Our story
Where we started.
Our story begins in 1981.
Sylvia Escamilla, the founder and president of Fundación John Langdon Down, organised the first World Down Syndrome Congress in Mexico City.
The Congress was a groundbreaking event.
People with Down syndrome, their families and supporters, came together to share their stories, learn from each other, and make plans to help everyone join in and be part of society.
The success of the Congress inspired the organisers, Jo Mills (Canada), Penny Robertson (Australia), and Sylvia Escamilla (Mexico), to form an international network of organisations working to improve the lives of people with Down syndrome.
Down Syndrome International was founded in 1993, with a mission to make the world more inclusive for people with Down syndrome.
In October 2023, on our 30th anniversary, we launched a new strategy to guide our work into the future.
Down Syndrome International today.
Today, Down Syndrome International is a network of thousands of people with Down syndrome, along with their families and supporters, and more than 150 organisations, from every part of the globe.
Together we speak up for the human rights of people with Down syndrome worldwide.
We share a vision of a better world where all people with Down syndrome are fully included in society.