The National Down Syndrome Society was thrilled to support Coordown in its 2025 World Down Syndrome Day video, "NO DECISION WITHOUT US". Read on to learn more about this campaign.
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MARCH 21, 2025 - World Down Syndrome Day
“NO DECISION WITHOUT US”
People with disabilities want to be where decisions are made
For World Down Syndrome Day 2025, CoorDown presents NO DECISION WITHOUT US, the international awareness campaign created in collaboration with the New York-based agency SMALL.
An engaging musical featuring Caterina Scorsone, the beloved star of “Grey’s Anatomy” and mother of a daughter with Down syndrome. For the first time in a CoorDown campaign among the protagonists also actors with different disabilities.
For World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, 2025, CoorDown is launching the international awareness campaign "NO DECISION WITHOUT US” to demand the presence of people with disabilities at the tables where decisions are made, whether regarding personal autonomy or a social and civic role.
Inclusion will never be possible if the decisions that shape the world are made only by a few, for a few. It is not just a matter of providing specific opportunities to include, but about changing the way we all live together: people with disabilities want to be where decisions are made and where the world is designed. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), at least one billion people, 15 percent of the global population, live with a disability. But where are these people when the world they live in takes shape? They are not the protagonists; the rooms where decisions are made remain closed and there is a risk that they are becoming increasingly inaccessible. This applies to all people with disabilities.
Two years ago, the film “Ridiculous Excuses Not To Be Inclusive” began with these words: “In a world increasingly attentive to inclusivity, only one trick remains to avoid it: invent ridiculous excuses.” Today, we see steps backward on the issue of inclusion. While the hard-won rights and achievements of people with disabilities at work, school, in sports, and society are being challenged and erased by decrees, CoorDown and associations around the world, along with all people with disabilities, not only want to resist but want to take a hundred steps forward. They do not just want to be part of the world but want to be among those who make decisions about the world they inhabit.
The "NO DECISION WITHOUT US" film was born out of a commitment to the importance of including people with Down syndrome, and disabilities in general, in decision-making processes. A captivating, original song NO DECISION WITHOUT US, brings people with various disabilities, in a range of settings, together to assert their rightful place in society. They are united by their demand to be part of the conversations that shape their lives—from the clothes they wear, to how they live, from school to work, and how the spaces around them are designed—because what is right for some is not always right for all.
At the start of the film, we are transported to Sophia’s bedroom, a girl with Down syndrome. Sophia's parents are deciding which dress their daughter should wear to a wedding, without asking her opinion. Sofia is not involved in the decision-making process. Suddenly, Sophia bursts into the room, demanding to have a say in this decision. A wheelchair user wants to be at the table where a new train station is being approved. A little person wants to be involved in designing their workspace. A deaf student reacts with sarcasm when the school principal tells everyone to flee at the sound of the fire alarm. A blind person at an airport highlights how a touchscreen information point is useless if you cannot see it. Finally, a person with a motor disability and a person with an intellectual disability ask a politician in Parliament to be at the table where laws are written.
From today until March 21, @CoorDown's social media channels – from TikTok to Instagram and Facebook – will be sharing and amplifying the stories of people with disabilities and their families, highlighting the decisions they were excluded from, under the rallying cry: "I want to be in the room where decisions are made. No decision about us, without us."
"NO DECISION WITHOUT US” is available on the Youtube channel and all social platforms of CoorDown and partners. An international professional cast has been chosen for the film, featuring Mia Noelle Rodriguez, the young actress and singer with Down syndrome of 16 years old, along with Caterina Scorsone, the beloved "Grey’s Anatomy" actor and global star, mom of a daughter with Down syndrome, and spokesperson for the Global Down Syndrome Foundation. With their actors, actresses and performers with disabilities who in addition to acting have performed the original song of the film: Blake Stadnik, Jahmai Davis, Annika Nadine Hutsler, Ali Chapman, Danny Gomez, Cole Sibus, Domonique Brown. The campaign was created in collaboration with the New York agency SMALL and produced by Indiana Production, directed by Rich Lee, with cinematography by Christopher Probst. The music was composed and performed by Stabbiolo Music.
