ADOPTION AWARENESS

The Adoption Awareness Program has provided information and support to birth parents, adoptive parents and adoption agencies throughout the United States since 1981. The goal of this program is to ensure that every child born with Down syndrome has the opportunity to grow up in a caring family. Children of all ages and abilities are served by this program. We are contacted by a variety of individuals including genetic counselors, social workers, birth families, and families interested in adoption. An average of 4-5 calls are received each week requesting information on making adoption plans for a child with Down syndrome. There are presently over 200 families on the waiting list with completed homestudies waiting for children with Down syndrome. (Families who wish to adopt a child must have a homestudy completed by a licensed agency in their home state. An approved homestudy is required before an adoption can be finalized in a court of law. Families may wish to register with us while their homestudy is in process however.) Most of the adoptive families registered with us have had some connection or experience with an individual with Down syndrome sometime in their life. They may be a birth parent themselves. They may have a sibling with Down syndrome. Their decision to adopt is directly related to a positive life experience. To learn more about adoption, contact Robin.