LANCASTER – October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, a time to raise awareness and celebrate the many abilities of individuals with Down Syndrome. The month seeks to break down barriers and focus on advocacy and inclusion. Persons with Down Syndrome hold jobs, drive, go to college, and participate in athletics. Down Syndrome is named for Dr. John Langdon Down, who wrote the most prominent paper describing the disorder in the 1860s. More than 400,000 people are living with Down Syndrome in the United States. Individuals with Down Syndrome are living long, happy lives. Life expectancy has increased from 25 years in 1980 to over 60 years of age today.
