Weekend reading and viewing: 15th - 16th February 2014

When my daughter was diagnosed
George Estreich, Salon, 12th February 2014
I was shaken to find Laura had Down syndrome. But the real problem was my limited vision of what happiness could be ... I didn’t know how to think about her. I remember saying I wanted her to be Laura, my daughter, not a medical case, not an extra chromosome ...

• George Estreich's memoir, The Shape of the Eye, won the 2012 Oregon Book Award for Creative Nonfiction - it is available for loan to members from the Down Syndrome NSW library. 

Tucker Collins Photography

I was born different. I see the world through my own lens. The camera allows me to show you the world through my eyes. You might just like the view.

Square Pegs, Round Holes and the Infinite Possibilities of Loving Your Child

Kelle Hampton, Enjoying the Small Things, 10th February 2014

... For us, it’s difficult defining what behaviors of Nella’s are attributed to Down syndrome and what’s just manifestations of her own personality and growing pains. How much do we push her and how much do we let her be who she is? How do we balance high expectations with accommodations? As we made some decisions for her last week and talked about how to continue to nurture her toward more independence, I felt the frustration and the sadness that comes with this additional stuff. More roadblocks, more work, more thinking outside the box, more taming emotions because the sad demons love to use these decisions as an opportunity to lurk and make you feel bad ...

My Son's Disability Defines Him (and why I'm okay with that)
Mary Evelyn, What Do You Do, Dear? 11th February 2014

Happens to have-- a purposeful afterthought. We use these words to create distance between our children's inner selves and their outward physical state. We want to separate the people we love from situations that are less than perfect. We don't want their bodies to define them.

But the truth is, my son doesn't "happen to have" a disability. He just plain has one ..

I Support Unicorn Farts
Jisun Lee, Kimchi Latkes, 12th february 2014
... since when are the parents of a typical child accused of being in denial when they dare to hope and dream big? I’m imagining a parent making some kind of comment about typical little Bobby’s bright future. Does anyone blink an eye? No. Because that is what parents do ...

Attitude slowly changing toward hiring people with developmental disabilities
Kim Pemberton, Vancouver Sun, 4th February 2014Being inclusive is good for the bottom line, Tim Horton store owner says ...

Young Heart Survivor Proves Miracles Happen

Melisa Brunner, WIBW (Kansas), 7th February, 2014
The fact that two-and-a-half-year-old Mason Busey is laughing, running and mugging for the nearest camera is nothing short of a miracle.
When she was 20 weeks along, Mason's mother, Meagan, went in for what she thought was a routine ultrasound ... (It showed that) Mason had a fluid buildup on his neck called a cystic hygroma, which could be life-threatening. In addition, he had atrioventricular septal defect. Instead of being divided by chambers and valves, his heart had not developed.