These links provide information about events run by other organisations that might be of interest to people with Down syndrome, their families, carers and professionals who support them
All current events listings
25 - 28 May 2016 - Erskinville
Monday, 25 April 2016
Latest additions to 'other events' pages
Friday, 22 April 2016
Weekend reading and viewing: 23 - 24 April 2016
The Down Syndrome Memo
David M Perry, How Did We Get Into This Mess? 17 April 2016
... I'd like the mothers (with whom I've discussed this on Facebook), as they move into this highly public phase of talking about Down syndrome, to be deeply conscious about how their "function-based" claims of value for Delaney exclude less functional people. I know it's unintentional, but the exclusion happens anyway ...
... I'd like the mothers (with whom I've discussed this on Facebook), as they move into this highly public phase of talking about Down syndrome, to be deeply conscious about how their "function-based" claims of value for Delaney exclude less functional people. I know it's unintentional, but the exclusion happens anyway ...
- Moxie: Let Down Syndrome Define You, Meriah Nichols, 17 April 2016
The Special Needs Island
Ellen Stumbo, 18 April 2016
... I confess at times I’ve fantasized about this make-belief island. The place where nobody stares when your child is having a sensory overload or where an IEP is not a fight. The blissful place where all your friends get it because they live it too. The island where you know you are not alone.From talking to special needs parents, I often hear they feel isolated. And while the idea of the island is indeed very appealing when you’re having a hard day and it feels as if nobody gets it, more than anything, I want people to see us ...
My daughter who has Down Syndrome is perfect
Ellen Stumbo, 18 April 2016
... I confess at times I’ve fantasized about this make-belief island. The place where nobody stares when your child is having a sensory overload or where an IEP is not a fight. The blissful place where all your friends get it because they live it too. The island where you know you are not alone.From talking to special needs parents, I often hear they feel isolated. And while the idea of the island is indeed very appealing when you’re having a hard day and it feels as if nobody gets it, more than anything, I want people to see us ...
Danielle Colley, Australian Women's Weekly, 13 April 2016
Often a Down Syndrome diagnosis is viewed as negative, but one family has found it was anything but ...
High-Functioning Teachers Needed
Kari Wagner-Peck, A Typical Son, 15 April 2016Often a Down Syndrome diagnosis is viewed as negative, but one family has found it was anything but ...
High-Functioning Teachers Needed
... “Okay, listen up, “high-function” and “low-function” is crap. That’s something The Man– you look old enough to remember The Man, am I correct?”
She nodded: “Yes.”
“Okay, so, The Man, says we’re not going to invest our time in teaching certain people so we will come up with some crappy way to absolve ourselves and blame the student. Hence: high or low functioning.” ...
Friday essay: on telling the stories of characters with Down syndrome
Sarah Kanake, The Conversation, 22 April 2016
In 2014 I was asked, by my then university, to present in a jovial end of year debate. My partner, brother and a few of my close friends came to watch. The auditorium was packed. There were university bigwigs on both teams. I was pretty nervous. It went well, although many of the debaters thought they were presenting in a real debate and the rest (myself included) had only prepared jokes ...
She nodded: “Yes.”
“Okay, so, The Man, says we’re not going to invest our time in teaching certain people so we will come up with some crappy way to absolve ourselves and blame the student. Hence: high or low functioning.” ...
Friday essay: on telling the stories of characters with Down syndrome
Sarah Kanake, The Conversation, 22 April 2016
In 2014 I was asked, by my then university, to present in a jovial end of year debate. My partner, brother and a few of my close friends came to watch. The auditorium was packed. There were university bigwigs on both teams. I was pretty nervous. It went well, although many of the debaters thought they were presenting in a real debate and the rest (myself included) had only prepared jokes ...
- Sing Fox to Me is published by Affirm Press, and is available in print or as an eBook.
Adorable little dude
Geoff Lewis, Parent to Parent (NZ) March 2016
... 'I wanted everything to go away or the world to stop while I worked out what to do, who to tell and how to tell people. I didn't want people to be put on the spot of they congratulated me or say 'Oh no'; should they come and visit, what would they say to my kids?' ...
Blog #141 ~ Managing Stress as a Special Needs Parent
Down Syndrome with a Slice of Autism, 11 April 2016Geoff Lewis, Parent to Parent (NZ) March 2016
... 'I wanted everything to go away or the world to stop while I worked out what to do, who to tell and how to tell people. I didn't want people to be put on the spot of they congratulated me or say 'Oh no'; should they come and visit, what would they say to my kids?' ...
Blog #141 ~ Managing Stress as a Special Needs Parent
... You see we don’t fit in to either the Down syndrome support groups or the autism groups. But at this retreat, we all can openly discuss the unique problems of raising a child with a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism, in addition to behaviors associated with ADD,ADHD and more ...
Summary of dates, location for seminars with Dr Dennis McGuire
Summary of dates and venues for Dr Dennis McGuire's speaking tour in May, to give you an overview of the opportunities available:
Newcastle
Saturday 7 May
Menatal Wellness and Healthy Living for Adults with Down Syndrome
Families, carers, professionals
Sydney
Monday 9 May
Getting Strong, Living Healthy
Adults with Down syndrome (accompanied by a support person)
Sydney
Tuesday 10 May
Promoting strengths and mental wellbeing in siblings with Down syndrome
Siblings
Sydney
Friday 13 May
Promoting strengths and mental well being in Adults with Down Syndrome: Lessons learned from the Adult Down Syndrome Center, Chicago
Professionals
Sydney
Saturday 14 May
Families, carers (support workers can attend with family at a discounted fee)
Thursday, 21 April 2016
Key Word Sign workshop for research: University of Sydney
Speech pathology researchers at the University of Sydney are investigating the impact of Key Word Sign training. They are calling for volunteers to participate in a Key Word Sign workshop, free of charge, where you will learn a vocabulary of signs that you can use to communicate with someone with a disability.
Training workshops for parents of children with Down syndrome will be offered in person or via the internet. You might be able to participate in this study if you have
- a child with Down syndrome aged between 18 and 42 months
- English is your first language
- you have not attended a KWS workshop before
- y0u have internet access
Contact the researchers for more information:
Dr Andy Smidt andy.smidt@sydney.edu.au
Aylin Huzmeli ahuzz8561@uni.sydney.edu.au
Elsie Chang echa7982@uni.sydney.edu.au
An invitation for adults with Down syndrome: 'Getting Strong, Living Healthy' workshop
Dennis McGuire helped set up the Adult Down Syndrome Clinic in Chicago, USA.
Since 1992 he has worked with over 6000 people with Down syndrome and their families.
He helps people with Down syndrome stay well and live a good life.
Dennis McGuire is visiting Sydney to talk about how people with Down syndrome can keep mentally well.
He also talks about how to be and stay healthy as you get older.
