Tag Archives: Down Syndrome

Clare Crusaders Children’s Clinic is launching a major drive to raise up to €150,000 and fomer RTE newscaster, Ann Doyle will be involved in one of the main events. The Barefield clinic needs to raise this money by December to help the charity meet its annual target of €250,000 in public donations. This is a major challenge for the charity to raise the necessary funds for the continuation of services for children with a wide range of disabilities such as Down Syndrome, cerebral palsy, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Despite the lack of any government funding to help defray the cost of its core services, the clinic continues to provide free therapy for over 400 special needs children in the county. The clinic estimates it provides in the region of 10,000 free therapy hours for children during individual and group sessions during the year. In addition to providing one-to-one therapies, the clinic organise regular group …

TOUR de Munster, the annual four day charity cycle which sees amateur cyclists travelling over 600km, has once again chosen Down Syndrome Irelnd (DSI) at its beneficiary. To celebrate this, members from DSI Munster branches joined some of the Tour de Munster cyclists at a special charity fundraiser, hosted by Ballyseedy Home & Garden Centre in Carrigtwohill, Couty Cork on this Saturday. This is the fifth year that this much -loved national charity has been the beneficiary of Tour de Munster and it sees the ‘dream team’ pairing up again for such a fantastic cause – with all proceeds going to DSI Munster branches. Tour de Munster 2014 will take place throughout the province from Thursday 7 to Sunday 10 August, with over 100 cyclists wheeling through the six counties over the four days.   The cycle has received tremendous support in Clare and, no doubt, the 2014  event can also expect a warm reception. Having raised over €1 million over the past four …

THEY were one of the forgotten groups of Irish society; let down by the third level education and the health system. For years, young adults with Down Syndrome (DS) had nowhere to go, once they completed training schemes with voluntary organisations like the Brothers of Charity. There was no properly structured strategy or adequate funding to help the majority of young people with DS secure meaningful employment. They were left to their own devices, in a frustrating limbo with nothing to do. Two years ago, the Clare branch of Down Syndrome Ireland became one of the first groups in Europe to introduce the first comprehensive literacy programme for young people with Down Syndrome entitled Latch–On Literacy and Technology Hands-On. For the first time, young adults with an intellectual disability were included in an evidence-based, multimedia literacy programme in a post-secondary environment, using computer technology to enhance literacy, self-confidence, independence and employment opportunities. Pioneered by the The University of Queensland, Australia, this …