# Authentic, The Wonderful World Down Syndrome Day Campaign
People with Down syndrome. People with a different biological condition, people who have one more chromosome in pair 21. A trisomy that occurs with intellectual disability and that generates distinctive physical features of the condition such as a characteristic fold in the corner of the eyes, a narrowing of the same and a slightly thicker and sometimes cracked tongue.
Its particularity also makes us face authentic, genuine, unique beings, without artifice. Natural people, people with great spontaneity who make a difference with their authenticity, their sensitivity, their emotional richness, their ability to see the good in life, to generate rich and unique exchanges.
Every March 21 World Down Syndrome Day is celebrated so that we do not forget the need to continue making intellectual disability visible and to continue working to improve the social inclusion of these people. In this year 2018, Down Spain has launched the # Authentic campaign, which aims to reflect the authenticity and charisma that people with Down syndrome emanate.
The video of the campaign is full of sensitivity, affection and, worth the redundancy, authenticity. It should be said that. But not everything is words, for this we bring you the video.
What remains to be done as a society in relation to Down syndrome?
What remains to be done as a society in relation to Down syndrome? The answer is clear, we still have a long way to go. We still have many barriers, many prejudices and myths to eliminate, as well as a lot of information to know.
First of all, if we analyze the situation in a superficial way, we can emphasize that we are wrong when, when we interact with adults with Down syndrome, we treat them like children. We are wrong to show a paternalistic attitude. We are wrong to label and not treat these people naturally.
. For this reason, from Down Spain, people with Down syndrome claim that intellectual disability be considered as “a natural condition of life for some people, who see themselves spontaneously, frankly and without complexes.”
Many of us have ever heard the comment of “What a shame!” O It is pity!” in reference to a person with Down syndrome . However, although it is a very common reaction, it reflects that we do not know that there is no reason to feel sorry or sorry. Each one lives with their conditions and, people with Down syndrome, struggle every day to do so with theirs, which are particular.
This is important because not all people with Down syndrome are the same, just like the rest, whatever our condition, we are not. Having this clear allows us to emphasize that we have to strive to know all people in their variability, not for those traits that lead us to classify someone in a group.
Let us remember, then, that Down syndrome does not define Jesus or Marta or Luis… Each person defines himself in the course of his life developing different capacities.
We are walking the path to a different world, a world where respect, integration, the normalization of difference and coexistence are raised as a flag. There is still a lot to do, and to make that much smaller today we can start by joining the # Authentic movement.