If you are a person with Down syndrome you can meet Dennis McGuire and hear him share his experience and knowledge.
When: Monday 9th May 2016
Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm (Tea and Coffee on arrival)
Where: SMC Conference and Function Centre, 66 Goulburn St, Sydney
How much: $66 (includes you and a parent/carer)
Who: Any adult with Down syndrome can come but you must have a support person with you.
Book online or call the Down Syndrome NSW office on 02 9841 4444 to get your place.
PS - Have you got a brother or sister?
Dennis has a workshop for them too. It's on the next day. Have a look here.
He helps people with Down syndrome stay well and live a good life.
Dennis McGuire is visiting Sydney to talk about how people with Down syndrome can keep mentally well.
He also talks about how to be and stay healthy as you get older.
If you are a person with Down syndrome you can meet Dennis McGuire and hear him share his experience and knowledge.
When: Monday 9th May 2016
Time: 6:00pm – 7:30pm (Tea and Coffee on arrival)
Where: SMC Conference and Function Centre, 66 Goulburn St, Sydney
How much: $66 (includes you and a parent/carer)
Who: Any adult with Down syndrome can come but you must have a support person with you.
Book online or call the Down Syndrome NSW office on 02 9841 4444 to get your place.
PS - Have you got a brother or sister?
Dennis has a workshop for them too. It's on the next day. Have a look here.
Wednesday, 20 April 2016
From the inside ...
Parents, families and carers have often had the loudest voice as disability movements emerged, and now we are hearing much more from people with disabilities themselves.
We all need to pay attention, even (especially) if what they are saying is that we have been getting it wrong, or that we can at least do a whole lot better. People with intellectual disabilities might struggle more than most to have their voices heard, but that too is emerging, and there is much to learn from other disabled people (as they often tell us they wish to be called, notwithstanding that we have previously often demanded, and continue to demand 'person first' language on their behalf). These are just a few examples worth attending to:
Basic Myths about Disability I Can’t Believe We Still Have to Debunk
Sarah Blahovec, Huffington Post (blog), 4 April 2016
To be honest, I was really hoping that what I’m about to write was common knowledge by now. I really wish that society in general understood disability better, but in light of a number of concerning articles recently, from a USA Today article about people “faking” disability during travel, to a New York Times Magazine article about parents stunting the growth of disabled children through estrogen treatments, it seems necessary to counter the basic inaccurate beliefs people have about disability and those who live with it ...
Choreography of Care
Alice Wong, Making Contact, 14 April 2016 (Audio 11m 33s)
Community Storytelling Fellow, Alice Wong asks, how do people with disabilities who rely on personal assistance negotiate their relationships with the people that assist them? And how does that inform their sense of independence or interdependence with others? ...
Choreography of Care
Alice Wong, Making Contact, 14 April 2016 (Audio 11m 33s)
Community Storytelling Fellow, Alice Wong asks, how do people with disabilities who rely on personal assistance negotiate their relationships with the people that assist them? And how does that inform their sense of independence or interdependence with others? ...
'Disabled': Just #SayTheWord
Barbara J King, (US) National Public Radio (NPR), 25 February 2016
... I noticed this posting on Facebook by Lawrence Carter-Long:
I Don’t Have “Special” Needs…
Barbara J King, (US) National Public Radio (NPR), 25 February 2016
... I noticed this posting on Facebook by Lawrence Carter-Long:
"If you 'see the person not the disability' you're only getting half the picture. Broaden your perspective. You might be surprised by everything you've missed. DISABLED. #SayTheWord"I understood intuitively the thought that many people with physical limitations wouldn't want to have this part of their lived experience erased by others. But admonitions that the term "disabled person" is inappropriate and disrespectful firmly stuck in my mind ...
JasonsConnection, 11 February 2016
I don’t have “special” needs. That might offend some, but it is the truth.
I am not denying that I need help or that I have a disability. But the needs I have are not “special,”—they’re needs everyone has. I want what most people want out of life. Relationships with people, meaningful use of my time, a position that earns me some form of respect, and so on ...
History Made Me Do It
I am not denying that I need help or that I have a disability. But the needs I have are not “special,”—they’re needs everyone has. I want what most people want out of life. Relationships with people, meaningful use of my time, a position that earns me some form of respect, and so on ...
History Made Me Do It
Dave Hingsburger, Of Battered Aspect, 12 March 2016
... My decision, I believe, was looked at in the context of their lives, not in the context of mine.
I think this is why so many people don't get prejudice, they don't understand why a person might react to something that they see as a neutral because they've had the luxury of having lived a life in neutral ...
A Woman on A Bus
Dave Hingsburger, Of Battered Aspect, 13 march 2016
... I tried telling a couple of other people and both of them saw the conversation in a way that it hadn't been experienced. No matter how I tried to present the conversation as a conversation, the mention of the woman and her communication board, turned the conversation into an act of charity, an act of giving ...
Are your characters tragically disabled or magically disabled?
I think this is why so many people don't get prejudice, they don't understand why a person might react to something that they see as a neutral because they've had the luxury of having lived a life in neutral ...
A Woman on A Bus
Dave Hingsburger, Of Battered Aspect, 13 march 2016
... I tried telling a couple of other people and both of them saw the conversation in a way that it hadn't been experienced. No matter how I tried to present the conversation as a conversation, the mention of the woman and her communication board, turned the conversation into an act of charity, an act of giving ...
Are your characters tragically disabled or magically disabled?
... Trope #1. The Tragically Disabled
You know this one. It goes all the way back to when disabilities started being represented in literature. And that’s a long time. Like, ever since there has been literature ...
You know this one. It goes all the way back to when disabilities started being represented in literature. And that’s a long time. Like, ever since there has been literature ...
... Trope #2. The Magically Disabled
Moving on to trope #2, the “magically disabled.” This trope is a common one in SF/Fantasy books. Here, a character develops a disability but magically (or scientifically) overcomes the disability to the point where he or she isn’t disabled any more ...
4 Things You Should Ask Yourself Before Sharing Inspiration Porn On Social Media
Kimmie Jones, Ravishly, 18 April 2016
Facebook posts can easily shape-shift into 21st-century sideshows.Moving on to trope #2, the “magically disabled.” This trope is a common one in SF/Fantasy books. Here, a character develops a disability but magically (or scientifically) overcomes the disability to the point where he or she isn’t disabled any more ...
4 Things You Should Ask Yourself Before Sharing Inspiration Porn On Social Media
Kimmie Jones, Ravishly, 18 April 2016
Spring is here, meaning prom season is upon us. As much as my 33-year-old self loves the vicarious joy in seeing what the kids are into — which is decidedly not French twists and chokers anymore — I shudder at the thought that my news feed will soon be inundated with a certain kind of prom-posal that stresses me out ...
