Down Syndrome and Adoption

Yesterday I went to the Annual Convention of the Massachusett's Down Syndrome Congress. It was nice to be in the company of so many other parents of children and adults with Down Syndrome. A lot of parents had brought their infants who have DS, so there was a lot of oohing and ahhing over the adorable little ones. The seminars that I attended were excellent, and the keynote speaker was a very inspiring self-advocate.

The Conference was titled "Power of the Dream". After a while, it began to trouble me that there was so much talk about advocating for people with DS, educating others about not setting limits on people with DS, and empowering people with DS. All these families so determined to do right by their child. It was all important, but also so sad to know that there are so many orphans who have no voice, no advocate. It really cannot be just about our own children with Down Syndrome, it must be about all children with Down Syndrome. Where do the orphans fit in to the Dream?

The Lord gave me the opportunity on a number of occasions to discuss adoption with other parents. When asked as an opening to conversation how old my child with DS is, and do I have a boy or a girl, I get to say I have three special children. This naturally leads to the question of adoption. I was able to plant 5 seeds yesterday. I do not know if they will be watered and grow, but I know that 5 more people are now aware of the need to not only educate and advocate for our own children, but the need to educate the people of other countries and the directors of orphanages, and to advocate for the adoption of children with Down Syndrome. Maybe even one of those five will go on to adopt a special child.