30 June 2026
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 Callum
Hi my name is Callum Bateman and I live in the Northern Territory on the land of the Larrakia people.
I live in Nightcliff and I love living here because the sun comes up early in the morning. I ride my bike to see the sun come up and take photos and then ride home. This is an excellent way to start the day.
I live independently with my wife Megan and we have in-house support. We both have Down syndrome. We got married on August 4, 2012 and we still love each other.
My favourite things to do in my spare time are to spend time with my beautiful wife and we go out to do shopping. I also like spending time with family. My favourite hobbies are listening to music and doing my diamond paintings.
I am also being a part of a Cancer research online group. We are learning how to prepare resources for different types of Cancer for people with intellectual disability.
I like being on DSAN as it is a good experience being part of the team. I find it welcoming with friendly people. It is a good way to know all the updates from DSAN. One thing that is important is us taking turns to lead the online meetings.
In July we had a sharing session with Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability QLD and Down Syndrome Victoria.
We all presented and took turns reading out a script about what DSAN is and what we do as part of DSAN.
Down Syndrome Victoria have a group called DSAN VIC and they all told us about what they do. Jack who is on DSAN is also part of the DSAN VIC group.
Claire from Down Syndrome and Intellectual Disability QLD coordinates their self-advocacy group and they’re called QLD All Abilities Network. She spoke to us about what they do.
It was good to meet the friendly and understanding people online and I hope to see them again.
There is another sharing meeting in November.
We also looked at the final Strategic Framework with Christine, who is DSA’s Operational Manager.
We looked at the 8 Focus Areas and things we want changed for people with Down syndrome. I was interested in the Focus Area called ‘NDIS and other supports.’
Jessie who is DSA’s Advocacy and Policy Officer came and talked us through the results of a health survey.
Some results were that the most important parts of good health care are:
- Improving my health over time
- Understanding what my Dr is saying
- A Dr that understands my health without me having to explain
And the top three health concerns were:
- Mental health
- Ageing
- Dental
Thank you for your time and for reading this. I hope you found this information interesting.
