Today, we celebrated World Down Syndrome Day in St Mary's! World Down Syndrome Day is on 21st March every year. The date being the 21st day of the 3rd month was chosen to represent the triplication of the 21st chromosome which causes Down Syndrome.
Today, we were delighted to welcome our parent, Mrs Ailis Cullinan - Keown ("Little Hands") to speak to our children about Down Syndrome. The children found out that most chromosomes come in pairs, but people with Down syndrome have an extra copy of the 21st chromosome (so while most people have 2 copies of the 21st chromosome, people with Down syndrome have 3). This extra “puzzle piece” means people with Down Syndrome will look, grow, and learn a little bit differently than most other people. But today we all learned that even though there are some differences, people with Down Syndrome desire to belong and be a friend. They love to play, learn, and meet new friends! We all learned that everyone in the world is different from each other and when a person has Down Syndrome, it is just one small part of who they are. Being a good friend to someone else is the same no matter who they are! Thank you Ailis for coming along today to teach us all about Down Syndrome!
A word of thanks also to our wonderful teachers, Miss Lauren Cush and Mr Dermot Morrow, who organised and led today's 'Disability Awareness Day' event. Miss Cush and Mr Morrow set up a range of carousel activities for the whole school today.
By taking part in these activities, the children learned about a range of different impairments including:
- Autism and Communication
- Physical Impairment
- Visual Impairment
- Hearing Impairment
At the Autism & Communication Station the children learned about their senses and how children with Autism experience heightened sensory awareness, making them more sensitive to sounds, smells, tastes, touch, and sights, which can lead to sensory overload or distress. They also learned about “communication boards” as an alternative method to communication.Through the use of graphics and visuals, these boards can help bridge the communication gap between nonspeaking or minimally speaking individuals and their caregivers, teachers, and peers.
At the Physical Impairment Station the children learned about how people with physical impairments can still live full and adventurous lives. The children watched videos of Paralympic athletes and discussed their amazing achievements. The children were given tasks to complete, to appreciate how difficult it can be to perform daily activities, if you are physically impaired and have reduced mobility.
At the Visual Impairment Station the children learned to recognise the challenges visually impaired people have in life. They learned about the Braille Alphabet and also learned to write their name in Braille.
At the Hearing Impairment Station the children learned about the challenges people with hearing impairment have in every day life. Miss Cush familiarised the children with the British Sign Language alphabet and taught them to sign the days of the week and to sign their own names!
Today was an amazing day for our whole school community and we all learned so much about the importance of understanding, empathy, and inclusivity!
Thank you to everyone who rocked their odd socks today and came to school dressed in blue and yellow to promote understanding of Down Syndrome!
A word of thanks to Mrs Grainne Broderick for decorating the school with a beautiful blue and yellow balloon display to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day!
