06/17/2026
Well done, Janet! Janet was one of my old swimming lessons students 😊
💙 Thank You, Janet! 💙
Thank you, Janet, for your powerful words to the United Nations about accessibility, inclusion, and the importance of ensuring people with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities are truly heard.
Janet asked a simple but important question: "Why not?"
Why not remove barriers? Why not make information available in plain language? Why not provide videos, support persons, and the accommodations people need to participate fully? Why not ensure people with Down Syndrome and intellectual disabilities are included at decision-making tables where policies and programs that affect their lives are discussed?
Real inclusion means more than being invited to participate—it means moving from participation to representation, where people are supported to share their views, influence decisions, and have their voices respected.
Thank you, Janet, for reminding us that accessibility is about ensuring everyone belongs, everyone is heard, and everyone has the opportunity to contribute.
Down Syndrome International
“Imagine if this building had no ramp. There would be outrage. But right now, most of what is happening here is not accessible to me. And somehow, that does not cause outrage."
These were the words of Janet Charchuk — a DSi Board member who has Down syndrome — speaking at the United Nations in New York.
Janet was at the UN Conference of States Parties to the CRPD, talking about what it really means for people with Down syndrome to have a voice in public life — not just be invited into the room, but actually be heard.
She named something many of our families will recognise: that people with Down syndrome and intellectual disabilities are still too often talked about, rather than listened to. As Janet put it: "That is not participation. That is decoration."
Janet called for three things from governments around the world:
✅ End laws that take away the right to vote because of disability
✅ Make easy-to-understand information standard — in elections, in laws, in everyday public life
✅ Genuinely include people with intellectual disabilities when decisions are made — with accessible materials, time, and real listening
If a country would never accept a building with no ramp, it should never accept a democracy that shuts people out.
We are so proud of Janet for standing up and speaking out on behalf of our whole global community. 💙
▶️ Watch her full speech here: https://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k12/k12x9s6byj?kalturaSeekFrom=8072&kalturaClipTo=8623&kalturaStartTime=0
