WT Argentina Develops AI Tool to Recognise Those Living with Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome was first recognised at the beginning of the 5th century, but in 2022, the number of people living with Down Syndrome in Argentina is still unknown. Without this data, the State is unable to take measures that recognise this community, or create public policies that guarantee their rights, as required by the International Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Down Syndrome Association of the Argentine Republic (ASDRA), and Wunderman Thompson present ‘Numbers Syndrome’, the first dynamic database of people with Down Syndrome that shows the reality of the population. Using AI, the tool transforms data it has collected since December 2021 into a catalyst for change by recognising, comparing, and generating statistics in real time to push organisations to take action.

People are invited to become activists for the cause by sharing the data through social media to lobby the INDEC* by asking them to add a question to the list of questions on the 2022 Census: ‘Do any of the individuals in this household have Down Syndrome?’.

"We launched this campaign with the support of organisations from all over Argentina to showcase the how people with Down Syndrome are invisible when it comes to State numbers. That's why we're demanding something as simple as adding a single question to the 2022 Census to create statistics that recognise people with Down Syndrome, to become the first country in the world to have official data regarding this population,” said the President of ASDRA, Alejandro Cytrynbaum.

"All over the world, there is no official data about people with Down Syndrome, and without these numbers, no action can be taken. That’s why combined creativity and technology to create a tool that generates demand to change the reality of the situation and challenge a global system that needs to evolve,” explained Natalia Benincasa, CCO at Wunderman Thompson Argentina.