[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 12]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 16971]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  IN RECOGNITION OF OCTOBER AS NATIONAL DOWN SYNDROME AWARENESS MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. WILLIAM R. KEATING

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Monday, November 2, 2015

  Mr. KEATING. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in recognition of October as 
National Down Syndrome Awareness Month.
  During the month of October, we celebrate the abilities of the more 
than 400,000 Americans who have Down syndrome and raise awareness of 
their accomplishments. We also recognize the difficulties that their 
families often face and the many opportunities that exist to support 
them.
  Individuals born with Down syndrome face more natural and societal 
challenges than others, including barriers in access to quality 
education. We, as Americans, have made great strides over the years in 
better understanding the difficulties these individuals, and their 
families, face. Given that 1 in every 691 babies in this country is 
born with Down syndrome, it is imperative we continue our efforts.
  Good work is being done all across this country to improve the health 
and quality of life for people with Down syndrome, but I want to give 
special attention to the efforts of the Massachusetts Down Syndrome 
Congress. The MDSC is an organization I have had the honor and pleasure 
of working with in recent years, and can attest that it has worked 
tirelessly for over thirty years to improve the educational and 
employment opportunities for children and adults with Down syndrome. To 
this end, I want to highlight the MDSC's annual Buddy Walk in Falmouth, 
which this past July brought people from all over the Commonwealth to 
advocate for heightened awareness, inclusion, and acceptance of people 
with Down syndrome. MDSC also held its annual National Buddy Walk on 
Washington, bringing over 150 people from more than 25 states together 
to Capitol Hill to advocate for legislation that positively impacts the 
lives of people with Down syndrome.
  Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to join me in continuing our 
efforts by recognizing October as National Down Syndrome Awareness 
Month. There is much work yet to be done. But, as our steadfast 
Massachusetts and national partners have demonstrated, together, we can 
make a difference for people with Down syndrome.

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