HEROS CALL WITH THE DSCM

The children of the Down Syndrome Centre Midlands have let us use their pictures thanking our essential workers; our heroes. The Hero’s Call is our thank you. Thank you to all essential workers who are working hard to keep us safe –we appreciate you so much!

The following interview is with two amazing parents and volunteers for The Down Syndrome Centre Midlands. Lynda Donoghue Murray, whose daughter Leah avails of the Down Syndrome Centre Midlands services, and Annemarie Gavin, whose son Liam also goes to the centre. Both of their kids have Down syndrome.

Lynda and Annemarie spoke to me about how lockdown has affected their families, without having the important resources they need.

How have things changed for you during quarantine?

Lynda: Things have changed a lot during quarantine. My parents and mum-in-law are retired and live in another county so not seeing them face to face has been hard. Not getting out to see friends for a chat or going to our usual clubs and places we like to go to get away is hard too. In saying that I'm grateful we are all healthy and safe.

Annemarie: Life has changed completely during cocooning for most of it because of health issues. However, we have had time as a family that we would never have gotten and have grown very close as a result.

How has the changes in routine impacted you and your family?

Lynda: Times are certainly different throughout Covid. Our daughter relies on routines and being out of routine has been hard for her to understand and can be very frustrating too. That has been a huge impact every day. We quarantine. We have been

are now adjusting to new routines.

Annemarie: Our kids need routine, they miss the structure of school and the various activities they took part in. It’s hard for them to understand what’s happening out there.

Is there anything you would like to say to raise awareness or to open people's eyes?

Lynda: Treasure all the small things you have in life ..friends, family ,a smile ,a memory shared is so important. It can be taken away or changed in an instant.

Annemarie: I hope we all come away from this appreciating one another, family and friends and take time to enjoy the simple things and be very grateful for the sacrifice of many to keep us safe. 25 | Making History

It's been hard to suspend the services in the centre. Our centre is a lifeline support for families of the DSCM.

Is there anything you miss about being able to do? Such as running groups.

We have clubs and services that are vital for our service users. In we were ready to celebrate World Down syndrome Day on 21/3 every year which is a big celebration for us.

How have you all adapted? How have things changed?

Thankfully, there's been a lot of online help for a lot of our families in schools, clubs, apps that keep us all connected and support each other We have made lots of changes. We have a new perspective now on family safety and our services and how we can all keep connected to support the families of the DSCM. Change is so important as our children /adults are very vulnerable. By the end of the interview, I had learned an important tip; use people first language. Try not to say ‘a Down syndrome child’, but instead ‘a child with Down syndrome’. This way, they are not defined by only this but rather it’s a part of who they are! Lynda answered the following questions for me about how The Down Syndrome Centre Midlands has been affected by

What has lockdown been like for you all as an organization?

the run up to Covid-19

What will have to change in the future, to abide by new government laws?

lockdown and quarantine!

Leah, Lynda’s daughter, and Liam, Annemarie’s son