Connecting with the Down syndrome Community at DSAIA

BY SHELBY JONES

PALS Community Partnerships Manager

As an organization serving individuals with Down syndrome and their peers, we at PALS look for opportunities to connect and engage with the larger Down syndrome community across the globe. At the start of March, members of the PALS Staff team attended the Annual Leadership Conference hosted by Down Syndrome Affiliates In Action. 

Rosemary, Grace, and I traveled to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for 3 days of networking, learning, and beautiful weather! PALS hosted an exhibit table during the conference, where we connected with 40+ organizations to learn about the incredible work they are doing within the Down syndrome community and to share about PALS. 

Rosemary was a conference presenter, offering a session about self-advocacy in data analysis. She demonstrated how PALS created unique and inclusive program evaluations for participants with Down syndrome in order to measure the missional impact of our programs. Session attendees left with greater knowledge of how to evaluate their programming through inclusive practices. 

PALS was excited to not only make new connections, but to also reconnect with several supporters that share about our programming, distribute Congratulations Project letters, and work with us to inspire a world of belonging! Having these conversations, meeting new organizations, and expanding our network within the Down syndrome community brought greater insight into how we can better serve our participants and reach new communities. We learn best from each other and we were so grateful for the opportunity to do so at the DSAIA Annual Conference. 

We are excited to take the connections and learnings with us into summer 2023!