why empowerment
Empowerment is a key concept in the Down syndrome field. It refers to the importance of supporting people with Down syndrome, along with their families and other trusted allies, to make the key decisions that will help them achieve the life they envisage. Every family of a person with Down syndrome, and every person who lives with Down syndrome, wants to have a good life.
The surest route to a good life is to empower individuals, with the cooperation of their families, to:
- Deeply know their own needs, strengths, and interests
- Assess and articulate their preferences, hopes and individual goals
- Be aware of the alternatives in the community for education, health provision, recreation and the maintenance of quality relationships
- Build, access and contribute to the supports, living arrangements, educational settings, therapies and assistance they need to create their best life.
An emphasis on empowerment is a recognition that no family or individual should be expected to follow a cookie cutter life trajectory, or to accept a one-size-fits-all approach to service design or provision. When people with Down syndrome are empowered to imagine a life without limits, in which they achieve their fondest desires and ambitions, the larger community’s response should be to work with the individual, the family and important organizations in the Down syndrome field, to lower the barriers to their chosen future.
Empowerment is a term which recognizes that the voice of individuals with Down syndrome should be at the centre of any efforts to improve their lives. People with Down syndrome know how they want to live, and they must be repeatedly consulted in any processes to create workable options which recognize their interests and their unbounded potential. Across the world, one sees the most amazing accomplishments of people with Down syndrome. They are reading and writing to express themselves, going to college, getting married, holding fascinating jobs, giving dramatic performances, playing their favourite sports and traveling widely. If people with Down syndrome can dream it, the Down Syndrome Foundation feels they should be empowered to achieve it.
Empowerment is a term which recognizes that the voice of individuals with Down syndrome should be at the centre of any efforts to improve their lives. People with Down syndrome know how they want to live, and they must be repeatedly consulted in any processes to create workable options which recognize their interests and their unbounded potential. Across the world, one sees the most amazing accomplishments of people with Down syndrome. They are reading and writing to express themselves, going to college, getting married, holding fascinating jobs, giving dramatic performances, playing their favourite sports and traveling widely. If people with Down syndrome can dream it, the Down Syndrome Foundation feels they should be empowered to achieve it.
Research
Our research turns the data we collect into real-world insights.
Platforms
Our INFO 3-21 helpline and Down Syndrome app platforms help our subscribers and the community to interpret those insights and make informed decisions.
Institute
Our research institute and learning laboratory, the Down Syndrome Research Institute, publishes data-driven insights that inform leadership, strategy, policy, and sustained prioritized actions for the foundation and its partners.
