1 September 2025
We’re thrilled to share a monthly update from the Down Syndrome Advisory Network (DSAN) – a national group of people with Down syndrome who meet fortnightly to build their skills and share their views. This month, we hear from Sandon Overton.
Hi, my name is Sandon Overton and I am from Tasmania.
I have been with DSAN since my 18th birthday, which was the 5 June this year.
I have really enjoyed being part of a team and meeting all the other members of DSAN from all over Australia.
Values
We have completed our Values which took us a few meetings. Each member thought up what were important values to them, and what would be important values for our group. We discussed each members choices, then each of us had a say of which ones would be best suited. We chose our top three values which are:
- Respectful
- Honest
- Kind
I think these are all very important values which make you good leader and a great friend.
Leadership
Claire Mitchell came as our guest speaker. Claire used to be on DSAN and is now on the DSA Board.
Claire spoke about what makes a good leader.
What I learnt from Claire was some skills you are born with and other skills you can learn. That by doing some training, you can build your confidence. That routines help keep you on time and you need to be committed and accept responsibilities, and this makes you a good leader.
I was interested to know how much Claire had done in her life. She was a very confident speaker and answered all our questions at the end of her presentation.
Advocacy
Jessie, Erin and Alyssa from DSA’s Advocacy team come and asked us more questions about DSA’s Position Statement on Employment.
We listened to the 7 recommendations about the Position Statement. I thought it unfair that people with a disability could be paid so low. I thought it would be much better for people of all abilities to be able to work together and show each other their strengths rather than having everyone with a disability in the one workplace.
It was also Alyssa last meeting with us, and we farewelled her.
Acknowledgement of Country
We finished our own Acknowledgement of Country.
I liked our choice because it is easy to understand. The acknowledgement also states we are learning from their stories.
Marketing
We made a video for International Dog Day. My dog’s name is Kye and he is a Kelpie.
I liked that I could show Kye doing some tricks and him looking after our chickens.
This day is important to me because Kye is like family and deserves to be treated like one of us.
New members
We have new members starting soon. One is from South Australia and Victoria who should be starting with us soon. I am looking forward to meeting them both.
Final comments
I have really enjoyed being part of the DSAN group. I am growing in confidence, love making the video clips, and have made some great friends.
