31 for 21 - Down Syndrome Awareness!

October 1st - it's Down Syndrome Awareness month! I am participating in the 31 for 21 blog challenge again this year. Hosted by Unringing the Bell, 31 for 21 is a challenge for bloggers who have been touched by someone with DS to blog every day in the month of October to help raise awareness about Down Syndrome.

So I'll be posting something new every day. Facts about Down Syndrome, stories about how it has affected our family and of course updates about Aaron. I hope you'll join me on this journey and maybe learn something in the process.

One of my favorite phrases used in the DS community is: "We're More Alike Than Different". It is so much easier to notice our differences than it is to think about our similarities, but sometimes it's important to do just that. Rather than focusing on how different people with DS are, try taking a few minutes to think about how much we have in common.

People with Down Syndrome can learn, love (often better than the rest of us), play, work, sing, dance, cry and laugh. They might learn a little more slowly and differently than most, but that doesn't mean they can't learn. They - and anyone else with a disability - deserve to be accepted as the people they are, rather than stereotyped by an extra chromosome or whatever their disability happens to be.