With more than 70 happenings from north to south of the country, including the Amazon, Brazil celebrated Down Syndrome Day with a mix of walks, exhibitions, discussions, public audiences and Town Halls’ solemn sessions. Most events were piloted by speakers with Down syndrome who became real protagonists of the festivities honoring this year’s theme – Inclusion to Autonomy.
The Brazilian Federation of Associations of Down Syndrome (FBASD), led by President Claudia Grabois, coordinated all the events and provided resources – leaflets, posters, T-shirts, as well as guidance support for associations, groups and individuals who organized their events locally. In every one the importance of full inclusion of students in regular classrooms was reinforced as the road to autonomy, fulfilling one of the principles of the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, ratified by Brazil with constitutional equivalency in 2008.
FBASD site: http://fbasd.blogspot.com/
A two-day symposium for 900 people, organized by Dr Zan Mustacchi in Sao Paulo, Brazil’s biggest city, marked the 50th Anniversary of Discovery of the Trissomy of Chromosome 21, by Dr Jerome Lejeune.
http://www.sindromededown.com.br/simposio09.html
Celebrations are still going on, with a solemn session in the Brazilian Congress scheduled for April 13, among others.
Tati
Two initiatives of Instituto MetaSocial, helped to bring even more color to the date: a new comic strip character, Tati, who has Down syndrome, was designed by Mauricio de Sousa Foundation, Brazil’s most important and internationally known cartoonist. Tati was inspired in a real girl, Tathiana Heiderich, 24 – and is now part of the Monica’s Gang, the most popular Brazilian comic strip for children.. She stars in two stories: In one Tati is born and the second tells her adventures in her first school day. Parents acted as consultants to build a sensitive and inclusive text. The comic strip magazine will be distributed at Pediatricians’ offices and at schools.
The new comic strip was also distributed during Rio’s walk along the beach.
What if you had Down syndrome?
The other launch is a very creative idea by publicity agency Giovanni+DraftFCB for Instituto MetaSocial, led by Helena Werneck, Marcia Carlos de Andrade and Patrícia Heiderich. It has been very successful and quickly acquired national recognition, becoming a powerful tool to enlighten society against prejudice.
It is a virtual manifest in which everyone can participate. As you visit the site, it is possible to download or to use your computer’s camera to take a picture of yourself and to manipulate it, so that your eyes become down syndrome-like. The photo is then posted together with many others and you can click in each one to see where that person comes from and how he or she would look like if they had Down syndrome.
Brazilian biggest television network – TV Globo – is supporting the initiative and many celebrity actors have joined in. The website is in Portuguese, but here are some directions in English if you wish to join:
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The Instituto MetaSocial’s slogan is “It is normal to be different”. The Institute has been working for the past 15 years to engage society in the promotion of inclusion. Its slogan is well known in Brazil and lends its name to the website. People are also referring to it as the Facebook of Diversity.
When you open it, a young man with DS, Breno Viola, will show up and say: “Welcome to the site where everything is normal, except prejudice”.
It states in blue letters:
“Show in your face that you believe.
If you believe that diversity is not a problem, it is solution; if you believe that each person deserves an opportunity to be happy; if you believe we are capable of accepting and living with difference; and that the more people join in around this idea, the quicker we will reach a fairer, more pacific and equal society, you are welcome!”
Then you add up your face alongside with those who, more than only believing are taking steps to change the worlds’ face.
Blue button – Be Different (you click there)
Click on Participe (join)
On the boxes, fill in your name, email, country and state (where it applies).
If you click on left button, you can select one photo from your computer files. On the right side, you can take a new picture with the camera on your computer.
Then the photo is uploaded (it is better if you are looking straight ahead in the selected picture) and you adjust the two crosses to your eyes, also adjusting the oval shape to your face.
And voila! Now you have Down syndrome yourself!
Your photo goes to the gallery, together with thousands others, and a young woman with DS, Paula Werneck, shows up and says – “Thanks for participating in our fight – together we are stronger”. Afterwards you receive an email thanking for participating.
Everyone is invited to join in. All people and organizations are more than welcome to participate. There will be soon an English version.
http://www.serdiferenteenormal.org.br/
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The Manifest was launched on Saturday, 21/3 at Brazil’s biggest TV network (Globo) in its main evening news programme – Jornal Nacional.
The launch was followed by a chat in which Patricia Almeida answered questions online about Down syndrome for 30 minutes.
All events and initiatives are non profit and the organizers are profoundly thankful to everyone who worked hard to make them possible and welcome new partners to take the Manifest to the world… and beyond…
Inclusive
The full program and extensive media coverage is at Inclusive, a news and resources agency created to promote inclusion:
http://agenciainclusive.wordpress.com/
Contacts:
FBASD: presidentefbasd@gmail.com
Instituto MetaSocial: contato@metasocial.org.br
Inclusive: agencia.inclusive@gmail.com
General (in Portuguese, English or Spanish): sindromededown@gmail.com
