Weekend reading and viewing: 8th - 9th February 2014

Putting Myself in Her Shoes

Christie Hoos, Down Syndrome research Foundation (Vancouver), 4th February 2014
... “itstimetogoweregonnabelateitoldyoutogositonthepottyareyoueven
listeningtomeCOMEON…” ...

Video games, Down's syndrome and my brother – a personal story

Edwin Evans-Thirlwell, The Guardian (online), 1st February 2014

Playing with my brother is one of many ways he reveals himself not as a 'disabled' person – but simply as his own person ...

I'm Down with You ... is a photography book and documentary film that tells a story, visually and in words, about some incredible people with an extra chromosome, of all ages.  You can now download it as a free iBook via iTunes ( to be viewed on iOS devices such as iPad and iPhone)

What I Saw
Autistic Chick, 23rd January 2014
... They didn't see someone asking to be taken for a walk. They didn't see him begging to have some space. They saw an escape attempt. A noncompliant escape attempt. A student trying to outsmart the teachers, to get his way ...

Dead is not better than disabled

Dr George Taleporos, Ramp Up, 31st January 2014

With the current spotlight on street violence and warnings about the potential consequence of acquired disability, Dr George Taleporos is concerned about the way disability is being portrayed by the media as a fate worse than death ...

New report shows big gaps in justice system for people with disabilities

El Gibbs, Ramp Up, 7th February 2014

El Gibbs reports on the Human Rights Commission's latest findings on the problems people with disability face when dealing with Australia's criminal justice system.

... The National Council on Intellectual Disability detailed the myriad ways that people with an intellectual disability are discriminated against within the justice system. For example, a lawyer may not understand that a person requires more time to process a question, so they "will ask another question thinking that person has not understood/ doesn't know/ doesn't want to answer the questions. For the 'client', they then do not know which question to answer first, and will become overwhelmed in situations when a questioner keeps firing one question after another with the common result that they are unable to answer any question." ...