Weekend reading and viewing: 18 - 19 February 2017

In this clip from BBC Radio 5 live, watch as Polly Gibson retells the story of her ‘love’s dream’ wedding day to husband Joe Minogue. 

The couple, who both have Down's Syndrome married in 2016 in front of 200 friends and family members. 

"WedFest" featured a unicorn throne and singing waiters as well as a three-tiered sprinkle cake. 

“It feels like love’s dream," says Polly. “The best thing in the whole wide world.”

BBC Breakfast, 

14 February 2017 (video 2m 29s)

• This Couple With Down Syndrome Threw The Most Magical Wedding, Huffington Post, 5 January 2016 - more photos of Polly and Joe's wedding.

Being a sibling of someone with physical, mental, or emotional challenges frequently leads to becoming more patient and accepting of differences. As a result, siblings of children with disabilities are often more empathetic and kind. But they may also have other emotions when their sibling needs extra time and attention from their parents. Sometimes, a typical sibling may feel embarrassed by their brother or sister’s appearance or behavior. They may even feel guilty, isolated, and worry about their sibling’s future ...

How to parent equally when one of your children has a disability

Pacer Center on Babble.com 

10 February 2017

... ‘This is me’ was produced for our 10th anniversary and is a celebration of our children’s achievements. The sentiment of the film is positivity, opportunity, hope and aspiration. Our ambition is that the viewer will look beyond any outdated DS labels and start to see children who have Down syndrome as individuals, each making a valued contribution to their communities. The film clearly demonstrates the individuality, unique character and personal achievements of each of the children as well as reflecting their hopes and dreams ...

This is me (video 5m)

PSDS, October 2016

"I told my brother that if his child is like me, it's okay to abort," said Pete, shocking me into next Tuesday ...

I'm pro-choice, but abortion can't be the only 

'sensible' option when it comes to disability

Naomi Chainey, Daily Life

15 February 2017

The Council is partnering with national learning disability charity Mencap to explore prenatal genetic screening with people with Down’s syndrome. The views gathered will inform the Council’s forthcoming report on non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT). 

Some of the genetic variations that NIPT can test for are associated with a learning disability, such as Down’s syndrome. Though people with these variations have an important interest in the debate on NIPT, their views often go unheard. The Council and Mencap have commissioned Dr Barbara Barter (Clinical Psychologist) to carry out a series of one-to-one interviews with people with Down’s syndrome over the coming weeks. People taking part have been recruited with the support of advocacy and campaigning organisations across England ...

Hearing people with Down’s syndrome’s views on prenatal screening

Nuffield Council on Bioethics, 1 December 2016

People with Down syndrome on Humans of New York

Popular Facebook page, Humans of New York, has been posting from Argentina over the last week. On 10 February a post featured a young man with Down syndrome, and his mother, and generated many positive responses from other families with lots of photos, potentially reaching a very large international audience.