People with Down syndrome star for the first time a Conference to talk about their disability.

Organized by the Spanish Federation of Down syndrome (DOWN Spain).

-Will be held in Grenada from April 30 to May 2 and will also feature presentations by experts in this field

Madrid, April 2010.- Spain host from April 30 to May 2 the II Ibero-American Congress on Down syndrome, organised by DOWN Spain with the collaboration of the Ibero-American General Secretariat (SEGIB), and starred by people with Down syndrome, who will speak for the first time their disability in first person.

The presentation held today in Madrid, has counted with the participation of the President of the Organising Committee of the Conference, Carlos Marín; the Secretary of DOWN Spain and director of the Academy European Foundation of Yuste, Antonio Ventura; the Director of Social Affairs of the SEGIB, Beatriz Morán and the Chairman of the Committee Spanish of representatives of people with disabilities (CERMI), Cayo Luis Pérez Bueno.

During the ceremony, the President of the Organising Committee of the Conference, Carlos Marín, reported that the meeting is organized from the philosophy of family is one sufficient resource to achieve full integration into the community of persons with Down’s syndrome ”.

Thus, assured us that this is a Congress that although not leave aside the scientific framework, is intended for families, not only to the parents of these people, but also for the brothers, friends and the activity of the own disabled this ”.

In fact, during the Congress, will be the same people with Down syndrome who through several presentations and parallel activities, they will explain their situation from its own perspective, informing what their rights are and what should be ”, has been added.

The meeting aims to go beyond the sum of speeches and generate a life and action plan for the disabled, their families and the associative movement. Thus will address, as the main theme, the personal autonomy of the collective, demonstrating that is a right and not a prize awarded to overcome a series of tests imposed ”.

In addition, Marín has developed that Congress has set as a major milestone, the creation and implementation underway of the Ibero-American Federation of Down syndrome, organization that will take advantage of the experiences the common spaces of the culture of the Ibero-American to improve intervention and programmes for persons with Down syndrome ”.

The Director of Social Affairs of the SEGIB, Beatriz Morán, has valued this initiative, which it considered that it can serve for space of debate to improve the legislative framework in some countries for their economic, political or social circumstances still have no recognized some of the fundamental rights of persons with disabilities ”.

For its part, the Chairman of the CERMI, Cayo Luis Pérez Bueno, has described the contents of the Congress as suggestive and novel that they open up new spaces for vision and reflection within the good topics of disability in recent years that are ”. That are the very people with Down syndrome to speak about their rights is a crucial change that helps see disability as a consequence of the human diversity that enriches the environment where it is produced ”, has been added.

The Secretary to DOWN Spain and director of the European Academy Yuste Foundation, Antonio Ventura has been reported that currently live in Spain about 35,000 people with Down syndrome, almost 9 people per 10,000 births.

With the intention of creating a forum for international meetings and exchanges of research, practical experiences and results obtained, representatives of the Administration, University professors and experts on disability and dependence, will address the situation of these people and their families from three thematic axes: education for life and access to culture ”; The future of people with Down’s syndrome ” and the associative movement in favour of people with Down syndrome ”.

Thus, it will deepen in aspects related to the right of persons with Down syndrome to form a family, abortion and the right to life or the prevention of dependence. Young people with Down Syndrome will explain through presentations is his life and presented his own analysis of the rights contained in the Convention on rights of persons with disabilities, denouncing situations of violations that have lived in first person.

The speakers include, among others, the general Secretary of employment of the Ministry of labour and immigration of the Government of Spain, Maravillas Rojo; the director of the Graduate Institute of integration in the Community (INICO), Miguel Ángel executioner; the Vice-President of the United Nations Committee on the rights of the persons with disabilities, Ana Peláez; and the Co-Director of the center of study for equity in education, University of Manchester, Mel Ainscow.

On the other hand, during the days that will run the meeting, the main hall of the Palacio de Congresos de Granada will host plenty of booths that will allow to inform attendees on the latest offers on products and services related to the content of the Congress.