The Down's Syndrome Association (DSA) is a British charity which describes itself as being the only organisation in the United Kingdom that focuses solely on all aspects of living successfully with Down's syndrome. The Association states its mission as being: to provide information and support for people with Down's syndrome, their families and carers, and the professionals who work with them; to strive to improve knowledge of the condition; and to champion the rights of people with Down's syndrome. The Association was founded in 1970 by Rex Brinkworth as a local group and now has 20,000 members and about 126 local groups. Its headquarters is at the Langdon Down Centre, formerly

Normansfield Hospital Normansfield Hospital is a Grade II* listed building in Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. It was built as a facility for patients with an intellectual disability and included a theatre. It now houses the national ...

, built as a private hospital by

John Langdon Down John Langdon Haydon Down (18 November 1828 – 7 October 1896) was a British physician best known for his description of the genetic condition now known as Down syndrome, which he originally classified in 1862. He is also noted for his work in ...

, the "Father of Down's Syndrome". The Langdon Down Centre includes the

Langdon Down Museum of Learning Disability Normansfield Hospital is a Grade II* listed building in Teddington in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, England. It was built as a facility for patients with an intellectual disability and included a theatre. It now houses the national ...

about the history of treating people with learning disabilities, and the

Normansfield Theatre The Normansfield Theatre is a Victorian era building in Teddington, England. The theatre is on the site of Normansfield Hospital, which was a self-sufficient Victorian hospital complex run by Dr. John Langdon Down. The hospital was where he c ...

. Former footballer Kevin Kilbane, whose elder daughter has Down's Syndrome, is a patron of the charity.

References

External links

* * 1970 establishments in the United Kingdom Charities based in London Down syndrome organizations Charities for disabled people based in the United Kingdom Organisations based in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames Support groups Organizations established in 1970 Teddington {{UK-charity-stub