Health advocacy: NSW CID
 |
| NSW CID advocates off to Canberra this week |
The NSW Council for Intellectual Disability (our State peak body on the interests of people with intellectual disability) has long been a strong and active advocate for all aspects of health care for people with intellectual disability. Representatives are currently in Canberra for two days of meetings where they are seeking a commitment that:
Visit the NSW CID website to see what else they do to secure and promote good healthcare for people with intellectual disability, under the 'What We Do' tab.
All major Commonwealth physical and mental health initiatives will include specific consideration of what needs to happen to make them work for people with intellectual disability.NSW CID is asking that supporters of these efforts share their Facebook status dated 19 April 2016 to spread awareness of the need for their health advocacy at Federal level.
Visit the NSW CID website to see what else they do to secure and promote good healthcare for people with intellectual disability, under the 'What We Do' tab.
Tuesday, 19 April 2016
Newcastle seminar now on Dennis McGuire's tour schedule: 7th May
Down Syndrome NSW is delighted to announce that Dennis McGuire PhD, internationally renowned behavioural expert, will be in Newcastle on Saturday 7 May to deliver a seminar on Mental Wellness and Healthy Living for People with Down Syndrome.
You may already be aware of Dennis’s work and long time commitment to people with Down syndrome. Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrome; A Guide to Emotional and Behavioural Strengths and Challenges, which he co-wrote, has for many years been the most borrowed item in the DS NSW library. In 1992 Dennis co-founded the Adult Down Syndrome Clinic of Chicago, serving as its Director of Psychosocial Services for many years before taking up the position of Senior Consultant, Global Down Syndrome Foundation, Denver.
The Newcastle seminar will be invaluable for families and carers of people with Down syndrome as well as professionals with an interest in intellectual disability. So please feel free share this information with any therapists, GPs or other health professionals.
Dennis will cover topics such as ...
- promoting strengths and creative potential,
- behavioural characteristics of people with DS involving social skills,
- promoting healthy self-esteem and
- creating environments that support mental wellness and good health.
This is a unique opportunity to hear first-hand the information and practical knowledge gained from over 30 years of practice to best support mental wellness and health living for all people with Down syndrome. We hope you can join us.
When: SATURDAY 7 MAY 2016
Time: 9am – 1pm
Where: Wallsend Diggers, 5 Tyrrell Street, Wallsend
Cost: $99 DS NSW Members / $139 non-members
Please note - the previously advertised Melbourne seminar on this date has been cancelled.
Media award
CHILD Magazines won a number of international media awards at the Parenting Media Association Awards (US/Canada/Australia) last weekend, including:
GOLD AWARD: Front Cover – May 2015 issue, CHILD
Congratulations to Karen Miles and the team at CHILD Magazines, and to cover model, Isabella.
You might like to re-visit the CHILD Magazine blog post about the photo shoot, and the article Danceability, from the May 2015 issue.
Monday, 18 April 2016
On employment ...
Kirsty Needham, Sydney Morning Herald, 18 April 2016
... The justice department will become the first NSW government agency to introduce employment targets for disabled workers, in a government-wide push to reverse a fall in employment rates. A plummet in the number of disabled people working for the NSW government had sparked calls last year for targets modelled on gender targets ...
Gaza's first teacher with Down's Syndrome thrives in the classroom
Albawaba, 11 April 2016
Canadian Down Syndrome Society
Gaza's first teacher with Down's Syndrome thrives in the classroom
Albawaba, 11 April 2016
Hiba Al Sharfa has become the Gaza Strip’s first teacher with Down’s Syndrome, after a lifelong effort to achieve the dream.
Al Sharfa teaches at Right to Live, an NGO based in the Gaza Strip that supports and cares for children with Down’s Syndrome ...
VATTA employment committeeAl Sharfa teaches at Right to Live, an NGO based in the Gaza Strip that supports and cares for children with Down’s Syndrome ...
Canadian Down Syndrome Society
- Using Our Voice
- Being Professional At Work
- From Passion to Paycheque
- What it means to be flexible at your job
Disability conference highlights costs of exclusion and opportunities for change
Georgia Cranko, The Guardian, 18 February 2016
Disabled people are mostly ignored by Australian businesses but Melbourne conference highlights five ways to create social change and employ more people ... The program was headlined by Charlotte McClain-Nhlapo, disability advisor to the World Bank Group, while other sessions were led by prominent spokespeople, including Ron McCallum, Graeme Innes and Rosemary Kayess who all have lived experience of disability ...
Becky Bisbee, Seattle Times, 22 March 2016
Expanding job opportunities for people with disabilities means creating taxpayers who will lessen the need for public assistance. Employers get capable workers who take pride in their work ...
Expanding job opportunities for people with disabilities means creating taxpayers who will lessen the need for public assistance. Employers get capable workers who take pride in their work ...
Register now for the ride of the year
Registrations are now open for Scrapheap Adventure Ride 2016
Visit the Scrapheap Adventure Ride 2016 website here and click on 'Join The Ride'
Visit the Scrapheap Adventure Ride 2016 website here and click on 'Join The Ride'
Friday, 15 April 2016
Weekend reading and viewing: 16 - 17 April 2016
The Good, The Needed, The Awesome – A #WDSD16 Wrap Up
Mardra Sikora, Grown Ups and Downs, 10 April 2016
For you other geeks out there, I will now share about our #WDSD experience. For those of you who stick with me, there is an extra special treat at the end, the nugget Marcus shared with me at the end of the day ...
Dads support and inspire each other
Geoff Lewis, Parent to Parent (NZ) March 2016
For Keith Maynard, training as a Support Parent for parent to parent has taught him not only how to work with other people, but also a lot about himself ...
The Long Reach of Inclusive Education
Dads support and inspire each other
Geoff Lewis, Parent to Parent (NZ) March 2016
For Keith Maynard, training as a Support Parent for parent to parent has taught him not only how to work with other people, but also a lot about himself ...
Global Down Syndrome Foundation, 8 March 2016
... The most recent guidelines for adults with Down syndrome were published in 2001 and the fifteen years since have been marked with many advancements in the areas of medical care and research surrounding Down syndrome. Most notably, the life expectancy for someone born with Down syndrome has more than doubled since 1983, from 25 years to 60 years today. With this dramatic advancement, the Down syndrome community faces new challenges including dementia and Alzheimer’s disease ... The Long Reach of Inclusive Education
Todd Grindal, Huffington Post, 1 April 2016
... Throughout the World Down Syndrome Day event, people with Down syndrome discussed how being included in their families, schools, and communities helped them build rich and fulfilling lives ... The reach of inclusive education is long — it both supports the development of skills and abilities for people with Down syndrome and contributes to creating an environment where they can use those skills to fully participate in their communities.Fostering Friendships
InCharge, 10 February 2014
At once heavily sought after and frustratingly elusive, friendships are nonetheless vital for a full and meaningful life. Here we discuss some useful pointers to keep in mind ...