This international campaign was born in Italy with CoorDown and is supported by the Down's Syndrome Association UK — which has been alongside the Italian NGO in this annual communication project since 2014 — and includes contributions from various international associations that strengthen its global impact: Down Syndrome Australia, National Down Syndrome Society, Canadian Down Syndrome Society, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, Together Academy, New Zealand Down Syndrome Association, Down Syndrome International and With Not For.
With this campaign, Fondazione Cariplo joins forces with CoorDown and launches a €20 million disability intervention programme, which aims to guarantee the life project of people with disabilities. Since 2000, Fondazione Cariplo has paid great attention to issues related to disability, from housing and work inclusion, to legal protection and social inclusion.
The campaign also received support from Fondazione Compagnia di San Paolo, ABMauri Italy Spa Società Benefit, and Eco Demolizioni.
This year’s campaign also features some of the cast wearing pieces from fashion retailer Primark’s innovative adaptive clothing range. Developed with award-winning adaptive fashion designer Victoria Jenkins, the collection is designed to be inclusive, with a focus on universal design to make dressing easier for people with a range of disabilities. It includes features like magnetic zippers, snap fastenings, waist loops, and hidden openings for tube, stoma, or catheter access, alongside a specialist seated collection created to be comfortable and practical for wheelchair users.
An audio description version of the video and a descriptive transcript was created by the media accessibility company Scribely.
Official campaign hashtags: #NoDecisionWithoutUs #WorldDownSyndromeDay #WDSD25.
CoorDown President Martina Fuga states: «We all know the weight of having decisions made by others, without being able to express our voice. The fact is that people with disabilities experience this frustration every day. They face it in their private lives, at school, at work, in the spaces they inhabit, when they travel, and in social life. After years of slow but significant progress toward a more inclusive world, today we are facing a worrying setback. With this campaign, we join our voice with all people with disabilities, launching a call to action that transcends every division and barrier. Only by standing united and firmly demanding a place at the decision-making table can we confront this historical moment that seems intent on relegating people with disabilities to silence and invisibility.»
Caterina Scorsone, actor, activist and disability advocate states: «I wanted to work with this incredible team of performers, choreographers and filmmakers because at this moment in history we are being called to speak up in a way that is critically important. We are being called to examine who in our global community is invited to participate in decisions that form the very structure of our society. People with disabilities have fought tirelessly to have their voices heard in the rooms where decisions are made. They have done some of the heaviest lifting in the struggle for equity and equality for all. The many struggles and triumphs in the fight for disability rights illuminates the uncomfortable but important fact that consent is only possible when access to the mechanisms and arenas of decision making is possible. Real inclusion requires consent and consent is at the heart of the values that underpin democracy itself. Consent, inclusion and access are not solely for the few people that meet the criteria and metrics of an increasingly exclusive wealthy minority. In a democracy, decision making power is for everyone».
Luca Lorenzini and Luca Pannese, Executive Creative Directors, SMALL New York: «This year we chose to adopt a new language: the musical. This type of execution allowed us to convey an important message in an engaging way, thanks to the power of music. The casting process was exciting, especially because we had the opportunity to shoot in Los Angeles, a city unique in the world for the talent it offers. It was thrilling to select the various characters, each with extraordinary vocal abilities, and we are very pleased with the final result. A special thanks also goes to Rich Lee, a director with whom we have already collaborated twice for CoorDown and who always brings a truly unique creative vision to the set.»
Karim Bartoletti, Partner/MD/Executive Producer, Indiana Production: «The CoorDown Projects are the testament of how a well oiled team can continuously better itself, they are the proof that great insightful creativity can attract amazing talent, and demonstrate that, no matter how challenging the executional obstacles may be, there can be an incredible heartfelt interest to be part of a project in which everybody involved brings something important to the table. Every year we have a new insight and a new creative challenge to produce and this year’s challenge was no easy task: a musical style content with such an important core premise — in a moment in which DEI is going through some very sad backlash — that it could expand from Down Syndrome to any other disability. We decided to build the project in Los Angeles, with Rich Lee - at his third CoorDown campaign - at the helm. Shooting in LA not only gave us the opportunity to have the best talent, to surround ourselves with the best professionals, but it also allowed us to shoot the project at Synapse, one of the best virtual production stages in the US, which allowed the content to be shot in as many ‘locations’ as possible without ever moving from Los Angeles Center Studios. We made what was pretty complicated look easy but, like every year, we know that it is all about the talent and the love that every single cast and team member brings to the project and this personally moves me every time.”
