Blog#254~Down Syndrome Awareness Month:Supporting Down Syndrome Businesses

Blog #254~Down Syndrome Awareness Month: Supporting Down Syndrome Businesses

Individuals with disabilities often struggle to find meaningful and competitive employment opportunities as adults. Many families think outside the box to create business opportunities for their loved one with Down syndrome. This week, I want to celebrate Down Syndrome Awareness Month by highlighting some of these business owners. As a mom to my son Nick age 29, who has a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism (DS-ASD), I am a fierce advocate for indidviduals with disabilities. These are a few of my favorites that I have supported over the years.

Down Syndrome Business Guide:

*Bitty and Beau’s Coffee: It’s more than a cup of coffee. 25 Locations across the country https://www.bittyandbeauscoffee.com/

*Candidly Kind: Grace’s mission is to to spread light love and acceptance thru her original art and life including t-shirts and lots of swag gear. https://www.candidlykind.com/ Here’s a photo I took with Grace at the NDSC convention and along with my son, Nick modeling one of her designs:

*John’s Crazy Socks: “Their mission is to show what is possible when you give someone a chance”. Every day, we demonstrate what people with intellectual disabilities can do.” https://johnscrazysocks.com/

*Gracie’s Doggie Delights: Premium dog treats with no additives, chemicals or preservatives. https://graciesdoggiedelights.com/

*Seanese: Unique tees designed by Sean McElwee from A&E’s Born this Way https://seanese.com/

*River Bend Gallery: Geoffrey Mikol is a professional artist who does beautiful photography. https://www.riverbendgalleries.com/

*Troy Made It: “Troy is a potter who is turning mud into magic.” Follow on Instagram and shopt here- https://www.etsy.com/shop/troymadeit

*Brittnay’s Baskets of Hope: “As part of our mission, we make and deliver baskets to celebrate the arrival of babies with Down syndrome that feature information and guidance for the parents and gifts of love and joy for the babies and their siblings”. https://www.brittanysbasketsofhope.org/ Follow her on social media to see all the beautiful babies that she highlights daily.

*Special Sparkle: Kelly creates beautiful hand made jewelry. https://specialsparkle.com/

21 Pineapples Shirt Company: Nate is on a mission “To change the way others perceive people with Down syndrome & other special abilities one Hawaiian shirt at a time”. https://21pineapples.com/

Bravo to these young entreprenuers who have created businesses with their passion and talents. Many of these business owners give a portion of their proceeds to help others. Thank you for taking a look at these enterprises that would make great gifts for the holidays. Please feel free to share and follow each on social media.

That’s what is in my noggin this week.

~Teresa 🙂

Follow Nick and navigating DS-ASD on Facebook and Instagram at Down Syndrome with a Slice of Autism