At once heavily sought after and frustratingly elusive, friendships are nonetheless vital for a full and meaningful life. Here we discuss some useful pointers to keep in mind ...
Life After School Program: Nepean/Blue Mountains
Northcott is launching a new program to help young people with disabilities in the Nepean Blue Mountains area, starting in May:
The Life After School program will help young people with disabilities aged 15 – 18 navigate the complex world of work, relationships and out of home living as they transition out of the school system.
The program will deliver a series of workshops to teach young people important life skills such as how to land their first job, manage a budget, learn to cook, deal with their sexuality and interpersonal relationships as well as tackle mental health issues such as anxiety ...
Thursday, 14 April 2016
News and commentary from the broader disability community
The discriminatory reason doctors won’t give a baby the heart she needs
Timothy P. Shriver, The Washington Post, 8 April 2016
Lily Parra is 4 months old and needs a heart. But she has been told she can’t have one.
Not because she’s too sick but because of deep-seated discrimination against those who have — or might have — a developmental disability. An operation that could give Lily a shot at life, and hope to her family, is being denied apparently not because of Lily’s medical condition but because of who she may become ...
Anger, frustration over government silence on disability abuse royal commission
Judith Ireland, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 April 2016
Timothy P. Shriver, The Washington Post, 8 April 2016
Lily Parra is 4 months old and needs a heart. But she has been told she can’t have one.
Not because she’s too sick but because of deep-seated discrimination against those who have — or might have — a developmental disability. An operation that could give Lily a shot at life, and hope to her family, is being denied apparently not because of Lily’s medical condition but because of who she may become ...
Anger, frustration over government silence on disability abuse royal commission
Judith Ireland, Sydney Morning Herald, 12 April 2016
Disability advocates have slammed the federal government's "astounding silence" over a landmark Senate report, which called for a royal commission into disability abuse more than four months ago ...
Bridging the Digital Divide: Technology and Accessibility for People with Disability
Bridging the Digital Divide: Technology and Accessibility for People with Disability
Lisa Annese. ProBono News, 5 April 2015
We don’t need the Federal Government’s recent Innovation Statement that said advances in technology are transforming just about every part of our lives, from the way we work to the way we communicate and access services. It’s obvious and we are living it daily ...
When Accessibility gets Labeled Wasteful
Chris Davis, ABC27 News, 6 April 2016
Paper thought bubbles in Harrisburg aim to get people thinking about the way they think about those with disabilities ...
We don’t need the Federal Government’s recent Innovation Statement that said advances in technology are transforming just about every part of our lives, from the way we work to the way we communicate and access services. It’s obvious and we are living it daily ...
When Accessibility gets Labeled Wasteful
Kim Sauder, Medium - Disability Stories, 4 March 2016
So there’s a debate going on, on Twitter right now between disabled people and people who either claim to care about the environment and or just want to complain about “lazy people” ...
So there’s a debate going on, on Twitter right now between disabled people and people who either claim to care about the environment and or just want to complain about “lazy people” ...
Chris Davis, ABC27 News, 6 April 2016
Paper thought bubbles in Harrisburg aim to get people thinking about the way they think about those with disabilities ...
Katharine J Smith, The Odessey, 5 April 2016
"What do you do?” might be one of my least favorite questions. Let me tell you why. I am currently a Registered Behavior Technician at a wonderful program (MAP) nestled in the heart of North Carolina. Usually when I tell someone what I do, their response is either an uncertain nod or a plain look of confusion. At that time, I break it down by saying, “Basically, I work with children who have autism.” Now, more times than not, the response I receive is along the lines of, “Wow, that’s so amazing of you” or my personal favorite, “Good for you. I could NEVER do that.”
My Perspective 2016
Photographers who have Down syndrome, the UK Down's Syndrome Association's annual photography competition, My Perspective is open until 22nd April:
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Link for Insight: Sex and Disability at SBS 'On Demand'
If you missed last night's episode of Insight, you can watch it online via SBS On Demand:
Sex And Disability
Insight: Season 2016 Episode 10
How do you negotiate sex with a serious disability? What are the physical, intellectual, financial, legal and emotional barriers? How do you make it work, particularly with disabled teenagers? How can you properly express your sexuality? This week, Insight is look at two issues that are definitely not mutually exclusive: sex and disability.
Hosted by award-winning journalist Jenny Brockie. Tuesday 12th April, 8:30pm SBS (An SBS Production)
Sex And DisabilityInsight: Season 2016 Episode 10
How do you negotiate sex with a serious disability? What are the physical, intellectual, financial, legal and emotional barriers? How do you make it work, particularly with disabled teenagers? How can you properly express your sexuality? This week, Insight is look at two issues that are definitely not mutually exclusive: sex and disability.
Hosted by award-winning journalist Jenny Brockie. Tuesday 12th April, 8:30pm SBS (An SBS Production)
Latest additions to the 'other events' page
These links provide information about events run by other organisations that might be of interest to people with Down syndrome, their families, carers and professionals who support them
All current events listings
The unconference - a participant driven gathering
Jeder Institute - what is emerging under the NDIS? Hear and share stories of the lived experience from people with disabilities and their supporters.
An ‘Unconference’ is a participant-driven gathering.
Delegates actively contribute to the agenda sharing lots of dynamic open discussions.
Rather than a single speaker at the front of the room presenting PowerPoint slides, there will be ‘Key Agitators’ facilitating conversations and debate. (Jeder Institute)
16 - 17 May 2016 - Burwood (Sydney)
Australia’s Disability Employment Conference
Disability Employment Australia - conference for managers, aspiring managers, practitioners, and academics working in or with the Disability Employment Services sector, anyone with an interest in employment assistance for people with disability.
10 - 11 August of 2016 - Melbourne
Australia’s Disability Employment Conference
Disability Employment Australia - conference for managers, aspiring managers, practitioners, and academics working in or with the Disability Employment Services sector, anyone with an interest in employment assistance for people with disability.
10 - 11 August of 2016 - Melbourne
Tuesday, 12 April 2016
Disability and sexuality
In the lead-up to tonight's episode of Insight, on Sex and Disability, SBS TV (8.30pm), SBS News published this article about the Rainbow Bridge Social Club:
Coming out on being gay with a disability
Madeleine King, SBS News, 8 April 2016
When Charitha de Silva was 15 years-old, he came to is adoptive mother Mary McMahon to tell her, quite simply, the he was gay and wanted a boyfriend. It wasn't much of a surprise ...
Coming out on being gay with a disability
Madeleine King, SBS News, 8 April 2016
When Charitha de Silva was 15 years-old, he came to is adoptive mother Mary McMahon to tell her, quite simply, the he was gay and wanted a boyfriend. It wasn't much of a surprise ...