World Down Syndrome Day is an international event—officially established by a United Nations resolution—created to spread greater awareness and knowledge about Down syndrome, to create a new culture of diversity, and to promote respect and inclusion in society for all people with Down syndrome. The choice of the date 3/21 is not accidental: Down syndrome, also known as Trisomy 21, is characterized by the presence of an extra chromosome—three instead of two—in the 21st chromosomal pair within the cells.
CoorDown ODV - The Coordination of Associations of People with Down Syndrome was founded in 1987 and formally established in 2005 to promote shared communication actions among the various Italian organizations engaged in protecting and promoting the rights of people with Down syndrome. It is now the official body for dialogue with all institutions. Every second Sunday of October, CoorDown promotes the National Day of People with Down Syndrome and, on March 21 each year, World Down Syndrome Day, through the production of international communication campaigns that have received global recognition: over 30 Cannes Lions, more than 5 Grand Prix for Good (from Cresta Awards, Eurobest, ADCE, and others), numerous Act Responsibly Awards, and over 70 international awards—culminating in the prestigious United Nations SDG Action Award in 2024.
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Agency: SMALL
Executive Creative Directors: Luca Pannese, Luca Lorenzini
Creative Director: Silvia Messa
Managing Director: Alberto Scorticati
Account Manager: Chiara Guadagnini
Production Company: Indiana Production
Director: Rich Lee
DP: Christopher Probst, ASC
Director of RealTime creative: Louise Baker Lee
Executive Producer: Karim Bartoletti
Senior Producer: Silvia Bergamaschi
Assistant Producer: Luca Bettinetti
Virtual Production: Synapse
Executive Producer Synapse: Justin Diener
Executive Producer Synapse: Alisa Chieves
Producer Synapse: Lisa Arianna
Production Supervisor Synapse: Elisabeth Makitalo
1st AD: Andrew Coffing
Production Designer: Brianna Gonzalez
Wardrobe/Stylist: Boyd Sloan
Make-Up / Hair: Maxi Kaligh
Choreography: Fatima Robinson, Adrian Wiltshire
Colorist: Danilo Vittori
Editor: Luca Angeleri
Original Song: Alessandro Cristofori and Diego Perugini for Stabbiolo Music
Musicians: Gianluca Meconcelli, Guido Pietrella, Chiara Giorgi, Massimiliano Santella, Alessandro Paolucci, Maurizio Cenni.
Mastering Engineer: Tommy Bianchi
Audio Post-Production: Andrea Pestarino - Bravagente
Video Post-Production: 22 Dogs
Vfx Supervisor: Massimiliano Pareschi
Executive Producer: Antonella Galassi
Senior Vfx Producer: Federica Sbattini
Junior Vfx Producer: Barbara De Rossi
Flame artist: Francesco Bianco
Flame artist: Cristina Ferrari
Recording Studios: Stabbiolo Recording Studio (Italy) - Reel to Reel Haven (New York) - Republic Records (LA)
Sound Engineers: Ignazio Morviducci, Milan Beker, Mark Harder
Audio Description: Scribely
Descriptive Transcript: Scribely
Backstage: Aaron Mendez
Photographer: Edward Aninaru
Consultants: Chiara Bucello, Tanisha Dayal, Shani Dhanda, Emma Gardner, Kelly Gordon, Abi James-Miller, Catia Malaquias, Queade Norah, Priya Rekhi-Smith, Charlie Randell, Misty Coy Snyder, Natalie South-Law.
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Press office CoorDown ODV
Paola Amicucci
ufficiostampa@coordown.it
Tel. +39 345.7549218
www.coordown.it