When my son was born, there was much I wasn’t afraid of. I never doubted how much I would love him. I felt that so much would be possible. But tucked quietly underneath that love and hope was a worry I carried close: Would he be accepted? Would he be lonely?

It turns out, that fear was not unfounded.

This year’s World Down Syndrome Day theme is Together Against Loneliness. On this day, celebrated during the third month and the twenty-first day to represent the triplication of the 21st chromosome that defines Down syndrome, we focus on issues relevant to this community.

Loneliness by the numbers

Research tells us what many experience. A 2024 Australian study found that 39% of people with intellectual disabilities often feel lonely, compared to 14% of people without disabilities (Bishop, Llewellyn & Kavanagh, 2024). A 2019 UK study from Mencap reported that people with an intellectual disability are seven times more likely to experience loneliness than the general public.

These are not just statistics. They are the lived experience of our children, our siblings, our friends, our neighbors. 

When I struggle to put the experience of loneliness into words, I go back to this video from L’Arche Greater Washington, DC.  It’s such a vivid depiction of the experience of loneliness. 

This is why the theme of this year’s World Down Syndrome Day matters so much. It is a call for us not only to include people with Down syndrome in our spaces, but to truly see them, know them, and walk alongside them as genuine friends and community members.

Creating pathways

Last year, I wrote a grant through the Presbytery of Baltimore that became something I’m so excited about, a program called Inclusion Pathways. I have spent the last year working with a group to launch this initiative that fosters authentic connections.

This work is built on the belief that inclusion is not about proximity. It is about belonging. It is the difference between being in the room and being known by those in the room.

Inclusion Pathways creates space for exactly that. This is a space for young people to learn about communication and connection in authentic, unscripted ways. 

What together against loneliness asks of us

Although this is great progress, one program will not solve the problem of loneliness. It takes all of us—intentionally, consistently—choosing to show up and build communities where everyone truly belongs. I’ve witnessed what happens when people are genuinely included and what’s lost when they’re not. That’s what keeps me committed to this work.

So today, I invite you to reflect: Who in your community might be on the edges of belonging? What would it take to pull them closer?

Are you carrying worry about loneliness?

If you are reading this, and relate to that quiet, tucked-away fear about loneliness, I see you. Your fear is real, and it is rooted in love.

Here’s what I have learned. You do not have to wait for the world to be ready and it’s probably not going to show up with a solution. You can be a part of building a welcoming community. It can be fostered one relationship, one program, one conversation at a time.

Happy World Down Syndrome Day. 

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Inclusion Pathways is supported by the Presbytery of Baltimore’s Community Engagement Grant. The program is hosted by First Presbyterian Church of Westminster, Maryland and is secular, welcoming participants of all faiths, spiritual traditions, and those who do not identify with any religious belief system.

If you’d like to learn more about the program, contact me.