BRIGHTER TOMORROWS

For families:       www.brightertomorrows.org

For physicians:   www.brighter-tomorrows.org

Developed by a US Centers for Disease Control funded grant to the University of Kentucky, and developed in collaboration with local DSACK families of children and youth with Down syndrome, the Family Version of Brighter Tomorrows is designed to provide accurate information to families and prospective parents who have just received a diagnosis of Down syndrome for their baby (either in utero or at birth).  The website is in both English and Spanish, and has been accessed by individuals in over 70 countries across the globe!

Brighter Tomorrows is designed to improve the communication and knowledge skills of physicians in providing accurate and balanced information to families of newly diagnosed children with Down syndrome. Started in 2003, the physician tutorial was developed with two expert teams working closely together – a medical team at the University of Kentucky and a parent team, including several parents from DSACK!  The project was funded by a grant from the National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities and awarded to UK- Interdisciplinary Human Development Institute (IHDI) through the Association of University Centers on Disability.

The tutorial also includes ‘real-life’ stories (Receiving and Giving the News) of how families were informed, and Life Glimpses of individual children and young adults, developed by the families to illustrate how their children have made a difference in their families and their communities.  Of course, these are stories developed by families from DSACK!

The Family Version of the Website:  www.brightertomorrows.org is available in both English and Spanish and features stories of the joys, challenges, and rewards in the lives of children and families from DSACK!