2025 Champions of Change Nomination Form

Thank you for your interest in nominating your peers to be recognized as 2025 Champions of Change! The National Down Syndrome Society is proud to bestow Champion of Change awards to individuals and organizations who advocate for the Down syndrome community in their local communities and at all levels of government. Awardees are nominated by peers and honored at the annual Down Syndrome Advocacy Conference in Washington, DC.

Nominations will close at 5 PM ET on Friday, January 31st, 2025. Recipients will be honored during the luncheon on April 29th, 2025 at our Down Syndrome Advocacy Conference. For more information on the conference, please see our webpage.

This form is confidential, and nominations will not be shared with any unauthorized party without permission. You may choose to nominate multiple people or organizations for each category; however, you will need to fill out a separate form for each nomination. Additionally, you do not need to nominate a person or organization for every category and may leave portions of this form blank if necessary.

If you have any questions about the 2025 Champions of Change awards or need support in accessing this document, please contact policy@ndss.org.
Nominator Information
1.What is your name?(Required.)
2.What is your email?(Required.)
3.What is your phone number?(Required.)
4.Do we have permission to contact you if we have further questions about your nomination?(Required.)
Nominations
Stephen Beck Jr. Advocate of the Year Award
The Stephen Beck Jr. Advocate of the Year award is given to an advocate who has gone above and beyond in their commitment to advocating for the Down syndrome community. The award is named for the late Stephen Beck Jr., past Vice Chairman of the NDSS Board of Directors, the namesake and lead advocate of the 2014 ABLE authorizing legislation, and most importantly, father of self-advocate Natalie Beck.
5.Nominee name
6.Nominee email
7.Nominee phone number
8.Why are you nominating this individual for this award?
Individual Leader of the Year Award
The Individual Leader of the Year award is given to a leader of a local Down syndrome organization who goes above and beyond to benefit and better serve the Down syndrome community in their local area.
9.Nominee name
10.Nominee email
11.Nominee phone number
12.Why are you nominating this individual for this award?
DS-Ambassador of the Year Award
The DS-Ambassador program is NDSS’s volunteer grassroots advocacy program where participants take part in the democratic process by serving as connections between NDSS and their congressional delegations, state and local officials, and community leaders. The DS-Ambassador of the Year award is given to a member of the program who is committed to the goals of the program and has created change in their local community and at all levels of government.
13.Nominee name
14.Nominee email
15.Nominee phone number
16.Why are you nominating this individual for this award?
Self-Advocate of the Year Award
The Self-Advocate of the Year award is given to an individual with Down syndrome who has used their voice to make an impact in their local community and at all levels of government.
17.Nominee name
18.Nominee email
19.Nominee phone number
20.Why are you nominating this individual for this award?
Organization of the Year Award
The Organization of the Year award is given to an organization that does not exist solely to benefit individuals with Down syndrome or other disabilities but has chosen to support our community through a variety of efforts.
21.Nominee name
22.Nominee email
23.Nominee phone number
24.Why are you nominating this organization for this award?
Current Progress,
0 of 24 answered