About Us

Who are we?
We are a volunteer organization of parents and professionals committed to improving the quality of life, health, and well being of individuals who have Down syndrome. The Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh is comprised of a Board of Directors and a mailing membership of over 1,000. Our purpose is to educate the public through awareness projects and community events, inform parents and caregivers about developments in research and clinical practice and to promote acceptance in the community for people with Down syndrome.

Our mission at the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh (DSAP) is simple. We are here to provide support to families and individuals with Down syndrome through education and information. We also believe in supporting the best practice of medical care; which is the philosophy of individual attention and specialized clinical services throughout the lives of people with Down syndrome.

The Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh is a nonprofit, public charitable organization under 501(c)(3), committed to improving the quality of life, health, and well being of individuals who have Down syndrome. The Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh is registered with the Pennsylvania Department of State Bureau of Charitable Organizations. To receive a copy of the official registration and financial information, please call 800-732-0999 within Pennsylvania or visit www.dos.state.pa.us.

How we started.
In December 1973, at a meeting about services for the mentally retarded, a parent questioned why the public schools did not consider a child with Down syndrome as educable. This led to a discussion of educational advocacy for children with Down syndrome. From this meeting a core group of eight parents got together, and the Down Syndrome Group of Western Pennsylvania (DSG) was born. Our name was changed to the Down Syndrome Association of Pittsburgh in March of 2007.

As a policy, DSAP does not endorse any medical, therapeutic or special education alternatives. We are a primarily a volunteer organization that wishes to create an optimistic outlook about Down syndrome for our families and others. The purpose of this website is provide our members and the general community an educational background about and a source of information on issues related to Down syndrome.