Before we get into the topics of down syndrome and inclusion, let's discuss a short fun fact about the date of world down syndrome day (WDSD). Do you know why the 21st of March was selected? I didn’t know this until I was researching for this article. It was selected to indicate the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome. Trisomy 21 is represented across genders, nationalities, and societies and is approximately appearing in 1 out of 800 births. Usually, down syndrome causes intellectual and physical disability and correlated medical issues.
The United Nations in the general principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN CRPD) calls for: “full and effective participation and inclusion in society”.
But the reality is sadly far away from that. People with down syndrome are not completely included in society and cannot effectively participate in it. One reason for that is the misunderstanding of an inclusive society and how inclusion works in praxis.
Take a minute and visit the website https://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/. There you can give your input and ideas about what inclusion means for you! Maybe think about what inclusion means for you and how you imagine an inclusive society in your everyday life like school, university, work, or sports club.
I would like to give you a great example where the inclusion of people with down syndrome already worked nicely.
Since 2008, in Israel 31 men and women with down syndrome have joined the Israeli Defense Forces. 7 of them have completed their service and are therefore on the same level as any other veteran. Next to that, there is a web-based inclusive school network that functions as an educational resource for families, schools, and communities and promotes inclusive education practices https://inclusiveschools.org/about-isn/. Their overall goal is to encourage people to design effective, inclusive schools for every child.
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