Weekend reading and viewing 28th - 29th November 2015

Curing Down Syndrome?

Mark Bradford, Lejeune Foundation (blog). 10th November 2015

... (he) is not alone in regretting that he has to live with Down syndrome, but often the voices of those who long for treatments that would improve their cognitive capacity are lost among the voices of advocates working to further acceptance and inclusion. Some parents and other advocates deny that Down syndrome is a genetic anomaly and insist it is a natural part of human variation. Some reject the efforts of research to improve cognition, claiming that it is a form of “positive eugenics.” 2 Others fear that a drug to improve their child’s cognition will change their child’s personality that they have come to love deeply. There is little possibility that would happen ...

The outstanding men in Max’s life

Alex McAuley, The Life That Max Built, 17th November 2015

... I know the old saying goes that it takes a village to raise a child; well yes, a village would have been grand, but under the circumstances, I’ll take the family ...

Australia denies tourist visa because of Down Syndrome

Suresh Rajan, The Stringer,  21st November 2015

... As though I needed any further proof of the (Department of Immigration and Border Protection's) culture of complete insensitivity and, in some cases, blatant bias against people with disability yet another case of this has come to light ... our department starts from the basis that anyone coming to this country as a visitor WANTS to overstay their visa. What an incredibly blinkered view of the world. We can but hope that somewhere there is someone who will launch an inquiry into the “culture” of this department ...

My son doesn't want to say hello: disability awareness and taking the day off

Mary Eveyn, What Do You Do Dear? 25th November 2015

... my son doesn’t want to say hello. It feels weird. It also feels right. We can’t be “on” at every moment ...