Aimed At Breaking Down Barriers For Individuals With Down Syndrome
WASHINGTON, DC (Oct. 10, 2017) – Ashley DeRamus of Hoover, Alabama helped unveil the new National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS) campaign, “Law Syndrome,” on October 3. DeRamus was personally invited to participate because of her involvement in the Down syndrome community.
The “Law Syndrome” campaign announcement brought NDSS leaders and advocates from all 50 states to Capitol Hill and served as the grand finale of a three-day leadership summit. The new public awareness and legislative campaign is aimed at addressing challenges faced by people with Down syndrome who want and are able to work and live independent, productive lives but face losing critical government support they rely on.
DeRamus met with Congresswoman Terri A Sewell of Alabama during the summit to discuss the systematic reforms to empower individuals with Down syndrome to work, marry and live independent lives. The campaign will focus on laws like the Fair Labor Standards Act, which allows the Secretary of Labor to issue special wage certificates to certain entities that permit them to pay workers with disabilities below minimum wage. The campaign will also push for changes to the Supplemental Security Income marriage penalty, which penalizes people with disabilities who choose to marry by slashing the benefits they depend on.
In addition to advocating on Capitol Hill, Ashley and the 149 other participants visited Gettysburg for a session with the Lincoln Leadership Institute, attended a C21 pop-up restaurant awareness event and took an exclusive tour of D.C.
The Law Syndrome launch kicked off October as Down Syndrome Awareness Month and National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
To learn more about “Law Syndrome” or how to get involved, please visit www.lawsyndrome.org.
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To contact Ashley for a special appearance at your event E-mail adream.gk@gmail.com.
