Heather Latter
Community Living Fort Frances and District is encouraging people to pull out their brightest, funkiest socks in support of World Down Syndrome Day on Saturday.
“Community Living Ontario celebrates it every year but this is the first time we are promoting it here,” noted Faith Moen.
“We want staff, service users, and anyone to wear funky socks because they become a conversation piece,” she explained.
“So when you are out on World Down Syndrome Day and someone asks you what’s with the wild socks, it’s a way to bring it up and bring awareness to it.”
Moen said people can wear colourful socks, knee-highs, long socks, or printed socks—or wear three socks for three chromosomes.
“It’s just a fun way to bring awareness about Down syndrome, and to promote inclusion and more of an understanding,” she reasoned.
Moen added people with Down syndrome face many challenges as children and adults, which may prevent them from enjoying their basic human rights.
Many people don’t understand that those with Down syndrome are people first, she noted.
And although they may require additional support, they should be recognized by society on an equal basis with others, without discrimination on the basis of disability.
Moen said Community Living Fort Frances and District supports people with Down syndrome and those with a wide range of abilities.
“On [March 21], people with Down syndrome, and those who live and work with them throughout the world, organize and participate in activities and events to raise public awareness and create a single global voice for advocating for the rights, inclusion, and well-being of people with Down syndrome,” Moen remarked.
The 21st day of the third month was chosen for World Down Syndrome Day to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome, which causes Down syndrome.
Despite this being the 10 anniversary of World Down Syndrome Day, Moen said she only recently learned of the initiative and would like to support it locally.
“It is a really good thing to bring awareness to,” she stressed.
“It would be great if it caught on.”
Moen thinks it’s good for people of all ages to learn about Down syndrome, as well as be understanding of people with different disabilities.
“Maybe next year we will approach the schools and make it a bigger thing,” she suggested, adding with it being just a few weeks before the International Day of Pink, it coincides well with the message against discrimination.
World Down Syndrome Day was first observed in 2006 in many countries around the world.
Down Syndrome Association Singapore launched and hosted the WDSD website from 2006-10, on behalf of Down Syndrome International, for global activities to be recorded.
For more information, visit www.worlddownsyndromeday.org
