The Congress was convened under the aegis of Down Syndrome Federation of India and supported by the National Trust
India International Down Syndrome Conference 2017, was held in New Delhi to create awareness and support for people with this medical condition.
The Congress was convened under the aegis of Down Syndrome Federation of India and supported by the National Trust, a body under the Ministry of Social Justice and Empowerment. The theme was “Ekam – Born to belong” signifying the inclusivity that is being demanded of for them. More than 450 delegates including 80 people with Down syndrome from across the country were a part of the conference. IIDSC 2017 recognised the significance of social awareness, early intervention, rehabilitative education, social rights, education and employment needs, and the need for the increase in support systems available for people with Down syndrome across our country.
The event witnessed people with Down syndrome, their family members, caretakers, doctors, researchers and special educators from all over the country all got together to understand the condition and help spread awareness about it.
Dr Surekha Ramachandran, founder, DSFI and DSAT, said, “IIDSC 2017 was a great opportunity in creating awareness, acceptance, education, visibility, and medical facilities for people with intellectual challenges. It will definitely help to raise the profile of people with Down syndrome in India and Asia. We hope that our government will help us in creating an inclusive society for persons with Down syndromeand bring in laws to protect their interests.”
The first edition of IIDSC was organised at the India Habitat Center and inaugurated by Yuri Afanasiev, UN Resident Coordinator for India, who himself is a father of a 24 year old with Down syndrome. He spoke about his experiences as a father and touched a chord with every parent present there. The special guest was Ajit Doval, National Security Advisor, Government of India who released the book written by Dr Surekha Ramachandran titled “Down but not Out” based on her experiences with depression faced by her daughter Babli who is a affected with Down syndrome.
There were 50 speakers who spoke on various topics including health and life skills including education and employment. The event concluded with an award ceremony with two sets of awards being given – The DSFI Excellence Awards and the APDSF Excellence Awards. There were three categories for which nominations were called for.
- Outstanding Self Advocate for Down syndrome
- Outstanding Efforts for the Cause of Down syndrome
- Outstanding Research in the field of Down syndrome
The first category winner was Devanshi Joshi from Delhi, the second category winner was Dr Gurjit Kaur from Chandigarh. The third category did not have enough nominations for the award to be given.
The APDSF awards also were given for same categories and the awards were given to Australia and Myanmar for both I and II categories. No nominations were received under the Research category.