Today we’re talking about one of our “Awareness Partners” at The Mall – the great new(ish) book by Jen Jacobs and Mardra Sikora – The Parent’s Guide to Down Syndrome.
First, to answer the question “What exactly is an Awareness Partner?”
In order to help us maintain and promote The Mall, we’ve created three types of listings. The first is the most important – Self-Advocate listings. These are completely free of change and no kick-back or commissions of any kind are taken from these businesses owned by people with Down syndrome.
The second type is our “Awareness Partner” listing. These are available to business/products owned/created/written by parents or non-profit groups that promote awareness and positive examples of Down syndrome. We ask that these businesses donate $25 / year for a listing and one social media share per month. The third group is our “Support Partner” listings – offered to for-profit businesses that provide services/products that support people with Down syndrome and their families. These are available for $50/year and have the same benefits as “Awareness Partners.”
Now, on with the real reason for this post — to introduce this great, one-of-a-kind resource guide for parents!
Of course, I’m slightly biased about this book since Mardra has been integral to everything The Road has done since its inception, so let me allow a few others to tell you their thoughts:
As you can see, I’m not the only one who loves it! But, since I am the one writing this – I’ll let you know, my favorite parts of the book are the self-advocate stories. Jen and Mardra made sure that this book was truly “Nothing about us without us.” The voices from adults with Down syndrome, like David Egan and Connor Long, are priceless.
Jump on over to The Mall to visit this great resource and get your own copy!
And if you, or someone you know wants to become our next “Awareness Partner” or “Support Partner,” we’d be happy to have you!