MANY MAGIC MOMENTS ON DS WORLD TOUR

Edward Bradley in Auckland

Earlier this year Edward Bradley, who lives in Spain, visited New Zealand as part of his D2020 World Project to connect with people with Down syndrome around the world and found we have more in common than we think.

Everything started with one crazy idea: going on a world tour meeting people with Down syndrome. One day I thought about my sister Victoria, who has Down syndrome, and she often asks me if I see people with Down syndrome when I travel. And somehow, I always do. So she is always surprised to hear that there are people like her living in many different countries and who speak many different languages. So I started creating the D2020 World Project in October 2019. It is a project meant to raise awareness on Down syndrome around the world allowing anyone to share their stories. I created an email, contacted foundations not really knowing if any of them would answer, I started organising flights, made a logo, and on the 9th of January 2020, I left from Madrid to go to my first destination: Turkey. In Istanbul, I met with the Down syndrome foundation and it was a magical moment. After the first meeting of the tour, we all went to have lunch together and Robert, a young man with Down syndrome, was the one who had to guide us to the mall.

Edward visiting the DSD foundation in Istanbul

We also met with another group of people with Down syndrome who had had a cooking class. It was very interesting to hear what the foundation was doing to help families and their kids and to see how they were trying to include every single one of them in society. They were preparing them to have a job, to take public transport by themselves, and it really reminded me of my sister who has been working for many years now. She also takes public transport to go to work. It was very interesting to compare what I am used to seeing and what they were doing in Turkey. The next foundation I met was in Chennai, India. I spent ten days in India, visiting New Delhi, Agra, Mumbai and Chennai. I have to admit that India is a very complex country and I have seen things that I wish no child or adult should ever have to experience. I couldn’t stop thinking ‘What would my sister do here?’, ‘How can someone with Down syndrome live here?’. It was very hard and it is true what they say about the country: you either hate it or love it. I think I didn’t understand it. However, meeting with the Down syndrome Federation of India is something that I will never forget. I spent a few hours in front of 70 parents with their children talking about my project and about my sister. I also had the opportunity to ask them questions and honestly, these parents were all so proud of their kids. Their foundation creates a place where they can all exchange and help each other. Dr. Surekha Ramachandran, the founder of the foundation is the most enthusiastic woman I have met and she is really willing to make a change.

Welcomed by the Down Syndrome Federation of India in Chennai

Her energy is contagious and she had so many stories to share that I think I will be going back to India soon to learn a lot more about all the work that has been done. Unfortunately Coronavirus did have an impact on my project. I was not able to go to Hong Kong and could not meet with foundations in the USA or in the Bahamas. I did however manage to visit almost all the countries on my list and I have to admit that New Zealand really surprised me. The NZDSA was actually the first foundation to answer my emails at the end of 2019, so visiting the country really meant a lot to me. Unfortunately we did not get to meet NZDSA representatives, but I was amazed by how New Zealand really takes inclusion seriously. I had the chance to visit Auckland, Rotorua, Wellington, Christchurch and Queenstown, and everywhere I went I had the feeling that everyone could be who they wanted to be. I therefore automatically thought that someone with Down syndrome would have more opportunities in a country like New Zealand, even compared to Australia. I was amazed by the fact that New Zealand, which has a very good reputation here in Europe, is a country where being different is good. The country is a mix of cultures, traditions, from the Pacific, from Asia, from Europe, and there was a certain pride of that melting pot that many countries lack. The D2020 World Project is all about inclusion and about focusing on what unites us instead of focusing on what divides us as a society. Somehow, New Zealand really reflects that

Gardens by the bay in Singapore

mentality and I think it is something the country should be proud of. I really do. During this world tour I have also been to Thailand, Singapore, Australia, French Polynesia, Hawaii and the Bahamas. The goal was to take as many short flights as possible especially to see the similarities between each country. When I finished the tour I realised that when you connect the similarities it all makes sense. It is not hard to see that Istanbul has been influenced by some European countries. Tamil - a language spoken in south east India - strangely looks like Thai. Singapore is a perfect example of a mix of Asian and Western architecture. Tahiti and Hawaii have many religious and cultural similarities and in the Bahamas you find that unique Caribbean skin colour which comes from a mix of African and European ancestors. You realise that in the end, we all have something in common. It is almost weird to realise how much we focus on our differences instead of focusing on what makes us similar. The same sentence could apply to people with Down syndrome. I met many of them from different countries and I always felt like I was home. Instead of focusing on their differences

Edward in front the mosque in Istanbul

let’s focus on what we have in common. This world tour made me realise that many people want to help, people do actually believe in inclusion, but they do not know how to make it happen. The D2020 World Project is therefore a place where everyone can share their stories and learn from others. It is a place where we want to give voice to the people who have many things to say. It is also a place where brothers and sisters of people with Down syndrome can take the time and talk about their fears and share their stories that are often not heard. Our first motto is #StandOut because we want everyone to have a place to express themselves. Our second motto one is #BetterTogether because that is what inclusion is all about, working as one and realising that everyone has a place on this planet. If anyone would like to share their stories please do not hesitate to contact me ( ebradley@ d2020worldproject.com ) and together we can create a place where everyone can stand out and show the world what they can do.