March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day. If you are interested in learning about Worldwide activities designed to celebrate this day, check out: http://www.ds-int.org/events/wdsd.
On March 21st, you are encouraged to watch a video Down Syndrome International has developed called “Will You Let Us In.” The hope is that if people all over the world watch this video it will help create a single global voice advocating for the rights, inclusion and well-being of people with Down syndrome.
SON Associate Professor Dr. Marcia Van Riper has been doing research with families of children with Down syndrome for over 30 years. Currently, she is working on a study about adaptation and resilience that eventually will include families from at least 6-10 countries. So far, over 250 parents from the US have participated, and data collection with families in other countries is just getting started. Next week, she will be giving a presentation at a conference in Thailand and after the conference she will meet with a professor in Thailand who has expressed interest in helping her collect data from parents of children with Down syndrome in Thailand.