The Problem With Down Syndrome: Part 4
Posted: August 9, 2013 Filed under: advocacy, Down syndrome | Tags: Down syndrome, dystopia, Hitler, science, utopia 11 CommentsWhat is the problem with Down syndrome? I have been struggling with this, but I think it is not so much whether there is a problem (there’s not), but the drive behind the creation of a “problem” label. It is not, in and of itself, anything but a genetic condition. Just like anyone who lives on this earth, health outcomes are wide and varied. Most will have an intellectual disability and many get hung up on that. I see no inherent problem with intellectual disability, however. Intellectual disability has no guaranteed bearing on quality of life, as far as I can see. Some people live happy lives, some people don’t, intellectual disability or not.
So what is the problem? Read the rest of this entry »
Dear Chipmunk: Welcome to Bloggy Land
Posted: August 7, 2013 Filed under: Dear Chipmunk, parenting | Tags: Birth order, Down syndrome, humor, North Korea, Parenting 6 Comments(I’m taking a break from my ranting for a sec. Just needed a little recharge before I went back, ya know?)
Dear Chipmunk,
I don’t write about you enough on this blog. See, your sister is mercurial and talks a lot more than you (you’re catching up on that), and your brother has Down syndrome. Not that Down syndrome means so much in our daily lives, but I spend a lot of time thinking about it, thinking about the world’s ideas on it, thinking about how to foster change… just a lot of thinking. Read the rest of this entry »
The Problem With Down Syndrome: Part 3
Posted: August 5, 2013 Filed under: advocacy, disability, Down syndrome, the future | Tags: Disabled, Down syndrome, human rights, Intellectual disability, Intelligence quotient, stigma 20 CommentsPart 2 of my ramblings are here.
What is the problem with intellectual disability?
Can’t get a job. Can’t read. Can’t talk. Can’t understand.
The notion that intellectual disability (ID) is negative seems a matter of common sense to quite a few people. It is one of the often cited reasons in commentary and articles that advocate for research with an eye towards “curing” Down syndrome. Neither side seems to refute the idea that ID is intrinsically bad. It seems to be a given. Read the rest of this entry »
Kimchi Latkes 