Celebrate World Down Syndrome Day!

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) has been celebrated since 2006, starting with a WDSD website to record global activities. Groups in Brazil and Poland lobbied the UN until 2011, when WDSD was finally recognized by the General Assembly. The UN now invites all member states, other international organizations, nongovernmental organizations, and the private sector to observe the day.

Here are just a few of the ways people all over the world have celebrated WDSD. In 2019, a flash mob made this awesome video in the United Kingdom. The Irish group Wouldn't Change a Thing has been winning the Internet with their car seat karaoke style videos. In 2021, Sting – in partnership with CoorDown, an Italian-based advocacy group – created a new song celebrating folks with Down syndrome in the workplace. Look out for CoorDown’s new video, Just the Two of Us, celebrating romantic love (which is still a very controversial topic for many adults with Down syndrome). In California, there are a number of planned events including DJs, performers, movie nights, and bowling. (Check out our list below!)

There is also a serious side to all the celebrating. At the UN, the General Assembly will hold an all-day session to discuss Down syndrome. This year's theme is “What does inclusion mean?” (hashtag: #Inclusionmeans). Having the UN discuss inclusion all day is not only a great moment for folks with Down syndrome, it also supports inclusive education for all people with disabilities around the world.

In 2022, there is an added seriousness to WDSD because of the situation in Ukraine. Over the years, Down Syndrome International (DSi) has built an international network of organizations that keep in touch and work together, which culminated in the World Down Syndrome Congress in Dubai in 2021. That international community has been mobilizing in recent weeks to support the many children and adults in Ukraine with Down syndrome.

DSi reports that there are 2.7 million people with disabilities registered in Ukraine. A representative from the organization says, “We have heard from contacts in the country that the situation for persons with disabilities is appalling. For example, shelters in Kiev are inaccessible, so people with disabilities are forced to stay at home, not knowing where they can go to be safe . . . Persons with Down syndrome and other disabilities living in institutions are already cut off from their communities and risk being abandoned and forgotten.”

DSi has a list of international Down syndrome organizations that are actively working to ensure Ukrainians with disabilities are safe and supported. The people behind the WDSD website have asked that we light up our buildings with the Down syndrome colors, which happen to be the same yellow and blue that are now all over the media in support of Ukraine.

Local California WDSD Events

Please check with the local organization to confirm details.

Saturday, March 19, 2022

• Club 21 in Pasadena has its annual Bowling Night Gala fundraiser this weekend and has also passed out WDSD classroom kits to families and teachers.
• 21 Connection in Ventura is meeting up in Camino Real Park.
• Coachella Valley Foundation for Down Syndrome is having a “rock your fitness” event with Zumba, and a unity Walk at the Palm Desert Civic Center.
• Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area is having a movie night to celebrate at the West Wind Solano Drive-in Theater in Concord.

Sunday, March 20, 2022

• The Down Syndrome Family Resource Center is having lunch and bingo at Los Flores Park in La Verne.
• Down Syndrome Association Los Angeles will have a dance from 1:00–3:00 p.m. at the Ed Asner Family Center (7915 Lindley Ave, Reseda, CA 91335)
• Down Syndrome Action in San Diego is having a picnic at the Nobel Athletic Fields in San Diego.

Monday, March 21, 2022

• Down Syndrome Association Orange County will be celebrating at Pacific City this year with live performances, special guests, and DJ Will Power.
• Kern Down Syndrome Network will meet at the Marketplace fountain in Bakersfield from 4:00–6:00 p.m., and will be eating lunch at BJs the same day.

• Down Syndrome Association of Central California is having “Pizza with Purpose” at Pieology in Clovis, Hanford, Fresno, and Visalia.

Sunday, March 27, 2022

• Inland Valley Down Syndrome Association will be celebrating in their parking lot with carnival games, booths, and a live DJ.