Covid-19 membership survey of parents and whānau of people with Down syndrome By Sarah Paterson-Hamlin and Zandra Vaccarino
In early 2021, the NZDSA wanted to undergo a stocktake so we could understand how our members were experiencing COVID-19. The information gleaned shaped how we could support our community as well as ensuring that our systemic advocacy was relevant to the needs of our community. Omicron has had significant impact in New Zealand, and while we had some feedback we thought it would be timely to do another survey so that we have a clearer understanding of how parents, whānau, and people with Down syndrome were experiencing the Omicron environment. The stories you shared and your feedback from the survey will ensure that the NZDSA can effectively represent the Down syndrome community when we advocate to various Government Ministries and Providers. We noted that you are finding our COVID-19 Bulletin useful so we will continue to provide you with our regular COVID-19 Bulletin. Respondents All but one of the respondents were parents of a person with Down syndrome. None of the respondents lived with Down syndrome themselves. 88% had their child living at home, with 6% in supported living arrangements, and one respondent each with their child living independently and in residential living arrangements. Most of the people with Down syndrome discussed were under the age of 30, with 12% in the 31-45-year age range, 35% between 22 and 30, and 53% being 21 and under. The geographic spread of respondents was diverse, including good representation from those areas most impacted by Omicron-related lockdowns.
Page 7
