Bonnie Rochman, a columnist for TIME magazine, has a new post about her trip to paradise being interrupted. It informs how a diagnosis for Down syndrome is delivered and processed by expectant parents. Rochman writes about her son entering a T-shirt shop selling shirts that made fun of individuals with intellectual disabilities. By coincidence, a family with a child with Down syndrome entered the store soon after Rochman saw the T-shirts. She writes: I felt panicky. As a mother, I wanted to Continue Reading
January 14, 2013
Guess who was at the 2013 Golden Globes?
Last year, it was a photo with George Clooney. This year, a photo with Dame Helen Mirren. I doubt Lauren's parents (or anyone for that matter) would have expected at the time the diagnosis of Down syndrome was delivered that Lauren would go on to have a recurring role in a smash TV show and attend premier Hollywood awards parties. Adding to the list of examples that demonstrate the wisdom I wrote about in this post. Continue Reading
December 6, 2012
In Memoriam: Donna Lee Preston, An Unexpected Life
On the “About Me” page, I mention that I am involved with several organizations devoted to serving individuals with intellectual disabilities. A week ago, a member of one of those organizations passed away. Her name was Donna Lee Preston, and she lived an unexpected life. Donna was born in another era for individuals with Down syndrome. She was raised in a time when institutionalization was the medically-recommended option following birth and before the modern era of early intervention, Continue Reading
December 3, 2012
A Review of Andrew Solomon’s New Book: Far from [what] tree?
Andrew Solomon's new book, "Far From the Tree," has been receiving a lot of coverage lately--and deservedly so. But, his final assessment begs the question: "Far from what tree?" Solomon's title sums up the contents of his weighty tome. Ten of the twelve chapters are devoted to a single condition each, e.g. Chapter 2, Deaf, Ch. 5, Autism, Ch. 11, Transgender. The title comes from Solomon's assessment that children born with differing conditions than their parents are in some fundamental way Continue Reading
November 25, 2012
“These attributes do not define those we love.”
On the right side of the homepage, you'll see a scroll of my twitter feed. Unlike common uses of twitter, I do not update my followers where I'm eating dinner or what I think of the movie I'm watching. Instead, most all posts are links to news reports about Down syndrome. I invite you to follow the feed to see the news of the day. Some articles, however, are deserving of a larger exposition than the 140-character limit of Twitter. An article from last week is just so deserving. Dominic Continue Reading
November 21, 2012
Giving Thanks: For those who get to know those with Down syndrome
Happy Thanksgiving! For those going through prenatal testing for Down syndrome, let us give thanks for those who make the effort to get to know more about Down syndrome. Continue Reading
November 14, 2012
Top 5 Homecoming King & Queen Stories from NDSAM
October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month (NDSAM). And, each year, as regularly as football games kick-off, there are stories of high school students with Down syndrome being crowned homecoming king and queen. Some of the reporting is of the patronizing sort, which rightly deserves the derision by my friend Krista Flint (and other champions of inclusion). But, it seems with increasing frequency, there are fewer stories about the young person "suffering" from Down syndrome Continue Reading
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