Weekend reading, listening and viewing: 7th - 8th June 2014

I love grilled cheese (3m56s)

• Background story: Dad hopes short film will break down stigma surrounding Down

My little sister inspires me to be stronger, better, kinder

Rebecca Bradley, Irish Times, 2nd June 2014
Her story is not flashy, or headline-worthy. Her name will not be in any history books. If she walked past you on the street, you wouldn’t notice her any more than other passers-by ..,

What if she lives with us forever?
Ellen Stumbo, Finding Beauty in My Brokenness, 10th May 2014
Call me crazy, but one of the first thoughts that crossed my mind when my daughter was born with Down syndrome was, “Will she live with us forever?” When my oldest was born, a typical baby girl, those thoughts would have felt so…outrageous! I mean, who thinks about their child moving out the day they’re born?

Why my daughter's birthday shames those who think people with Down's are not fit to live

Dominic Lawson, Daily Mail, 2nd June 2014

... I had no idea what to expect when she was born; but because I was concerned that people would not know whether to commiserate or congratulate, I wrote an article saying that it should be the latter — and how happy I was that her much-loved elder sister had a sibling. On the whole, the reaction of readers was positive, but a small number said something to the effect of ‘She may be a beautiful and loveable baby now, but just wait until you see what a teenager with Down’s is like’ ...

Should we be frightened of disability? (Audio file 10m)

Tom Shakespeare, A Point of View (BBC Radio 4), 30th May 2014

Many people assume that disabled people must be unhappy. But the empirical evidence doesn't back this up. In A Point of View, Tom Shakespeare argues that disability is nothing to fear.

• Transcript

'Life skills' program teaches wrong lesson

Stella Young, Ramp Up, 2nd June 2014

Is it any wonder that rates of violence are so high when young women with disabilities are being taught that they have no say in what happens to their bodies?

A matter of perception

David Morstad, Apostrophe Magazine
Do you ever look at someone and make assumptions about the kind of person they are? Of course you do. We all do. Chances are your assumptions are inaccurate; but then, so are the assumptions of others about you ...