The Down Syndrome Society in Slovakia was founded as a civic initiative in 1993 and acts as an umbrella organization for families, volunteers, and supporters of people with Down syndrome. 

The mission of our association is to help people with DS integrate into society, supporting their education, employment, and leisure time activities. Through our work, we strive to ensure that people with DS are accepted by society in all areas, allowing individuals with DS and their families to live the ordinary life of a regular family, free from the human and bureaucratic barriers that are still all too common in our lives today.

The activities of the SDS are managed and run by a team of volunteers, without any right to a salary or other form of financial reward. Our only reward is the good feeling that comes from the positive feedback on our work from you—our members, and often non-members as well.

The financial resources we obtain from membership fees, the 2% tax allocation, projects submitted to various foundations and ministries targeted at specific activities, as well as support from voluntary donors and sponsors, are primarily directed toward the activities we organize for our members. These typically include publishing the Slnečnica (Sunflower) magazine, organizing summer and winter stays for families with children with DS, organizing a summer camp for youth with DS, and organizing swimming competitions for youth with disabilities. In addition, our regular activities are enriched depending on whether and which project is approved for us by a given organization.

Since the SDS is not a charitable organization and does not have the status of a foundation, we cannot fulfill requests for direct financial assistance from individuals. However, we can help individuals in other ways, namely through the Slnečnica magazine, our website, or our Facebook profile. Based on our experience, simply sharing a request for specific help through our channels provides an opportunity to reach a larger audience and obtain the necessary support. Last but not least, a major help for individuals in difficult situations is that, thanks to the SDS, the diagnosis of Down syndrome has been included in the list of beneficiaries of aid through the Dobrý anjel (Good Angel) organization.

We are members of several umbrella organizations: the Association of Organizations of Disabled Citizens, the Slovak Humanitarian Council, the European Down Syndrome Association, and the international organization for DS – Down Syndrome International, Special Olympics Slovakia, the Platform of Families of Children with Disabilities, and the Association for the Protection of Patients' Rights in the Slovak Republic. We cooperate with the Association for Help to People with Mental Disabilities, the Down-syndrom klub Snina, the UP-DOWN association Bratislava, Dedoles, SOFTIP a.s., and PROFESIA SK.

We are here with you and we are here for you.

SDS