News for Members and Friends
February 18, 2015
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21 Quotes Campaign
It's nearly March, which means it's time to begin our " 21 Quotes Campaign"! If you remember last year, we'll be sharing via email and on our social media pages, "21 Quotes in 21 Days by 21 People with Trisomy 21"
Here's one from last year's campaign:
If you have an awesome quote from someone with Trisomy 21 (that you're comfortable sharing with the world), send it our way! Along with the quote, we need a photo, the person's first name, and the city and state where he/she lives. While we can't use every submission in the campaign, we can promise to read and appreciate each person's unique outlook on life. Please send yours to sue@ndsccenter.org. We can't wait to start reading them!
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World Down Syndrome Day: It's All About Those Random Acts of Kindness
New this year, we are promoting Random Acts of Kindness in honor of people with Down syndrome on (or near) World Down Syndrome Day: March 21, 2015.
The Random Acts of Kindness campaign is a collaboration of seven national Down syndrome organizations in the United States (Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, International Down Syndrome Coalition, International Mosaic Down Syndrome Association, LuMind Foundation, National Down Syndrome Congress and National Down Syndrome Society).
It's as easy as 1-2-3-4!
- On March 21st, wear a t-shirt that says something about Down syndrome. (Your NDSC Convention t-shirt, the one from your local walk, or a WDSD shirt are all great options!)
- Choose an act of kindness, like taking cookies to a fire station, or checking in on an elderly neighbor. (We have a list of suggestions to help get you started!)
- Print a WDSD postcard (like the one above) and give it out or place it with your Random Act.
- Take pictures of the random act and post on your social media pages with the hashtag #WDSD15.
We'll have people on the receiving end of our kindness, and the whole world watching on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. Let's make this the biggest, best World Down Syndrome Day yet!
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Spread the Word to End the Word
 March 4th is Spread the Word to End the Word Day for 2015. Since its inception in 2009, the R-Word campaign has generated more then 500,000 supporters! If you haven't taken the pledge yet, make this the year you do it. And encourage your friends to do it, too! http://www.r-word.org/
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Convention Registration Opens in March
 March is already shaping up to be a super busy month, so don't let this slip by you: registration for our Convention will open the first week of March! As our experienced convention attendees know, our Youth and Adults Conference and Kids' Camp sessions have a history of filling up long before the registration deadlines. We don't WANT to close them, but capacity is limited. Once we reach those magic numbers, there just isn't any more room. Visit our Convention Website often to get the most up to date information!
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Do You Have an IEP Meeting in Your Future?
Wrightslaw is a great resource for parents who have questions about special education services and the educational process. We recommend reading the following articles about Mistakes People Make when trying to work together.
Parents: Do you view the special education process as a kind of war? Do you let past hard feelings toward administrators and/or teachers cloud your thinking? Or, do you trust administrators and teachers too much, assuming that if they are "nice" they are also competent and interested in serving your student's best interest?
Schools: Do you refuse to let parents see available programs? When school systems restrict access to their own programs, the parents wonder what they are hiding and assume the worst. Or, do you take a patronizing or insulting attitude toward parents, making issues personal, instead of looking for solutions?
There is a whole lot of great information to share here, including the "Mistakes" article for Advocates. We ALL can do a better job working together for the benefit of our students!
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Your Homework for February:
 Help others with Down syndrome by adding your loved one's information to DS-Connect™: The Down Syndrome Registry today. It's an easy and secure way to share health information and benefit the DS Community. https://dsconnect.nih.gov/
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| NDSC: Your community for lifetime support. |
National Down Syndrome Congress
30 Mansell Court, Suite 108
Roswell, GA 30076
800-232-6372; 770-604-9500
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Fax: 770-604-9898| Email: info@ndsccenter.org | Website: www.ndsccenter.org Copyright © 2014. All Rights Reserved. |
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