Happy World Down Syndrome Day!

Today’s video was created by Down Syndrome dad Jamie McCallum. It’s a joyous compilation of 50 families with Down Syndrome children signing the words to A Thousand Years by Christina Perry. Entitled “50 Mums | 50 Kids | 1 Extra Chromosome,” it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve seen in a long time (and that’s saying something).

The video was posted by Wouldn’t Change a Thing, a UK organization dedicated to making negative perceptions of people with Down Syndrome a thing of the past.

The song is performed with a combination of spoken (sung) and signed words is known as Makaton, which is designed to help hearing people with learning or communication difficulties using signs and symbols alongside speech.

You can follow Wouldn’t Change a Thing on their website, and you can learn more on the Makaton website and on the Singing Hands – UK YouTube channel.

And in case you’re as intrigued by Makaton as I am, here’s a brief explanation of how it works.