Born with Down syndrome, David Egan is an eager advocate for people with intellectual disabilities and a leader at the local, national, and international level.
David has always dreamed big. When he was eight years old, he started out as a Special Olympics swimmer and dreamed about winning competitive races. In his adolescent years, his dreams grew beyond sports. He aspired to have a job and find ways to change attitudes towards people with intellectual disabilities. David achieved his dreams and along the way inspired others to live theirs. He has had a competitive job for over two decades, starting in a clerk position at Booz Allen Hamilton and transitioning to a career of advocacy. He is currently working as a Community Relations Coordinator at SourceAmerica near his home in Vienna, Virginia. The author of “More Alike Than Different: My Life With Down Syndrome,” he inspires his readers to see our shared humanity and possibilities rather than limitations. He focuses on the power of inclusion in his life.
David loves sports and competes in Special Olympics soccer, basketball, softball, and swimming. In addition to winning many medals, he began his community outreach in 1999 when he volunteered at the Special Olympics World Games in Raleigh, North Carolina, after which he volunteered in 2011 in Athens, Greece, and in 2019 in Abu Dhabi, Dubai. In 2000, he was elected to represent the State of Virginia at the first Global Athlete Congress in the Netherlands, and in 2010 he held the same role at the Global Athlete Congress in Morocco. David also served as a Special Olympics Sargent Shriver International Global Messenger class of 2014-2018 where he spoke to audiences and various media outlets to help spread the message of inclusion and dignity. As an International Global Messenger, David cheered on the crowds at the Opening Ceremony for the 2015 World Summer Games in Los Angeles, as well as the World Winter Games in Austria in 2017.
In 2015, he was selected as the first person with an intellectual disability to serve as a Joseph P. Kennedy Jr. Public Policy Fellow. As a Fellow, David worked for the Ways and Means Social Security subcommittee on Capitol Hill and with the National Down Syndrome Society. He testified about employment at the Senate HELP Committee, spoke about Human Rights at the United Nations, and briefed the NIH/National Advisory Child Health & Human Development Advisory Council. He is an active participant in research since early childhood, and now represents self-advocates with the National Institutes of Health Down Syndrome Consortium. David serves on several boards to promote abilities and collaboration among various advocacy groups.
He is the oldest of four siblings, uncle of three, and a fan of Star Trek and science fiction.
David is passionate about GLOBAL’s mission of improving the lives of individuals with Down syndrome through Research, Medical Care, Education, and Advocacy. He has been a speaker at many GLOBAL events, conferences, and webinars. He also serves on the annual AcceptAbility Gala committee to help promote the event and GLOBAL’s advocacy efforts in Washington, DC.
GLOBAL is honored to announce David Egan as a 2022 Quincy Jones Exceptional Advocacy Awardee!
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