i-PLAY Celebrates World Down Syndrome Day!!! – Finia O’Brien & Dr. Daniel Tindall.

World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD), 21 March, is a global awareness day which has been officially observed by the United Nations since 2012. According to the World Down Syndrome website https://www.worlddownsyndromeday.org/lots-of-socks-campaign, “They might be mismatched socks or your craziest and most colourful socks, whatever takes your fancy! The idea is to start a conversation, so when people ask you about your socks you can tell them, ‘I’m wearing them to raise awareness of Down syndrome’. And then you can tell them everything you want them to know about Down Syndrome”.

Down Syndrome Ireland also promotes World Down Syndrome Day stating, “The date for WDSD is set on the 21^st day of the 3^rd month as a representation of the extra copy of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21^st chromosome that people with Down syndrome are born with” https://downsyndrome.ie/whats-happening/world-down-syndrome-day/. This day is important for encouraging inclusion as the sock resembles a chromosome of which people with Down Syndrome have an extra one in the 21^st pair in some or all of the body’s cells. Wearing different and brightly coloured socks is a way to celebrate individuality and that being different is something to be proud of.

A special thank you to 4^th Year PE students Luke O’Sullivan, Ailís Kenny, Caélainn McGrath, Finia O’Brien, Molly Downes, Daniel Tindall (i-PLAY Co-Director), Rachel Cleary, Ciara Kane McLoughlin, Emma Dunphy, Chantelle Kelly, and Hannah Foxe (pictured left-to-right) for showing their support. Well done to all!!!

For more information on the i-PLAY programme, please visit us at the following website: https://www.ul.ie/ehs/pess/i-play. There you can listen to an interview conducted in 2011 on Limerick’s Live 95 that further explains the rationale for the programme.