Abby provided a moving and meaningful presentation at the Kentucky Association for Healthcare Quality (KAHQ) on caring for and communicating with members of the Down syndrome community and their families. By sharing her own experience as the mother of a son with Down syndrome, as well as the experiences of a panel of parents, she gave our attendees an authentic and deeply personal perspective.
Most impactful was that the presentation went beyond simply teaching our members about Down syndrome. It encouraged us, as healthcare professionals, to consider how we see and communicate with people with disabilities and their families. Abby's presentation was a reminder that a person is never defined by a diagnosis or a disability. Our patients are people first, with their own personality, experiences, relationships, and life. It provided perspective that healthcare professionals can carry into their everyday interactions with patients and families.
We were grateful to have Abby share her experience and expertise with KAHQ and would happily welcome her back in the future!
Our medical outreach coordinator welcomes the opportunity to discuss how DSACK can best serve our local medical professionals and our DSACK families whose lives uniquely intersect because of an extra 21st chromosome. Please contact abbyjohsnon.dsack@gmail.com or call 859-494-7809.
Through DSACK’s medical outreach efforts, we strive to provide medical professionals and families with accurate, up-to-date, and balanced information that has been created through collaboration and input from both the medical and advocacy communities. We work hard to establish collaborative relationships with medical professionals who may deliver a prenatal or postnatal Down syndrome diagnosis and/or who may provide care for our families.
DSACK often connects medical professionals and new families to local and national resources and support. Our new and expectant parent packets are FREE to parents and contain gold-standard materials that have been endorsed by both national disability organizations and professional medical groups, including the National Society of Genetic Counselors, American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics, and American Academy of Pediatrics.
Medical Outreach
Testimonial
“Courtney is a phenomenal guest speaker! She is informative and engaging when providing the facts, but personal and emotional when talking about her experience in having a child with Down Syndrome. Courtney is a wealth of information and is incredibly accessible and personal. She is one of the most caring and optimistic people that I have met and her light shines when she speaks. She is a great example to parents of children with special needs, as well as to professionals that work with children with special needs. I feel blessed that she was able to share her knowledge with my class!”
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