Monday, 11 April 2016
Mental Wellness and Healthy Living seminars: book now for Dennis McGuire's 2016 tour
Many of you will be familiar with the work of Dennis McGuire through the wonderful books Mental Wellness in Adults with Down Syndrome and The Guide to Good Health for Teens and Adults with Down Syndrome.
Dennis co-founded the Adult Down Syndrome Centre in Chicago in 1992 as Director of Psychosocial Services. His work with more than 5000 adults with DS over that time has provided a wealth of insight and understanding into the thoughts and behaviour of people with Down syndrome and how to best support them to live a good life.
Dennis McGuire will be visiting Australia for the first time in May this year for a series of Mental Wellness and Healthy Living seminars for families, carers and support workers.
Melbourne:
May 6th (Professionals) and May 7th (Families and Carers) Pullman Albert Park
65 Queens Rd, Albert Park
Sydney:
May 13th (Professionals) and May 14th (Families and Carers) SMC Conference and Function Centre
66 Goulbourn St, Sydney
Take advantage of this unique opportunity and share this information with your networks.
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Saturday, 9 April 2016
Weekend reading and viewing: 9 - 10 April 2016
Employable Me - Zena and Employable Me - Matthew
BBC, April 2016
Following up on BB2's Employable Me, BBC Three have shared some short films about people with Down's syndrome who are job-hunting.
Designing Glasses That Fit Individuals With Down Syndrome
Heather Hansom, Smithsonian Magazine, 6 April 2-16
Optician Maria Dellapina started Specs4Us when her daughter struggled to find a pair of glasses that wouldn't slip ...
An Open Letter to Medical Students: Down Syndrome, Paradox, and Medicine
George Estreich, AMA Journal of Ethics, April 2016,
If you’re reading this, you could be anyone—a bioethicist, a Facebook friend, an adult with Down syndrome—but the “you” I have in mind is a future clinician. As a writer and parent of someone with Down syndrome, my aim is to share questions and insights that may be useful to you. Clinical encounters involving people with intellectual disabilities can be both charged and complex; understanding the complexities may help improve the encounters, by helping clinicians see the patient more clearly ...
An Open Letter to Medical Students: Down Syndrome, Paradox, and Medicine
George Estreich, AMA Journal of Ethics, April 2016,
If you’re reading this, you could be anyone—a bioethicist, a Facebook friend, an adult with Down syndrome—but the “you” I have in mind is a future clinician. As a writer and parent of someone with Down syndrome, my aim is to share questions and insights that may be useful to you. Clinical encounters involving people with intellectual disabilities can be both charged and complex; understanding the complexities may help improve the encounters, by helping clinicians see the patient more clearly ...
Imprevisti, 31 March 2016Speech delivered by Martina Fuga, member of the board of Coordown at the 2016 World Down Syndrome Day Conference at the United Nations, New York, 21 March 2016.
My Banished Brother
Lisa Reswick, New York Times blogs (Well), 1 April 2016
... I was at work in New York City when my phone rang. A voice said, “This is Wanda from your brother Jimmy’s group home.” Tears came instantly, although I’d never heard of her and had no idea why she was calling ...
Friday, 8 April 2016
Sex and disability: SBS Insight, Tuesday 12 April
Sex for both people with physical and intellectual disability will be discussed in this episode of Insight:
How do you negotiate sex with a serious disability?
How do you negotiate sex with a serious disability?
Tuesday, April 12, 2016 - 20:30
SBS One
SBS One
Imagine - you’ve been married to your partner for 25 years. You live with them, love them, are sexually attracted to them, but physical intimacy? Almost impossible.
This is the reality for David and Jenni Heckendorf, who both have profound cerebral palsy that greatly limits their mobility. In order to have sex, they must use the services of a sex worker; a process of extreme trust, vulnerability and financial cost.
They lobbied to use their NDIS funding to access their sex worker, but others are restricted by state laws and regulations around sex work.
Rachel Wotton is one such sex worker, who works with clients with physical and intellectual disabilities.
What if your child had an intellectual disability? How do you teach them about all the nuances of sex and sexuality: consent, attraction, pleasure, emotion, consequences?
Mary McMahon has helped her gay son negotiate porn. Jarrod McGrath teaches sex-ed classes for children with intellectual disabilities.
And what happens, if and when kids come along? What is the most ethical course of action?
This week, Insight is looking at two issues that are definitely not mutually exclusive: sex and disability.
Thursday, 7 April 2016
Book review: David M. Perry on 'The Secret Life of Stories'
David M. Perry is a disability rights journalist and associate professor of history at Dominican University. Michael Bérubé is a professor of literature at Pennsylvania State University, where he teaches American literature, disability studies, and cultural studies. Both are fathers of sons with Down syndrome.
Narrative Deployments of Disability
Los Angeles Review of Books, 6 April 2016
Narrative Deployments of Disability
Los Angeles Review of Books, 6 April 2016
... Bérubé has organized his work into three main chapters: motive, time, and self-awareness. The first chapter examines (borrowing theorist Ato Quayson’s term) the ways intellectual disability serves as the “ethical core” of narratives, starting with Harry Potter. The great saga of the wizard world is not about intellectual disability, but all the action, Bérubé argues, ultimately stems from Albus Dumbledore’s reactions to his sister’s disability and disability-related death. Here, then, lies a perfect example of Bérubé’s argument that disability infuses literary production in ways that a reader, indeed, an author, might miss. Intellectual disability functions as motive, even if none of the main characters are disabled ...
- Another review of The Secret Life of Stories
Grappling with Intellectual Disability - Michael Bérubé’s The Secret Life of Stories, Manuel Betancourt, Slant Magazine, 9 February 2016
- Humans, Superheroes, Mutants, and People with Disabilities, Michael Bérubé, TEDx PSU 2010 (Video 13m 16s)
News and commentary on the NDIS (47)
People with Down syndrome and/or their families and carers can join the closed Facebook Group, NDIS and Me, for discussion specifically about the NDIS and people with Down syndrome.
NDIS eNewsletter, March 2016
Video: What is the Intellectual Disability Reference Group?
NDIS eNewsletter, March 2016
The Group is chaired by IAC Principal Member, Rhonda Galbally. Last year, the Independent Advisory Council (IAC) established an Intellectual Disability Reference Group to advise the Council on the effectiveness of the Scheme design and how the Agency can engage and better connect with people with intellectual disability to help them achieve their goals.
We joined the Group at their March meeting to provide you with a snapshot of their important work, and learn how the IAC is listening to ideas and feedback from people with intellectual disability, carers, advocates, providers and academics about how the Scheme can better support the inclusion of people with intellectual disability.
Group members interviewed for the video include NSW Council for Intellectual Disability chairperson Michael Sullivan, Adelaide People First advocacy group founder Silvana Gant, senior advocate Jim Simpson, and NDIA Service Delivery General Manager Liz Cairns.
