On the Road for Awareness: Honoring Down Syndrome Awareness Month

October is Down Syndrome Awareness Month—a time to increase understanding, challenge misconceptions, celebrate people with Down syndrome, and recognize the families, advocates, educators, healthcare professionals and organizations working to create more inclusive communities.

At Road Scholar Transport, awareness is something we believe should travel far beyond a single month.  Through our fleet of awareness tractor-trailers, we use the open road to bring important causes directly into the communities we serve.  Our awareness trailers turn miles of highway into opportunities to educate, encourage conversation and remind people that every individual has a story worth knowing.

This October, we are proud to highlight Down syndrome awareness and the importance of inclusion.

The Numbers Behind Down Syndrome

Down syndrome is a genetic condition caused by the presence of an extra copy of chromosome 21.  It is the most common chromosomal condition diagnosed in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

And while statistics help demonstrate the scope of Down syndrome, they represent real people and real families.

According to the CDC:

• Approximately 5,775 babies are born with Down syndrome in the United States each year.
• That translates to approximately 1 in every 640 babies born in the U.S.
• Approximately 95% of people with Down syndrome have trisomy 21, in which every cell has three separate copies of chromosome 21.
• Other forms include translocation Down syndrome and mosaic Down syndrome.

These numbers make one thing clear: Down syndrome touches thousands of families every year and is part of communities throughout the country.

But the numbers only tell part of the story.

What Is Down Syndrome?

Down syndrome occurs when a person is born with an extra copy of chromosome 21.  This additional genetic material affects how the body and brain develop.

People with Down syndrome can experience differences in development, communication, learning, physical characteristics and health.  Some individuals may also experience health conditions such as congenital heart defects, hearing loss or obstructive sleep apnea.

But Down syndrome does not define an individual's personality, interests, abilities or potential.  Every person with Down syndrome is an individual.  They have their own interests, talents, goals, relationships and accomplishments.  They attend school, participate in sports and activities, work, develop friendships, contribute to their communities and pursue greater independence.  That individuality is an important part of Down Syndrome Awareness Month.

People With Down Syndrome Are Living Longer

One of the most significant changes over the past several decades has been the dramatic improvement in life expectancy for people with Down syndrome.

According to the CDC, average life expectancy increased from approximately 10 years in 1960 to about 47 years in 2007.  Many people with Down syndrome now live well into adulthood.

That progress reflects improvements in medical care, access to treatment and greater understanding of the healthcare needs of people with Down syndrome.  It also reinforces  inclusion throughout life matters.

Awareness should not stop at childhood.  People with Down syndrome grow up, enter adulthood, develop careers and relationships, and become active members of their communities.

Why Awareness Still Matters

Awareness is about more than learning a diagnosis.  It is about learning to see the person first.

For families, one of the challenges can be encountering outdated assumptions about what a person with Down syndrome can or cannot accomplish.  Greater awareness can help replace those assumptions with a more accurate understanding of the abilities and potential of people with Down syndrome.  It can also encourage communities to consider inclusion in:

• Schools and educational programs
• Workplaces
• Healthcare
• Sports and recreational activities
• Housing
• Transportation
• Community events
• Social and cultural activities

Inclusion begins when people have opportunities to participate.

Early Support Can Make a Difference

The CDC notes that ongoing and appropriate medical care can help children and adults with Down syndrome live as healthy lives as possible.

Support can take many forms, including medical care, speech and language services, physical and occupational therapy, educational support and community resources.  The goal isn't to make everyone the same.  The goal is to give individuals the tools and opportunities they need to develop their abilities and participate as fully as possible in their communities.

Taking Awareness to the Highway

This is where Road Scholar Transport's awareness program comes in.  A tractor-trailer is designed to move freight.  But our awareness fleet demonstrates that a truck can carry something else, too: a message.

A 53-foot trailer can travel hundreds of miles in a day.  Over thousands of miles, an awareness trailer can be seen by motorists, pedestrians, businesses, families and communities throughout the country.  Our Down syndrome awareness trailer takes that message beyond a traditional awareness event.

It moves.

It travels.

It reaches people where they are.

A driver sitting behind our trailer in traffic may have never attended a Down syndrome awareness event.  A family traveling alongside it may have a loved one with Down syndrome.  A student may see the message and become curious enough to learn more.

That is the power of putting awareness on the road.

One Truck Can Start a Conversation

We don't know who will see our awareness trucks each day.  We don't know which person may already have a personal connection to the cause.  And we don't know which person may learn something about Down syndrome for the first time because they happened to encounter one of our trailers on the highway.  But we do know that visibility creates opportunities.

A message on the side of a truck can prompt a conversation at the dinner table.  It can lead someone to search for information.  It can encourage someone to support an organization.  And it can challenge a misconception that someone may have carried for years.  That's why we believe awareness belongs on the road.

Seeing the Individual Beyond the Diagnosis

Down syndrome is one part of a person's story—not the entirety of it.

During Down Syndrome Awareness Month, we can recognize the achievements of people with Down syndrome while also recognizing the families, teachers, healthcare providers, employers, advocates and organizations that help create opportunities.

We can encourage inclusive education.  We can support employment opportunities.  We can recognize independence.  We can listen to people with Down syndrome and their families.

And perhaps most importantly, we can make an effort to understand people as individuals rather than allowing a diagnosis to define our perception of them.

From Awareness to Inclusion

Awareness is an important first step.  But awareness can lead to something even more meaningful: inclusion.  Knowing that Down syndrome exists is awareness.  Understanding the challenges and opportunities faced by people with Down syndrome is education.  Creating opportunities for people with Down syndrome to participate fully in their communities is inclusion.

Each step matters.  And each conversation can help move us forward.  One Truck. Thousands of Opportunities to Be Seen.

At Road Scholar Transport, we are proud of the work our trucks do every day moving freight throughout the country.  But our awareness fleet has a different mission.  It reminds us that transportation isn't only about getting from one place to another.

It can also be about bringing people together, starting conversations and helping important messages travel farther.  Our Down syndrome awareness trailer is one of the many ways Road Scholar Transport uses its fleet to make a difference beyond the delivery.

One truck can create thousands of impressions.

One impression can start one conversation.

And one conversation can change the way someone sees the world.

Keep the Message Moving

Down Syndrome Awareness Month takes place every October, but awareness doesn't have to end when October does.

According to the CDC, thousands of babies are born with Down syndrome in the United States every year, and people with Down syndrome are living longer and participating in their communities throughout their lives.  That makes continued awareness, understanding and inclusion important all year long.

At Road Scholar Transport, our commitment to awareness doesn't stop when the calendar changes.  Our trucks will continue traveling the highways, carrying freight—and carrying messages that matter.  So, this October, if you see our Down syndrome awareness truck on the road, take a moment to look.  Take a moment to learn.  Take a moment to share the message.  Because sometimes awareness begins with something as simple as seeing a message on the side of a truck.  And then carrying that message with you down the road.

Road Scholar Transport: Turning miles into meaningful messages.