{"id":305270,"date":"2024-01-18T08:45:26","date_gmt":"2024-01-18T14:45:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.liveaction.org\/news\/?p=305270"},"modified":"2024-01-17T13:53:16","modified_gmt":"2024-01-17T19:53:16","slug":"woman-spains-first-parliamentarian-down-syndrome","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.liveaction.org\/news\/woman-spains-first-parliamentarian-down-syndrome\/","title":{"rendered":"Woman becomes Spain’s first parliamentarian with Down syndrome"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Spain’s Mar Galcer\u00e1n\u00a0has become the first woman with Down syndrome to hold a position in the country’s regional parliament, taking office as a deputy for the Popular Party (PP) in the Valencian parliament last September.<\/p>\n

In recent interviews, Galcer\u00e1n said that she insists that she doesn’t want people to treat her any differently, saying, \u201cI want people to see me as a person, not just for my disability.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to News 24<\/a>, Galcer\u00e1n’s foray into politics isn’t new; she joined the PP at age 18 and has worked her way up the political ladder, advocating for the inclusion of people with intellectual disabilities along the way.<\/p>\n

\u201cSociety is starting to see that people with Down\u2019s syndrome have a lot to contribute, but it\u2019s a very long road,\u201d she told<\/a> the\u00a0El Pais\u00a0<\/em>newspaper. \u201cTrue inclusion must start at school at all stages, but if that does not happen, there will be no inclusion and no true integration,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n

Agust\u00edn Mat\u00eda Amor, of DOWN ESPA\u00d1A, says he believes Galcer\u00e1n is the first person with Down syndrome to join a regional or national parliament in Europe. \u201cWe haven\u2019t heard of anyone else,\u201d he said<\/a>. \u201cIt\u2019s a huge step forward and an example of real inclusion.\u201d<\/p>\n