Hi and welcome to the Down Right Capable podcast, I’m so happy that you are here with us today and in today’s episode I wanted to take a moment to introduce you to myself. Hi, my name is Marla Murasko and when people ask me to share a little about who I am, I share that: I am an Award-Winning Down Syndrome Advocate, Speaker, a Co-Host to this podcast show, an Author of two books and the job that I am MOST proud of is that of a Mom to a teenage boy, who just so happens to have Down syndrome.

I have a passion for advocacy, especially for individuals with Down Syndrome. I see firsthand the challenges that individuals with Down Syndrome experience on a daily basis, and know personally the barriers that parents face when advocating for the rights of their child.

I am dedicated to spreading awareness for inclusion and understanding for individuals with Down syndrome. And I also love to empower Moms to find their advocacy voice!

As a recognized speaker I have spoken on several different stages, but my proudest moment was when I had the privilege of speaking on the global stage at the United Nations in New York for World Down Syndrome Day in 2017.

My life’s mission is to help make the world a more accepting place for my son and for all individuals with Down syndrome. I am proud to say that my family launched our nonprofit called “Special & Determined”, where our mission is to 𝗽𝗿𝗼𝘃𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝘀𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗼𝗿𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗮𝗺𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗹𝗱𝗿𝗲𝗻 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻 𝘀𝘆𝗻𝗱𝗿𝗼𝗺𝗲 for therapeutic services so that they can reach their fullest potential.

So when asked what is it that I do? I share that this:

I am passionate about educating society on the acceptance and inclusion for individuals with Down Syndrome. So people see their “capabilities“, not their disabilities.

So how do I do this:

Well I speak at nonprofit events, schools, community events, I co-host this awesome podcast Down Right Capable with my co-host Brian Herndon, I am also a member of the National Down Syndrome Society Inclusive Education Task Force and an NDSS DS-Ambassador, attending advocacy events and I am also the Vice-President, of our nonprofit Special & Determined.

So I think you can see that I do have a big passion for advocacy and I hope that you enjoy this podcast show and we'll see you on the next show when Brian is going to take some time to introduce you to himself and what he does.

Thanks again for listening and I can’t wait to see you on the next show.