My first blog!

This blog is going to be about my experience working with individuals with Down Syndrome and my passion for members of this community. I will post resources for individuals with Down Syndrome and individuals interested in learning more about the genetic disorder. In addition, there will be posts showcasing stories about inspirational members in the community! Lastly, I will share information that will be helpful to remember when interacting with individuals with Down Syndrome from several different perspectives (meeting a new friend, interacting with a co-worker or peer, and counseling a member of the community).

To begin, for those of you who do not know, Down Syndrome is when a child at birth is shown to have a full or partial copy of chromosome 21 in their genes (Read more at National Down Syndrome Society's website: http://www.ndss.org/Down-Syndrome/What-Is-Down-Syndrome/ ). Throughout this blog and in the information section of this website I will go in more depth about the different aspects of Down Syndrome that affect a person's life.

I first want to explain to you a little background history, current connection, and future aspirations that I have to help you understand why this topic is so important to me!

Ever since high school when I volunteered for K.E.E.N., which stands for Kids Enjoy Exercise Now, I have grown to love and care for with an open heart children with Down Syndrome. KEEN is a non-profit volunteer organization that gives children with developmental or physical disabilities the opportunity to play and hang out with volunteers while their parents go and run a few errands. It is completely free of cost to the parents and is a priceless opportunity for volunteers. The excitement that I had going and leaving KEEN each Sunday after volunteering with the kids is inexplicable. In addition to KEEN, I also had the opportunity to have classmates at my high school that had Down Syndrome. Sharing many of my elective courses with these girls, I grew close to them as friends and supported them through graduation. Two years ago, I caught up with one of the girls on the metro back home in DC. She was doing great, as she completed her degree at George Mason and was working. After high school and on to college I continued to love working with individuals with disabilities volunteering at the Developmental Clinic at The University of Maryland- College Park, MD.

Reflecting back, I think my openness to individuals with disabilities stems from growing up with my aunt who has cerebral palsy. Me, my brother, and sisters learned from a young age what it meant to be an advocate for those who can not completely advocate for themselves. Specifically working with children with Down Syndrome I have felt that these kids have a genuine wanting of love and support, which is a beautiful present anyone can give and will receive a reciprocated appreciation. I feel that is the least I can do, if not more for this community. In addition to my current advocacy outreach with this population, in my future I hope to adopt a child with Down Syndrome. I have been thinking about this for a couple of years now and I can confidently, wholeheartedly say it would be an honor to provide a home for a child in special need!

Now that you know how much I love and care about individuals with Down Syndrome, I hope you can see how serious I am that we know information about this disability. I hope that by the end of these 15 weeks you will learn something for your future interactions with these individuals! I hope to post fun interactive articles, websites, and resources that will leave you to want to explore even more. Below are a few resources that connect back to different parts of this first blog post, specifically a link to KEEN's website, the George Mason college program, and a beautiful video that depicts what true love and non-judgement means when you have a family member with Down Syndrome!

Happy Reading the next 15 weeks! I hope you enjoy!

Kids Enjoy Exercise Now Information!
George Mason program- MasonLIFE

MUST WATCH! "For my brother with Down Syndrome"