The March meeting focused on how the Scheme can best support people with intellectual disability to make decisions about their lives and what they need to achieve their goals.
Download transcript of the video here (DOCX, 13KB)
Information, Linkages and Capacity Building Commissioning Framework
NSW Council on Intellectual Disability (blog), 6 April 2016
CID has been having lots of conversations and engaging with many people about the NDIS Information Linkages and Capacity Building Framework which is currently in consultation. Submissions on the framework can be made until 22 April.
Here are some of our initial thoughts and questions on the framework.
CID has been having lots of conversations and engaging with many people about the NDIS Information Linkages and Capacity Building Framework which is currently in consultation. Submissions on the framework can be made until 22 April.
Here are some of our initial thoughts and questions on the framework.
CID will continue our research and prepare a final submission but we wanted to share some of the ideas and themes that we are developing ...
Financial Models for NDIS Housing – NFP ReportLina Caneva, Probono News, 31 March 2016
Using the NDIS to address the large housing shortage for people with disability will depend on the ability of housing providers to access significant amounts of capital from the private financial market, according to a new analysis ...
Ellie Cooper, Probono Australia News, 23 March 2016
Two social workers concerned about the lack of information on NDIS services, and their quality, have created an online directory of ratings and reviews, writes Ellie Cooper in this week’s Spotlight on Social Enterprise ...
Two social workers concerned about the lack of information on NDIS services, and their quality, have created an online directory of ratings and reviews, writes Ellie Cooper in this week’s Spotlight on Social Enterprise ...
Indepent advisory Council (IAC) advice on reasonable and necessary support across the lifespan: An ordinary life for people with disabilityIndependent Advisory Council, NDIS, March 2016
... (This) paper takes an ‘ordinary life’ in 21st century multicultural Australia as its starting point because people with disability share the ordinary aspirations of their peers without disability but need reasonable and necessary NDIS support to achieve them. The ordinary life provides clues as to how these aspirations would typically be met providing a useful benchmark to guide understanding of reasonable and necessary support ...
Community Resource Unit (Qld), launched March 2016
... (This) paper takes an ‘ordinary life’ in 21st century multicultural Australia as its starting point because people with disability share the ordinary aspirations of their peers without disability but need reasonable and necessary NDIS support to achieve them. The ordinary life provides clues as to how these aspirations would typically be met providing a useful benchmark to guide understanding of reasonable and necessary support ...
- Comment on NDIS and Me Facebook Group, 28 March 2016: It's very long, but you can click on the bits you might want to read from the link here. Given that over 60% of NDIS participants have an intellectual disability, I'm hoping there are Plain English and Easy Read versions being developed.
Community Resource Unit (Qld), launched March 2016
Community Resource Unit Inc. is pleased to announce the launch of a new website we have developed as part of our NDIS Participant Readiness program. This website has been created as a resource for people with disability and their supporters, both paid and unpaid.
Our idea was to create a website that explored what makes a Good Life and some of the things that can be done to create and sustain this for a person with disability ...
Wednesday, 6 April 2016
Autism acceptance month: links
Those interested in the dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism will be interested in these links:
Can you make it to the end?
National Austistic Society, UK
Watch our film and experience what sensory overload is like for a boy on the autism spectrum.
Fascinating images reveal how people with autism see the world
They typically don't look at faces as closely; they can be more easily overwhelmed by too many stimuli; and they may fixate intensely on one thing at a time ...
Can you make it to the end?
National Austistic Society, UK
Watch our film and experience what sensory overload is like for a boy on the autism spectrum.
- Warning: this film contains flashing lights, bright colours and loud, sudden noises.
Fascinating images reveal how people with autism see the world
Rebecca Harrington, Tech Insider, 29 October 2015
People with autism see the world differently.They typically don't look at faces as closely; they can be more easily overwhelmed by too many stimuli; and they may fixate intensely on one thing at a time ...
Tuesday, 5 April 2016
More people with Down syndrome ...
Ben Paior Smith on Q and A, 4 April 2016
News.com, 5 April 2016
... "Earlier in the program (Q and A, ABC TV,)16-year-old Ben Paior Smith won the audience over with his plea for more support.
“I go to a mainstream school. I need extra help there. I want to know when the Government will help students with disabilities like me properly so I can get a good job when I finish school.”
South Australian MP for the Dignity for Disability party, Kelly Vincent, who herself has cerebral palsy, said funding wasn’t the only problem — there was also a “culture of low expectation”.
“Particularly students with disabilities, we repeatedly see them burdened with low expectations because we don’t expect them to do much.
“We are not investing in that culture that would actually see them asked, ‘what do you want to achieve? What are your skills, assets, capabilities?" ...
Peter's Speech - "Stop Discriminating Down!" (Video 4m 49s)
Jerome Lejeune Foundation USA, 14 March 2016
... "Earlier in the program (Q and A, ABC TV,)16-year-old Ben Paior Smith won the audience over with his plea for more support.
“I go to a mainstream school. I need extra help there. I want to know when the Government will help students with disabilities like me properly so I can get a good job when I finish school.”
South Australian MP for the Dignity for Disability party, Kelly Vincent, who herself has cerebral palsy, said funding wasn’t the only problem — there was also a “culture of low expectation”.
“Particularly students with disabilities, we repeatedly see them burdened with low expectations because we don’t expect them to do much.
“We are not investing in that culture that would actually see them asked, ‘what do you want to achieve? What are your skills, assets, capabilities?" ...
Peter's Speech - "Stop Discriminating Down!" (Video 4m 49s)
Jerome Lejeune Foundation USA, 14 March 2016
Peter, a young man from Holland with Down syndrome, shares his life and his sadness that so many choose to abort people like him after a prenatal diagnosis.
Australian Down Syndrome Swimming Team raising $300,00 to compete in Italy as they chase Paralympics representation
Travis Meyn, Courier-Mail via Fox Sports, 23 March 2016
Australian Down Syndrome Swimming Team raising $300,00 to compete in Italy as they chase Paralympics representation
Travis Meyn, Courier-Mail via Fox Sports, 23 March 2016
Meet the group behind a push to have athletes with down syndrome given a fair crack at the Paralympics. The Down Syndrome Swimming Australia national team is raising $300,000 to compete at the World Trisome Games in Italy in July ...
The first woman with Down Syndrome to be cast as the face of a beauty company
The first woman with Down Syndrome to be cast as the face of a beauty company
Emma Spedding, Daily Telegraph (UK), 4 April 2016When it comes to casting, critics often argue the beauty industry has a tendency of representing one narrow, unrealistic type of beauty. But Katie Meade is the latest model who is helping to change all that; she is the first model with Down Syndrome to become the face of a beauty campaign ... "beauty belongs to everybody" ...
Queensland boy with Down syndrome newest face of BondsAmy Mitchell-Whittington, Brisbane Times, 28 March 2016
A Queensland boy with Down syndrome has become the newest face for Bonds after he won the People's Choice category for 2016.
