It’s Down Syndrome Awareness Month!
October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month, a time to celebrate people with Down syndrome and advocate for their rights.
This year, we are focusing on a critical issue that affects the lives of millions: health equity.
What is health equity?
Health equity means that everyone has a fair and just opportunity to be as healthy as possible.
Unfortunately, for people with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities, this is often not the case.
Did you know that in some countries, people with Down syndrome die 20 years younger than the general population?
Or that they have higher risks of developing conditions like diabetes, stroke, or depression?
These aren’t just statistics; they represent real people whose lives are being cut short due to unfair and avoidable differences in health outcomes.
Why does this happen?
Our recent global consultation on health equity, conducted in partnership with Humanity & Inclusion, has highlighted some of the barriers people with Down syndrome face when trying to access healthcare.
These include:
- Unaffordable healthcare
In low and lower-middle-income countries, over 50% of people find healthcare unaffordable.
- Discrimination and denial of care
We’ve heard stories of people being denied treatment simply because they have Down syndrome.
One person from Canada told us, “People look at the referral and see Down syndrome and they shut their mind to anything else. It’s like I am a syndrome, not a person”.
- Lack of accessible information
Health information is often not provided in a way that people with intellectual disabilities can understand.
- Exclusion from decision-making
People with Down syndrome are often not included in decisions about their own healthcare.
What are we doing about it?
At Down Syndrome International, our vision is a world where all people with Down syndrome are fully included in society.
This includes being able to access the healthcare they need to live long, healthy, and fulfilling lives.
We are working with our member organisations around the world to advocate for changes in policy and legislation to promote health equity.
We are also developing resources to empower people with Down syndrome and their families to speak up for their right to health.
How you can help.
This Down Syndrome Awareness Month, we are asking for your support to help us in our fight for health equity.
Your donation can help us to:
- Gather more evidence about the health inequalities faced by people with Down syndrome around the world.
- Develop and share resources to help people with Down syndrome and their families advocate for their right to health.
- Campaign for change at a national and international level to ensure that people with Down syndrome have the same right to quality healthcare as everyone else.
Together, we can make a difference.
Please donate today and help us create a world where everyone, including people with Down syndrome, has the opportunity to live a healthy life.
Learn more about our Health work:
Inclusive health
Everyone has the right to good healthcare. This means no one should be treated unfairly because of who they are.
People with Down syndrome do not always get the healthcare they need. This is not fair.