Weekend reading, viewing and listening: 28 - 29 March 2016

Nothing has changed about Down syndrome, except how the world treats those with it

Mark Leach, Down Syndrome Prenatal Testing, 19 May 2016

This past Saturday, our family got to experience something that would have been unimaginable when I was born. It shows nothing has changed about Down syndrome, except the way the world treats those with Down syndrome ...

Down's Syndrome: It's Just Two Words
The Untold, BBC Radio, 16 May 2016 (MP3 file 28 minutes)
Salma is having a baby, but as the due date draws near she's forced to confront unresolved issues with her last pregnancy: her baby was born with Down's syndrome and she's yet to tell her in-laws ... The shock of the diagnosis and the way Salma was given the news contributed to a long period of struggle and shame ...

Prenatal Diagnosis of Down Syndrome: What I wish I could tell my patients
An Unexpected Journey, 18 May 2016
Please allow me to introduce myself. I am a family doctor (GP) working in the UK. I am also mother to three children aged 8, 6 and 5. My children are full of energy, love and mischief. My youngest daughter also has Down syndrome.

You have just been told that your unborn child has Down syndrome. Somebody used those words, that I once studied in my text books about your unborn child ... The are many good, factual resources, explaining the medical implications of being born with Down syndrome. My concern is these only tell part of the picture ...

Jamie Brewer on Studio 10
Studio 10, 23 May 2016 (6 m)
We were so happy to welcome Jamie Brewer on the show today, who made history when she became the first woman with Down syndrome to walk in New York Fashion Week.

Hey “Special Needs Parents”! Where’s The Outrage Over “Me Before You”?
Meriah Nichols, Two Thirds of the Planet, 25 May 2016

... There have been a lot of posts in the disability community (see end of this post for some links) over this particular new gem of a flick, but I haven’t seen one from a parent of a child with a disability, a “special needs parent” as many like to call themselves. And I kind of wonder… why?

Worker, not carer
Susan Wallis, Clickablog, 25 May 2016
You’re a worker, not a carer.I’ve just had a discussion in a closed Facebook group about the term carer versus worker. A disability support worker had described themselves as a ‘carer’ and I couldn’t help but correct them ...