A Queensland boy with Down syndrome has become the newest face for Bonds after he won the People's Choice category for 2016.
Hyperreal Tales (Video 6 m)
Bundanon Trust, ABC Open, 17 March 2016
Hyperreal Tales has been three years in development. Director/choreographer Philip Channells and filmmaker Sam James worked with nineteen storytellers and artists, initially contacted with the help of local health and disability service providers ...
People with Down syndrome
Evidence of the varied interests and skills of people with Down syndrome continues to stream in from the media. While it will be wonderful to reach the time when this is not 'news', it is important that such knowledge builds in the community by continuous exposure, as does the less welcome news of barriers to inclusion, safety and respect.
Meet the Sydneysiders with Down syndrome giving back to their community
Learning difficulties won't stop them acting Shakespeare
Channel 4 News (UK), 23 March 2016
Meet the actors with Down’s Syndrome and other learning difficulties challenging expectations by performing Shakespeare.
Sister of former NRL player Craig Wing set to hit Sydney’s airwaves on Eastside Community Radio
Jenny Galbraith, Wentworth Courier, 27 March 2016
A radio program in Sydney’s east is giving a voice to those in the community who are rarely heard. Kirsty Wing, 26, who lives with Down syndrome, will host her own show on Eastside Community Radio on March 29 as part of a project by disability service provider The Windgap Foundation ...
‘Bachelor pad’ offers independence for seven men with Down syndrome
Gene Warner , The Buffalo News, 23 March 2016
Talk about a cool bachelor pad. Seven young men, most in their late 20s, live together in a seven-bedroom house in Eggertsville, complete with a pool table, in a setting described as “flat-screen TV heaven.” ...
Jessica Parsons Offers Inclusive Yoga for All
Meet the Sydneysiders with Down syndrome giving back to their community
Ehsan Knopf, 9News, 23 March 2016
Members of a Sydney-based social group for people with Down syndrome say they’re delighted to be given the chance to pay it forward ... In the last year, the organisation has prepared and served meals to children at the Ronald McDonald House and Bear Cottage, a palliative care facility for children with terminal illnesses ...
Members of a Sydney-based social group for people with Down syndrome say they’re delighted to be given the chance to pay it forward ... In the last year, the organisation has prepared and served meals to children at the Ronald McDonald House and Bear Cottage, a palliative care facility for children with terminal illnesses ...
Learning difficulties won't stop them acting Shakespeare
Channel 4 News (UK), 23 March 2016
Meet the actors with Down’s Syndrome and other learning difficulties challenging expectations by performing Shakespeare.
Sister of former NRL player Craig Wing set to hit Sydney’s airwaves on Eastside Community Radio
Jenny Galbraith, Wentworth Courier, 27 March 2016
A radio program in Sydney’s east is giving a voice to those in the community who are rarely heard. Kirsty Wing, 26, who lives with Down syndrome, will host her own show on Eastside Community Radio on March 29 as part of a project by disability service provider The Windgap Foundation ...
‘Bachelor pad’ offers independence for seven men with Down syndrome
Gene Warner , The Buffalo News, 23 March 2016
Talk about a cool bachelor pad. Seven young men, most in their late 20s, live together in a seven-bedroom house in Eggertsville, complete with a pool table, in a setting described as “flat-screen TV heaven.” ...
Jessica Parsons Offers Inclusive Yoga for All
Carolina Starin, Santa Barbara Independent, 29 March 2016
“Yoga makes me feel powerful,” says a bubbly Jessica Parsons as she readies for instructing her weekly Inclusive Yoga for All Abilities class at Santa Barbara's Carrillo Rec Center. Parsons connects deeply with her students through her own yoga accomplishment — possibly being the first and only person in the country with Down syndrome to become a certified yoga instructor.
Corrie's Bairstow: 'amazing to be considered a role model'
“Yoga makes me feel powerful,” says a bubbly Jessica Parsons as she readies for instructing her weekly Inclusive Yoga for All Abilities class at Santa Barbara's Carrillo Rec Center. Parsons connects deeply with her students through her own yoga accomplishment — possibly being the first and only person in the country with Down syndrome to become a certified yoga instructor.
Corrie's Bairstow: 'amazing to be considered a role model'
BBC, 21 March 2016
Coronation Street's Liam Bairstow says it's an honour to be considered a role model for people with Down’s Syndrome. Speaking to Coronation Street fan Grace Stockdale for Down's Sydrome Awareness Week, Bairstow said he feels it's a "great honour" to speak up for those with Down's Syndrome and offered advice for those looking to follow his path into acting ...
Coronation Street's Liam Bairstow says it's an honour to be considered a role model for people with Down’s Syndrome. Speaking to Coronation Street fan Grace Stockdale for Down's Sydrome Awareness Week, Bairstow said he feels it's a "great honour" to speak up for those with Down's Syndrome and offered advice for those looking to follow his path into acting ...
Monday, 4 April 2016
Studio ARTES sustains enormous loss in fire
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| Click here to donate online |
You might be familiar with Studio ARTES in Hornsby in Sydney's northern suburbs, by knowing members (people with disability), or staff, or from having seen some of the spectacular art works that are produced there.
We know them for all of those reasons, and as a a highly regarded, innovative organisation supporting a significant number of people with Down syndrome, whose values are congruent with those of Down Syndrome NSW.
Approximately 140 people with disabilities attend Studio ARTES regularly to participate in recreational, learning and social activities, and some are being supported in the development of career paths in visual arts.
We are very sorry to hear that early yesterday morning (Sunday 3 April), the main studio, the location for many of the programs and storage of art equipment and art works, and the administrative centre, sustained extensive damage from a fire in an adjoining building, and is likely to be demolished.
Luckily, no-one was on site, and there were no injuries.
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| Studio ARTES is located to the immediate right of the flames |
While some activities occur at other venues, the damaged building is the major centre for Studio ARTES, and the losses are great - in both material and social terms ...
... The fire has caused extensive smoke, water and structural damage, with the roof caving in. We have lost everything. Artworks, filming equipment, computers, costumes to name a few ... and our home for 140 members and 35 staff.
We are all devastated. Any assistance you are able to provide will be graciously accepted as we begin to rebuild ... (appeal page)
Studio ARTES is determined to re-build, and to sustain its support programs and activities while that happens. Supporting the members will involve promoting understanding of what has happened, what needs to happen now, and reassurance that the services and opportunities offered will be available throughout a period of disruption, change and re-establishment. Studio ARTES is already taking steps to achieve those aims.
Scrapheap Adventure Ride 2016: fund raising for Down Syndrome NSW
The Scrapheap Adventure Ride 2016 (the seventh Scrapheap event) destination has been announced - Kallara Station, Tilpa NSW:
The Scrapheap Adventure Ride is a unique fundraising event which involves motorcycle enthusiasts from all over the country purchasing a bike for no more than $1000 and doing it up for an adventure ride through the Aussie outback, all while raising money for people with Down syndrome.
