Vienna Resident With Down Syndrome Receiving Prestigious Advocacy Award

VIENNA, VA — Vienna resident David Egan will add to his accomplishments as an advocate for people with Down syndrome by receiving the prestigious Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award.

See David Egan's speech here.

The award will be given during the Global Down Syndrome Foundation's Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show Saturday in Denver. The Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Award was named for American record producer Quincy Jones when he became the Global Down Syndrome Foundation's first international spokesperson. The award honors those who have spotlighted the contributions of people with Down syndrome as well as self-advocates who are role models, according to the foundation's website.

The award has been given to actors, politicians, self-advocates and others. Egan, who has Down syndrome, will be given the 2022 award along with actor Eric Dane.

"I’ve always had big dreams not only for myself, but for all people with Down syndrome," said Egan in an email to Patch. "Receiving the Quincy Jones Award acknowledges my hard work as a self-advocate on behalf of Global [Down Syndrome Foundation] and our community. I know it is making an impact and I am so grateful to Global for recognizing me with this award.

The Be Beautiful Be Yourself Fashion Show will feature 22 models walking down the runway with celebrities. Egan will also participate in the fashion show, walking down the runway with actress Sheree J. Wilson. Global Down Syndrome Foundation's event is the largest fundraiser for Down syndrome, drawing over 1,400 guests from around the world and raising $24 million since 2008.

Egan first became involved with the Global Down Syndrome Foundation through participation in basic and clinical research with the National Institutes of Health. Egan believes in the mission of the foundation: working to better the lives of people with Down syndrome through research, medical care, education and advocacy. He serves on the event committee for the foundation's annual AcceptAbility Gala in DC.

Egan has played a role in research since his early years, when his family volunteered to help geneticists, medical and health professionals' research in Madison, Wisconsin. Today, Egan continues to participate in research through NIH Include clinical trials seeking to improve the health outcomes of people with Down syndrome.

"People with Down syndrome have a different genetic makeup that can protect us from certain medical conditions such as solid tumors, for example, but alternatively makes us more receptive to other conditions such as early onset Alzheimers," said Egan. "So, if we can find out why we are protected from cancer — that research could help millions of typical people and people with Down syndrome alike."

Egan has also been a self-advocate representative at Down Syndrome NIH Consortium's roundtables and has spoken to researchers at NIH's National Advisory Child Health and Human Development Advisory Council and at scientific conferences.

Egan's accomplishments haven't been limited to helping further research on Down syndrome. He got involved in Special Olympics swimming as he grew up and became a Special Olympics International Global Messenger.

In 2015, he became the first person with an intellectual disability chosen as the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Public Policy Fellow. In that role, he worked on the Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee in Congress and with the National Down Syndrome Society. He has also testified to the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions and spoke about human rights at the United Nations.

One of his recent accomplishments was the publication of his memoir "More Alike Than Different: My Life with Down Syndrome" with his mother, Kathleen Egan. Published in September 2020, the book details his accomplishments and becoming an advocate for people with disabilities, sharing a message to dream big and focus on people's abilities. The book has been donated to Special Olympics, members of the Down syndrome community and members of Congress.

Egan has also found success in the workplace over 25 years. His professional experience started with a high school internship at Booz Allen Hamilton, which led to a clerk position. He continued work at CBRE when Booz Allen Hamilton outsourced the position, and he later served in the Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Public Policy Fellowship on Capitol Hill. He is now a community relations coordinator at SourceAmerica.

Egan believes employers can help employees with disabilities thrive in the workplace through feedback and communication with employees and their caregivers.

"My advice to employers is to discover the ability of the employee, match the task, make sure that the supervisor and mentor take the time to know the person first and not focus on the disability," he said. "We should focus on the ability first and foster the skills that the individual has."

After the Global Down Syndrome Foundation's fundraiser, Egan will continue his advocacy and research work. Egan will speak to a high school in Sterling for December Disability Awareness Week, continue work with NIH, and will attend the Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action conference in March as a board member and speaker. In April, he will return to Capitol Hill to speak about public policy and advocacy with the Down syndrome community.

Egan hopes others will reach out about advocacy through his website davideganadvocacy.com and read his book.