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Down Syndrome NSW
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Friday 8 July 2016

Weekend reading and viewing: 9 - 10 July 2016


Advocates raise concerns over casual demeaning of people with disability at Wimbledon
Disability Australia, 8 June 2016
In the past week two high profile Australian tennis players have caused a wave of sadness and anger in the disability community by using the word ‘retard’ at Wimbledon.
Today, Disability Australia, representing over 200,000 Australians with disability, called for Tennis Australia to better educate its players. 
“People with disability often face everyday exclusion through casual slurs and insults,” said AFDO President, Mr Trevor Carroll. “Over time, demeaning language has a profound effect on how society views people with disability and how we view ourselves. 
When high profile tennis players like Nick Kyrgios and Bernard Tomic use demeaning language casually, they reinforce that hurt, especially for people with intellectual disabilities like Down syndrome.” 
Down Syndrome Australia, a member of Disability Australia, has acted swiftly. In a letter to Tennis Australia they have called on the sporting body to offer Kyrgios and Tomic education about Down syndrome, and to be more proactive in their general disability awareness. 
“We believe this is an opportunity for Tennis Australia to step up its work in disability awareness and inclusion,” said Angus Graham, President of Down Syndrome Australia. “It’s our hope that they will work collaboratively with us to make sure we build more positive community attitudes towards people with Down syndrome, and people with disability more broadly.”
Our story: A vision of majesty at Greek Easter
Mark Leach, Down Syndrome Prenatal Testing, 23 April 2014
... You just can’t see that far out to see how life will develop for your child. Any child. Even those who society, school systems, state insurance programs, and doctors will easily and immediately label: “Down syndrome,” “intellectually disabled,” “mild to moderate mental retardation.” Even with those labels, it does not tell you what your child’s life can become ...

Thoughts on the Down syndrome narrative
Big Blueberry Eyes, 29 June 2016
Someone left a comment on my previous post - Down Syndrome is a Blessing...or Is It? - that I wanted to reply to ... My viewpoints don't have to "align with the general viewpoint of others raising children with Down syndrome." I missed the memo that said now that we have raising children with an extra chromosome in common we all have to think and believe in the same things ...

100 hours of placement was all I needed
Melinda nay, NSW Council on Intellectual Disability blog, 5 July 2016
... I am a university student, a swimming coach and an older sister to Megan, she is 14 years old, and has Down syndrome ... When selecting my placement for my university course, I knew I wanted to be a part of the CID team. Even though it was only for a short time, I knew that CID would be able to provide me with knowledge and experiences that other organisations wouldn’t be able to. For example, being involved in NDIS focus groups, NDIS training workshops, presentations to other university students, learning how to do easy-read documents, helping with event launches, celebrating other advocacy services milestones, and most importantly networking with other advocacy services and learning how they support people with a disability ...

My Brother is Not Cute—He’s a Badass
Maggie Heffernan, Ruderman Family Foundation, 5 July 2016
Recently at a sports event, a friend approached me to share how excited he was to meet my brother. “Your younger brother—he is just so cute,” he gushed, gesturing towards the seat where my brother was sitting. I feigned a smile and nodded at him, pretending to match his enthusiasm as he proceeded to talk about the “benefits of people with disabilities” and how profoundly his son had been affected by meeting someone with autism the other day. Besides the fact that my brother is three years older than I am, there is something else wrong with my friend’s statement: my brother is not “cute”—he’s a badass ...

Does it help disabled people to let them win?
Laurence Clark, BBC News, 4 July 2016
A video has gone viral of schoolchildren slowing down to let a disabled classmate win a race. Laurence Clark, a comedian with cerebral palsy, is not sure he wouldn't rather lose ...

'Hi Mum. Hi Dad. Love ya' - girl with Down syndrome the star as she video bombs TV presenter
TVNZ, 6 June 2016
A TV report from an Australian shopping mall ended with what the presenter calls one of the nicest "video bombs" he's had while filming ...

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