The need for care and support

This past weekend was the Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action conference. Consistent with past years, the schedule featured sharing sessions and breakouts on best practices for medical outreach and new and expectant parent support. With the advances being made in prenatal testing and research showing that the need for care and support is a key […]

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What is a legacy?

In this post-modern, existential age, it can cause some to wonder what’s the point of anything. How can we say anything we do truly matters? Well, on Monday, we said goodbye to a lady whose actions many families would say mattered to them.

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What do you say when you hear the “R-word”?

Recently, my wife and I went out for a nice evening. That was the intention, at least. Then, at dinner, we overheard from our neighboring table the “r-word.” I wonder, what do you say when you hear the “r-word”? 

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Getting ready for the Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action conference

What should you do if you are attending the Down Syndrome Affiliates in Action Annual Conference? 

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Two birthdays with competing legacies

Ten score and four years ago today, Abraham Lincoln was born. That same day 204 years ago also was the birthday of Charles Darwin. The competing legacies of these two men twist through history like the spiraling parallel sides of the DNA molecule.

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What I hope Daniel Day-Lewis says at the Oscars

Daniel Day-Lewis is the odds-on favorite to win a historic third Best Actor Oscar. I hope he will say what we thought he would say in 2008, and speak to the billion people watching on the value of his brother-in-law.

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A Dream of a Brighter Future

Monday is Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. It seems fitting to observe on this holiday honoring the great civil rights leader what many have called the next civil rights movement. The new wave of prenatal testing advances has brought into focus what we mean by America’s creed that all are created equal.

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I didn’t expect them to be as good as they are

  The featured video is about the Jensen-Schmidt Tennis Academy for Down syndrome and runs around 5 minutes. The Academy is a two-day program where individuals with Down syndrome of all ages are paired one-on-one with volunteer instructors to take them through drills and learn tennis basics. The Academy was the inspiration of a father of […]

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We are what we decide to be

One mother’s take on raising her daughter with Down syndrome, who she describes as “perfect.” As though in response to the quote I wrote about at this post, this mom has a different perspective: that her daughter is her “every day reminder that we are what we decide to be.”

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