In just six years the event has raised nearly $400,000 for Down Syndrome NSW.
Riders begin their journey at home or wherever they like but arrive at the same destination.
This year that destination is Kallara Station, Tilpa, in Western NSW, where all ‘Scrappers’ plus family and friends will meet for a weekend of fun and entertainment at a campsite from September 30 to October 2.
Our target for 2016 is 100 riders raising $100,000 for Down Syndrome NSW.
Friday, 1 April 2016
Weekend reading and viewing: 2 - 3 April 2016
School: sorted; how to get there? hmmmm …
Alex McAuley, The Life That Max Built, 16 march 2016
So, having finally found a school for Max where he was happy, we started to settle down into a more harmonious family life. There were still problems: because Max’s school was some distance from home and there was no school bus (anyway, it would have been too much for him to have caught one were there one to be caught), he qualified for the school transport scheme. This meant that every morning a taxi would arrive at our house to collect Max and take him to school. Perfect, I hear all you frazzled mums saying, thinking of your morning panic as you try to get everyone dressed, lunch packed and out the door to catch to bus. Well, yes, it should have been. But unfortunately it didn’t always work out that way ...
Powering inclusion: changing cultural perspectives of Down syndrome and disability through inclusive imagery and messages
Catia Malaquias's speech at the 5th World Down Syndrome Day Conference, United Nations, New York.
... Now that we have achieved so much in the way of formal rights, how do we support and accelerate social inclusion of people with Down syndrome and other disability? How do we challenge the legacy of an entrenched history of segregation and dislodge unconscious bias that defaults to exclusion; the belief that people with Down syndrome should be somewhere else – in “special” schools, “special” workplaces and residing in “special” homes.
What will it take to reshape attitudes to disability and for society to revalue people with Down syndrome? ...
Indiana abortion law won't help the disabled
David Perry, USA Today, 28 March 2016
... As I watched my son dancing in the rear-view mirror, I knew a few things for sure. HB 1337 and laws like it won’t help people who have Down syndrome. Moreover, they aren’t really intended to do so. The goal of this law is to silence women and doctors by criminalizing conversations about abortion. People with Down syndrome are just collateral damage because that’s going to make the words “Down syndrome” even scarier ...
... Now that we have achieved so much in the way of formal rights, how do we support and accelerate social inclusion of people with Down syndrome and other disability? How do we challenge the legacy of an entrenched history of segregation and dislodge unconscious bias that defaults to exclusion; the belief that people with Down syndrome should be somewhere else – in “special” schools, “special” workplaces and residing in “special” homes.
What will it take to reshape attitudes to disability and for society to revalue people with Down syndrome? ...
Indiana abortion law won't help the disabled
David Perry, USA Today, 28 March 2016
... As I watched my son dancing in the rear-view mirror, I knew a few things for sure. HB 1337 and laws like it won’t help people who have Down syndrome. Moreover, they aren’t really intended to do so. The goal of this law is to silence women and doctors by criminalizing conversations about abortion. People with Down syndrome are just collateral damage because that’s going to make the words “Down syndrome” even scarier ...
My son Maxwell
Molly Macleod, DSA (UK) blog, 21 March 2016
My son Maxwell was born on World Down’s Syndrome Day (21 March) in 2014. This year’s theme is #My FriendsMyCommunity and I’ve been thinking about how Maxwell has taught me about real inclusion and acceptance.
With a pre-natal diagnosis for Down’s syndrome we were expecting Maxwell…or actually, we thought we knew what to expect ...
Midwives and babies in charity calendar for Down's Syndrome
ITV News (UK), 31 March 2016
A group of midwives from Leicestershire has posed nude for a charity calendar to raise money for the Down's Syndrome Association.The calendar also features two babies with Down's Syndrome, who are photographed with their mothers as well as playing with each other.
Joanna Proud, a midwife from Shepshed in Leicestershire, came up with the idea. Orders have been coming in from as far afield as Australia, Brazil and Portugal ...
Autism Acceptance Day/Month: Down Syndrome and Autism dual diagnosis
Tomorrow, 2 April is Autism Acceptance Day, and April is claimed as Autism Acceptance Month internationally - very relevant for those with the dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and autism and their families.
Down Syndrome Australia hosts a Facebook page for people with a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. It is a place for sharing information and support about the dual diagnosis of Down syndrome/Autism Spectrum Disorder - DS/ASD.
Assistiveware is repeating its excellent-value discount offer from last year, 2 - 4 April 2016
It is believed that 7-18%1(some research suggests up to 39%2) of individuals with Down syndrome also have autism spectrum disorder. Both Down syndrome and autism can be challenging disabilities separately, without the combination, however when combined the challenges are multiplied and can be quite complex ... Down Syndrome-Autism Connection
Down Syndrome Australia hosts a Facebook page for people with a dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and Autism Spectrum Disorder and their families. It is a place for sharing information and support about the dual diagnosis of Down syndrome/Autism Spectrum Disorder - DS/ASD.Assistiveware is repeating its excellent-value discount offer from last year, 2 - 4 April 2016
Here at AssistiveWare, we are passionate about supporting our diverse user community and April is the perfect time to highlight the valuable contributions autistic people make in our world. This year, like last year, we made the decision to recognize April as Autism Acceptance Month and April 2nd as Autism Acceptance Day. And we’re offering a discount…not just on one product, but two. Both our symbol and text-based communication apps — Proloquo2Go and Proloquo4Text — will be offered at a 50% discount. An incredible value! ... click here for details and check with AssistiveWare about the best time to order taking international time zones into account.
Assistiveware published this article in honour of World Down Syndrome Day:
Focus on Autism Week 2- 8 AprilYoung woman with Down Syndrome finds her communicative independence, AssistiveWare, 21 March 2016
... Diagnosed with Down Syndrome and moderate/severe hearing loss, Elysha has used a combination of sign and voice all her life. Even though she’s fluent in sign language, Elysha felt isolated because only a few people also master sign. Often she would give up rather than try to repeat herself over and over, and so became more withdrawn ... Now Elysha uses Proloquo4Text on an iPad Mini with bluetooth speaker, just in case she’s in a noisy environment. Lisa is her voice of choice because she likes the way it sounds; she’s female, adult and has an Aussie accent! ...
Lines of Inquiry, Edition 12, March 201
- To help raise awareness of autism, Emerald is providing free access to relevant content from the journal, Advances in Autism, during Autism awareness week (2-8 April 2016). These articles are free to access from 1 April to 15 April 2016 and will help raise awareness of the issues involved in working with this client group ... links to the free articles are here
- Previous posts on this blog about the dual diagnosis of Down syndrome and Autism
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