down syndrome. They encourage everyone to shift the narrative by shouting the worth of people with Down syndrome. The moms and guest speakers cover topics like inclusion, health challenges, therapy, the pandemic and so much more. This is a podcast worth adding to your list and sharing with others.

Down Syndrome Alabama celebrates the lucky few. The organization will always strive to increase awareness, promote acceptance and advancing advocacy. We love to share resources that will help support the journey of our members. If you have resources that you feel could help others, please send to Kelly Peoples at downsyndromealabama@gmail.com.

Check out how to become a DSA member and join today.

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How people with Down syndrome are teaching Google

Thu, 25 Jun 2020 15:18:00 GMT

Working with the Canadian Down Syndrome Society, Google is collecting voice samples to teach its Google Assistant to understand people with the condition.

When Matthew MacNeil uses the voice-to-text feature on an Android phone, the resulting transcription looks nothing like what he said.

“Hello, my name is Matthew MacNeil. I live in Tillsonburg, Ontario,” becomes “Hello my name is Master MacNeil. I live in traffic Ontario.”

MacNeil, who is 30, has Down syndrome, and he’s often frustrated that voice technology, like the Google Assistant, on smartphones doesn’t always understand what he’s saying. MacNeil, who lives independently with two roommates, relies on voice assistants on his personal devices to log the hours he works each week at his local supermarket, Sobeys. He also uses it to set timers for his workouts at home.

But the technology doesn’t always work well.

“It’s always autocorrecting what I say,” he said in an interview with CNET. “And I’m like, ‘I didn’t say that. I said this.'”

Continue to the CNET article by Marguerite Reardon here .

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Important Down syndrome and COVID-19 Q&A

Wed, 24 Jun 2020 21:28:00 GMT

“The unprecedented spread of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is presenting the world with a unique challenge. In our case, the pandemic calls for a united response to better understand its impact on the Down syndrome community.

Information in the Question and Answer (Q&A) document can be used to help you support your loved one with Down syndrome. It is our hope that this information will help us get through this health challenge. We encourage you to share the information in this document with you family, friends, doctors, nurses, therapists, teachers, and others within the Down syndrome community.”

To access the full document, click here .

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Class of 2020: Congratulations Grace

Mon, 22 Jun 2020 01:44:00 GMT

Grace Davis recently graduated from Vestavia Hills High School and is going to be in the EAGLES Program Auburn University in the fall. Congratulations, Grace! We are extra proud of you and your accomplishments. We can’t wait to see what you do at Auburn University. Do you have a 2020 high school graduate? If so, let us know so we can congratulate them! downsyndromealabama@gmail.com

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