01.03.17
Moi Aussi, founded in February 2017, is focused on raising awareness of Down Syndrome, with the objective of building acceptance and inclusion in the general population.
With the endorsement of ART 21 (Association Romande Trisomie 21), the official Swiss Romande organization that supports individuals with Down Syndrome and their families, Moi Aussi will be launching a public photo exhibition at Place de la Louve, Lausanne on the 19th of March, finishing on the 28th of April. The exhibition comprises 21 photographs of 21 people with Down Syndrome, all living in Switzerland, ranging in age from 6 months to 31 years of age. The photographs illustrate how people with Down Syndrome enjoy their lives in much the same way as the rest of us do.
The inspiration of the exhibition comes from Ireland where a similar exhibition called “Here I am” was launched in 2015. The exhibition and subsequent book did much to raise awareness, discussion and understanding in Ireland and it is hoped a similar result can be achieved in Lausanne and in Switzerland more broadly. When the exhibition leaves Lausanne, it will tour multiple locations around Switzerland, lasting approximately one year.
Moi Aussi is the simplest way of expressing inclusion, the key objective of the Moi Aussi organisation. Like many children, the founders daughter Emer demanded to be included from a very early age. The aspiration it that like everyone else, people with Down Syndrome will less frequently have to demand inclusion as the society in which they live becomes proactively inclusive and offers access to all of life’s opportunities
Moi Aussi was founded by Laura Mulcahy, who is originally from Ireland and has lived in Lausanne since 2005. Moi Aussi will be funded by donations from corporations and the public.