In her acceptance speech as the Republican vice presidential nominee, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin promised families with special-needs kids that they would have a friend and an advocate in the White House. “I pledge to you that if we are elected, you will have a friend and advocate in the White House,” Palin said.

Palin’s fifth son Trig, who was born with the extra chromosome that causes Down syndrome joined Palin and her husband Todd on stage at the Republican National Convention last week. She held her baby boy in her arms before delivering the most memorable speech of her career.

Palin, 44, was the mayor of a small Alaska town before her election as governor in 2006 on a reformist agenda. Before her arrival on the national scene as Republican presidential candidate John McCain’s running mate, she already had done some steps to improve the life of children with special needs. In the budget she signed into law this year, Palin approved a dramatic raise in spending on “intensive needs” children. The new budged raised the yearly per-child spending on special needs children, which was $27,000 in 2006, to $49,000 per child. Other disability programs also received increases. She supported a legislative proposal to boost spending for students with special needs by some 175 percent in 2011.

Palin is a life-long member of the National Rifle Association, which advocates for the traditional gun rights that are guaranteed in the U.S. Constitution. Her policies on reproductive issues, including opposition to sex education in public schools have also been in the spotlight since Palin and her husband announced that one of their daughters, Bristol, 17, was pregnant and planning to marry the teenage father of the unborn child.

Families with children with Down syndrome say they often feel the social pressure when they decide to have a child with a disability. Parents of children with disabilities hope Palin’s personal example will convince more parents that they can handle the challenge of a child with special needs.

They want to show the world that children with Down syndrome can lead lives just like other children.

The National Down Syndrome Society estimates the Down syndrome community includes about 400,000 people nationally with the disease.

Down syndrome is one of the most common genetic birth defects, affecting roughly one in 800 births.

The condition named after John Langdon Down, the British doctor who described the syndrome in 1866 is described as a chromosomal disorder caused by the presence of all or part of an extra 21st chromosome. The condition can be identified during pregnancy or at birth. Individuals with Down syndrome tend to have a lower than average cognitive ability, ranging from mild to moderate learning disabilities. Many develop Alzheimer’s-like symptoms starting in their 30s, but medical advances have increased the life expectancy of individuals with Down syndrome.

Although some of the problems caused by the Down syndrome cannot be overcome, medical, educational and legislative advances may improve life for those born with Down syndrome.