Patricia Almeida is a civil servant in the Brazilian Ministry of External Relations and advocate for the rights of people with disabilities. When her third daughter, Amanda, was born with Down Syndrome in 2004, Patricia found it extremely difficult to find the needed information. Given her previous background as a journalist, she made it her quest to make available in Brazil every worthwhile piece of information about Down syndrome she came across around the world. Patricia became the moderator of one of the largest internet groups on Down syndrome, with more than 1,700 members and founded two regional parental groups.
In order to work more directly with disability issues, Patricia requested a transfer to the Brazilian Secretariat for Human Rights, where she became familiar with local legislation and public services.
Concerned about the invisibility of persons with disabilities in the mainstream media, she founded a news agency, Inclusive - Inclusion and Citizenship. As head of Inclusive, Patricia was active in the internal discussions that led to the ratification of the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities by the Brazilian Congress in 2008. Inclusive was instrumental to get the treaty approved with constitutional status and received two important national awards in 2010.
When posted in New York, Patricia coordinated the civil society’s efforts that led to the adoption of World Down Syndrome Day by the UN in 2011.
Currently Patricia Almeida is the Director of Communications of the Brazilian Federation of Down Syndrome Associations, Strategic Coordinator of Instituto MetaSocial, an NGO that works with the media to promote the inclusion of persons with disabilities, responsible for the campaign “It’s Normal to be Different” www.metasocial.org.br . She is also the Honorary President of Down Syndrome Association DFDown, in Brasilia.
