Every year on March 21, people all around the world come together to celebrate World Down Syndrome Day by wearing brightly colored, mismatched socks. March 21 is symbolic because people with Down syndrome have 3 copies of their 21st chromosome. Socks were chosen because the karyotype of Ds chromosomes actually looks like mismatched socks!
What It Is and How it Works
On March 21, 2025, the Down Syndrome Association of Delaware will be joining other schools, businesses, and organizations around the world in celebrating World Down Syndrome Day.
Together we will create a single global voice advocating for the rights, inclusion, and well-being of people with Down syndrome in our schools, community, and around the world. 3/21, World Down Syndrome Day, was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which is Down syndrome.
The Down Syndrome Association of Delaware started the Rock Your Socks program in 2014 and now distributes over 100,000 pairs of socks every year!
Please email jess@dsadelaware.org to be placed on our Interest List for Rock Your Socks 2025!
How to Spread the Word
If you work with students within an educational or learning setting, view our Disability Awareness Toolkit. This toolkit includes videos, age-specific lesson plans, and other resources to promote disability awareness within your classroom. One of our moms has also created lesson plans, available for purchase, which we highly recommend.
We have a Rock Your Socks poster available in both English and Spanish to help spread the word about World Down Syndrome Day and Rock Your Socks.
Rock Your Socks T-Shirts
We also have Rock Your Socks apparel available for purchase! We have various styles and colors available in both youth and adult sizes. Orders will ship directly to you!
Frequently Asked Questions
- What size are the socks? We have two sizes available- youth and adult. Adult socks fit most teens/adults as well as older children and youth socks we recommend for any children around age 5. Youth socks are not for toddlers or babies.
- What if we are unsure about how many socks to order? Keep in mind you can always ask us for more socks if you sell out. You may return any unsold socks back to us as long as they do not exceed 10% of your order. For example, if you order 100 socks, you can return 10 but would owe payment for 90 pairs. Please be cognizant of this when ordering.
- Why are there different price points? We remain committed to keeping the $2/pair price for our schools and local non-profits. Many local businesses wanted us to make the minimum donation $5/pair as they are selling to the public and had no problem with people supporting at the higher price point.
- Why socks for Down syndrome? Socks sort of resemble a chromosome and people with Down syndrome have an extra chromosome.
- Is this a fundraiser for the DSA of DE? The purpose of Rock Your Socks is to raise awareness for Down syndrome. This program happens to be a fundraiser for our organization and helps fund programs and outreach which supports our mission.
- Is Delaware the only state that has a Rock Your Socks program? There are several other Down syndrome organizations who run the Rock Your Socks program now. However, Delaware started the program in 2014! The first state! The first year we sold 2,000 pairs of socks- it has really grown!