Ros Allen was very humbled to be made a Life Member of Down Syndrome Victoria (DSV).
Roslyn and Kinsley Allen welcomed their son Edward in 1982. Ros was determined to find as much information and support for Ed and other children with Down syndrome and so began their journey into the maze of disability support that existed then.
In the early months Ros and Kingsley were very lucky to meet another wonderful family who also had a son with Down syndrome.
“We are still great friends, and our sons still share so much with each other today. This meeting was initiated through Down Syndrome Victoria (or DSAV as it was then!). We felt enormously grateful to share our anxieties and experiences with others,” said Ros.
To this day, Ros believes that connecting with parents is still one of the most important functions that DSV provides.
Ros’s impact
Along with early intervention programs where Ros connected with other families, including those who had committed to forming DSV, Ros began to see that sharing experiences and knowledge was so important.
When DSV began, it was focused on families with newborn babies and young children, and how to support them to access information through a maze of challenges. Ros connected with The Association for Children with a Disability to gain knowledge outside the Down syndrome community, as they were also a peak body for younger children with a disability. Accessing these groups was imperative to learn about services and support across the board.
Volunteers were at the heart of DSV, but there needed to be paid staff to support the growing demand for health and education resources and information, as well as new parents and a host of other topics. Ros felt DSV needed to grow and become more professional if we were not only to be seen as a major player in disability, but also attract financial support, which was essential to provide the services and supports that were required.
Ros was DSV president when the first DSV website was launched. A wonderful parent undertook the challenge of creating DSV’s first webpage. Ros reflects on this time: “It was important for DSV to now approach ‘support’ in all forms aligned with what was to be a huge learning curve for us all! Along with many other wonderful people, I was proud to be associated with this expansion.
During Ros’s pivotal time on DSV’s board, Family Fun Day also grew beyond the early picnics started by parents, to large gatherings of fun and support at Ashwood School and are now held annually at the Werribee Zoo!
“How important is this event to be able to socially interact and see our children grow and expand to be such capable people in the community. It is so important for younger families to experience this amongst a variety of age groups,” said Ros.
Ros acknowledges that everyone with a disability and their family may have a different journey. However, Ros believes families owe it to each other to encourage and assist each other to reach their full potential.
Steph’s thoughts
“Ros was a very impressive President (alongside my father) who did very impressive work, and the “best President” we have ever had. She really looked after everyone in the office well and kept the office under control, making sure everything was done properly.
Ros’s journey has taken her to places she and Kinsley could never imagine but also encouraged me to learn new skills and hopefully I can assist people as well with what I have learned from Ros.”