Today is the day to raise awareness about the R-word campaign, led by Special Olympics and Best Buddies. You can sign the pledge here to make "retard" and "retarded" go the way of the "N-word" and become the "r-word." It is a significant campaign, even if some consider it mere semantics or political correctness. Continue Reading
March 3, 2013
Down syndrome and the 2013 Oscars
While Daniel Day-Lewis did not deliver the message I hoped for, I learned of another connection one of the winners had with Down syndrome, and I had no idea it was so close. Continue Reading
February 20, 2013
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. Continue Reading
February 19, 2013
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"? Continue Reading
February 7, 2013
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. Continue Reading
January 17, 2013
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. Continue Reading
January 17, 2013
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 a child with Down syndrome and a French Open Doubles winner. The messages from the parents are touching and the ones from the volunteers are powerful. Continue Reading
January 16, 2013
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." Continue Reading
January 15, 2013
Words matter: how to describe NIPT & Down syndrome
This news report is far better than most I have seen in providing balance in the information shared about the new non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT) for Down syndrome (and it's the first I ever remember seeing where an amniocentesis is actually filmed as it is performed). That said, what words or phrases or the way the information is presented jump out at you as having room for improvement in being less biased against Down syndrome? I have suggested to the leadership of the Canadian Continue Reading
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