Down Syndrome Australia releases a new advocacy framework for World Down Syndrome Day 2023
March 21, 2023
For World Down Syndrome Day 2023, we are releasing our new advocacy framework asking for action on six key areas. We call for all decision makers to involve organisations representing people with Down syndrome in all decisions, and to work With Us Not For Us.
March 21st is World Down Syndrome Day, which has been officially recognised by the United Nations since 2012. On this day, people all around the world celebrate the lives and achievements of people with Down syndrome, creating a global voice, and advocate for the rights, inclusion, and well-being of people with Down syndrome.
This year the theme is “With Us, Not For Us”. This message is key to a human rights-based approach to disability. In a human rights-based approach, people with disabilities have the right to be treated fairly and have the same opportunities as everyone else, working with others to improve their lives.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities calls for everyone to have the freedom to make their own choices. But people with Down syndrome often do not have these freedoms. The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities calls for full and effective participation of persons with disabilities. But many Governments and organisations exclude people with Down syndrome from taking part in their work. They make decisions For them, not With them.
We are working on issues that are important to people with Down syndrome and their families and communities. In our advocacy work we call for change in these six key areas:
- Prenatal screening
- Health
- NDIS
- Education
- Employment
- Migration.
Our Advocacy Asks
