... This weekend, I was pretty excited to share a joy about my son, an ornery teenager with smelly feet (aren’t they all?) with intellectual disability, who kicked a massive goal. Not of the footy kind, but of the life kind.
He learned to catch a public bus home ...
Ben and Sam Paior , Every Australian Counts
12 April 2017
Conflicts of power and control commonly emerge in people with Down syndrome in their late 20’s and 30’s— later than their typical peers. While siblings and peers begin hitting transition milestones— like moving out, going to college or work, getting married— adults with Down syndrome may feel stagnant in comparison ...
Bryn Gelaro and Dennis McGuire
Global Down Syndrome Foundation Newsletter
April 2017
... Why is it that some men feel this compulsion to carry all the responsibility and have the misguided belief that they alone have to hold the family together in the hour of need? I felt I had to be like the general of an army in the old war movies, standing tall on the hill, watching the battle play out in front of him, all the time remaining calm, emotionless and composed. This was my duty as the male in the household and, for the good of the family, I felt I could not let my emotions out, because if I did, I was being weak. When I look at these words now, I think, “What a load of rubbish!” ...
Michael Harrison, Extract from Now I See:
the Enriching Journey of Raising Children with Down syndrome
- Now I See has updated its website, and is calling for submission for the next edition of the book.
I ended up chatting with a young fellow, to me that's around 30, with a disability on a ride to work. He asked me what I did for a living and then told me about his job, about which he was quite proud. Without even lowering his voice to become conspiratorial, he openly said that we weren't like 'those others.' And while he is right, the employment rate of people with disabilities is abysmal, it is so because of employers refusing to make accommodations either to their workplaces or to their mindset ...
Dave Hingsburger, Of Battered Aspect
5 April 2017
... Right now, Colleen is enjoying life to the fullest. I know that there will more changes and challenges to come with Colleen, her abilities and our life ... As shocking and heartbreaking as this diagnosis was for our family, I am grateful that it was caught early. The progression of the disease may not change, but we have the opportunity to make changes in Colleen’s care and have support each step of the way ...
Bo Thompson, Advocate Health News, 7 April 2017
'Let’s not give our kids the message that there’s a difference between being nice to a typical person and a disabled person. That the latter makes them somehow a “hero” while the first is expected as the norm. '
Sophie Trains, Respectfully Connected
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