Wednesday, 12 February 2014

People with Down syndrome in the media

These two stories from the Illawarra Mercury are illustrated with fabulous photos:
Wave FM host's beautiful blessing with Lulu 
Lisa Wachsmith, Illawarra Mercury, 7th February 2014
Wave FM breakfast host Jade Papesch is glad that her baby, Lulu, was not diagnosed with Down syndrome until she was eight weeks old."It's quite unusual that it's not picked up in utero or at birth," said Jade, who is on maternity leave."We didn't know for eight weeks, so we got to love Lulu for Lulu - the diagnosis didn't get in the way. I feel quite blessed by that."
Family's life-changing move to the Illawarra 
Lisa Wachsmith, Illawarra Mercury, 9th February 2014
When Julie Gartshore googled the best place to live with a child with Down syndrome - the Illawarra was the frontrunner. So Julie and husband Glen moved their brood - Natalie, 15; Taylah, 14 and Max, 10 - from Mount Isa to Woonona 12 months ago and they haven’t looked back since ... 
... as is this one from alt media:

Swimming for special needs
Michael Koziol, alt media, 6th February 2014
Matilda Thompson, 12, loves to swim, particularly at her favourite beach, Clovelly.
“I like to make some waves,” she says. Her favourite style is breaststroke. Matilda, who has Down syndrome, has taken swimming lessons at the Ian Thorpe Aquatic Centre for two years ...


The journalist's use of terms such as 'sufferer' are addressed in the comments  in response to this article about an episode of a popular  British TV series:
'Call the Midwife's' most controversial storyline yet as disabled boy and girl fall in love and have a baby
Emma Pryer, Daily Mirror (UK), 9th February 2014
... Sarah Gordy and Colin Young say their roles in the hit series have left them grateful they were not born in post-war Britain ... “It made me feel such anger when I read the script,” says Sarah, who has Down' Syndrome. “Back then people did not want to admit they had a disabled person in the family. They would say it was ‘bad blood’ ...

With New Film, Boy With Down Syndrome Gets Taste Of Stardom
Hunter Ingram, Wilmington Star-News, 11th February 2014
On a dewy July morning last summer, Amy Wright looked on with mild concern as her son, Beau, ran across a hilly field in the Appalachian mountains outside Beckley, W.Va. The pair, along with Amy’s husband, Ben, were among many on the hillside as cameras rolled on Beau’s first scene in the independent film “Little Accidents.” ...

Black History Month
Chris Burke, NDSS, February 2014
... Rosa Parks, Martin Luther King, Jr. and Nelson Mandela had to deal with white people’s prejudice simply because they were different. Their goal was to advocate for other people’s rights. They fought for justice, truly the American way. Now self-advocates with Down syndrome fight for justice. It’s all about leadership ...

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