CDSS – Canadian Down Syndrome Society
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The Canadian Down Syndrome Society (CDSS) is a non-profit organization promoting awareness, advocacy and support for those with Down syndrome in Canada.
CDSS – Canadian Down Syndrome Society
3y ago
CDSS: Who have you done presentations to before Paul?
Paul: I have given presentations at Down syndrome conferences, to graduates and their families, and to school groups. I have also introduced and thanked speakers at previous CDSS Conferences. I have co-hosted fund raisers, and once I even co-hosted a dance party at the top of the Calgary Tower on World Down Syndrome Day! I gave the valedictorian address when I graduated from college. I once I was also invited to speak to a class of teaching assistants.
CDSS: Who helped you to book your presentations and work out the details for each event ..read more
CDSS – Canadian Down Syndrome Society
3y ago
Awareness Leader Paul Sawka Talks about Relationships & Dating.
Valentine’s Day is coming up and I really love and miss many people in my life like my old roommates, my old co-workers, my girlfriend, my family and friends and all the different groups and clubs I have been a part of.
Valentine’s Day is a day to celebrate all the loving relationships we have in our life and to really show our loved ones the love we have in our hearts for them. It is also a very special day where people who are in love do nice things for each other to show how much they care.
There are many ways to celebrate ..read more
CDSS – Canadian Down Syndrome Society
4y ago
So much has changed for Paul since the Coronavirus came to Canada. Paul has always been a very busy person with a full schedule. He has always been very social. In this blog interview Paul talks about how he is continuing to stay in touch with people, how he is keeping himself busy and two new projects he has started and wants to complete.
Paul misses his roommate, his co-workers and his routine a lot. He misses the way things used to be before the virus came and it’s difficult to understand why we have to do all these things. But being the positive guy that he is, Paul wants to encourage ev ..read more
CDSS – Canadian Down Syndrome Society
4y ago
I have been
the Awareness Leader at the Canadian Down Syndrome Society for many years now,
and a lot of my job is about advocacy. When I think of advocacy, I think
of things like education, communication, families, hard times for people, and
all the other ways that people need help sometimes. Advocacy is about sharing
the stories of our lives so that people can understand who we are. For me,
advocacy means helping people and families who have Down syndrome. Some of the
help I give them is to see that they are special in many different ways,
because sometimes that can be hard to see for people ..read more
CDSS – Canadian Down Syndrome Society
4y ago
Living with Down syndrome can be very different than the way other
people live, but I am able to do almost everything people without Down syndrome
do. One of the reasons I am able to do lots of things and especially to live on
my own (not with my parents or family) is because I have lots of great support!
Some of that support is from friends and family, but some of it comes from my
great and terrific team of support workers. Right now I have three kinds of
support workers- my work support, my supportive roommate, and my community
supports. Each one is a little different.
At w ..read more
CDSS – Canadian Down Syndrome Society
4y ago
I have been very lucky in my life that I have been able to travel lots! Travel is great because it gives you the opportunity to see so many new things that you can’t see if you stay at home. There are so many things that I like about travelling. For example, I love to go camping with my family to British Columbia and when we are camping I love doing outdoor activities like swimming and golfing and enjoying being outdoors with my family and friends. This year, lots of my friends came camping all together with their parents so since not everyone is a golfer like me, we went to do mini golf and ..read more
CDSS – Canadian Down Syndrome Society
4y ago
Recently, I had a very surprising month- I ended up in the hospital for a little bit more than a week! Since I know many people with Down syndrome and their families can have problems with their health I wanted to share my experience. By telling you a bit of my story, I can show you that it is not so bad to have to visit the doctor or even go to the hospital, and those people can help you to be your very best.
When I came home from my job at CDSS one day, my roommate noticed that I seemed to not be feeling very well and my parents said the same thing when I saw them for dinner at my apartmen ..read more
CDSS – Canadian Down Syndrome Society
4y ago
Hello everyone,
Since it is Bullying Awareness Day this week, I have been thinking a lot about bullying and talking about bullying with my support and with my coworkers at CDSS. I feel very strongly about bullying because I had some experience of being bullied when I was younger and in school. When I was being bullied, I felt very sad and nearly in tears sometimes, so I know how serious it can be and how important it is for everyone to know more about this problem. I was lucky that there were a lot of adults around, and when I told people about the way I felt and that I was being bullied, they ..read more
CDSS – Canadian Down Syndrome Society
4y ago
Hello everyone,
Since it is Bullying Awareness Day this week, I have been thinking a lot about bullying and talking about bullying with my support and with my coworkers at CDSS. I feel very strongly about bullying because I had some experience of being bullied when I was younger and in school. When I was being bullied, I felt very sad and nearly in tears sometimes, so I know how serious it can be and how important it is for everyone to know more about this problem. I was lucky that there were a lot of adults around, and when I told people about the way I felt and that I was being bullied, they ..read more
CDSS – Canadian Down Syndrome Society
4y ago
Hello everyone,
I am grateful to my whole family, and I love being with my family at Christmas or any holiday. This year, I wanted to write a letter to say thank you to my mom, my dad and sister since Christmas is a time for family and good friends.
Dear family,
Christmas is a special time for the heart and for caring, a time when we should be grateful, and I am very grateful for you.
Mom and Dad, I am grateful for the way that you raised me as a child. You always made me feel special and safe and helped me to learn new skills and new things. Being able to go to school where my mom was a t ..read more