Bethany Van Delft Down Syndrome Essay

Throughout my life I have had a plethora of different experiences working with children, adolescents, and teens with disabilities. I have been able to work, coach, and mentor peers through academics, sports, and different organizations involving children and adults with disabilities. My younger brother Morgan is 16 and has Down syndrome. Once Morgan was born my parents became very involved in the disability community. With my parents being so active within the community, this provided me with many opportunities for me to volunteer and work with peers of various abilities.

Among siblings 88 percent are convinced that they are better people because of their brother or sister with down syndrome. People who haven’t experienced working with or living with a disabled person don’t understand the impact it has on your life and what you consider to be normal when it comes to a daily routine. With that said the person in my life who has shaped me to be the person I am today is my sister, Madison. Madison Ness is sixteen years old with down syndrome and attends Hamilton High School in the special education classes. She is short with dark brown hair making her not that noticeable but if you get a chance to meet her you will see that she makes quite an impact on everyone who crosses her path and that she spends every waking

mother could have a Down Syndrome baby even though there was never any sign of

Kristen Isgro highlights the challenges that the mothers and caregivers go through on a daily basis. Three groups of women, ages ranging from 33 to 66 and all having a child with Down syndrome, discussing the issues such as how they advocate for their children. They also discuss what they have learned from experience dealing with health care providers and educators, and deal with how their children are viewed in different settings.

After trying for many years, Susan finally gets pregnant. Unfortunately, a blood test confirms that her baby has Down syndrome, and her doctors suggest she abort the fetus. Susan has a successful career and wants to maintain a healthy balance between her career and family. Yet she feels very uncomfortable with abortion. She seeks some advice from Richard, an influential professor of evolutionary biology who has spent his career seeking to further human potential and minimize human suffering. When Susan asks Richard if she should abort the fetus or give birth to a baby with Down syndrome, Richard replied that human beings should increase happiness and decrease suffering in this world, and that therefore he would suggest that she abort, though he also stated that she must make this choice for herself. Richard emphasized the lifelong suffering of both the child with Down syndrome and Susan as the child’s caretaker and stated that it may be immoral to bring a baby into the world if she knew the kind of suffering the child would experience. In fact, Richard suggested that perhaps the most ethical course of action would be to prevent this baby from living a life full of suffering. (This scenario is based on the following article by Richard Dawkins (2014): https://richarddawkins.net/2014/08/abortion-down-syndrome-an-apology-for-letting-slip-the-dogs-of-twitterwar/). How should Susan respond? What decision should she make if her baby would suffer with Down syndrome, yet

For the purpose of this assignment, this section of the paper will critically reflect and analyze the portrayal of people with Down Syndrome in mass media. I chose to specifically evaluate CBC New’s portrayal because it is one of our greatest sources of news in British Columbia. This section will look into several of CBC’s most recent news stories that are about people with down syndrome and the adversity they face. We will see that there is a common trend towards advocating for these people as well as trying to rid Down Syndrome from being seen as a disability.

And when Brian’s mother, Julie Heffernan, began to discuss his experiences in middle school, it really struck a cord. She brought up the fact that “middle school was difficult for Brian, mainly because the play dates began to slow as students started to partake in after school activities and Brian was not yet independent enough to do that.” I went to elementary school with a girl named Elizabeth, but everyone called her Lizzy, who has Down Syndrome. For the majority of elementary school, I spent a bulk of my recesses inside, playing games with Lizzy instead of going out to the playground with the rest of our class. However, as we grew up and entered middle school, recess was no longer a thing and having a class with Lizzy became obsolete. Being 10 or 11 at the time, it was not on my mind what all this change meant for Lizzy and, honestly, up until Brian’s mom began telling his stories, I still did not realize. While I would go out and hang out with a friend on the weekend, that was not always something that was constantly available for Lizzy or Brian. Discovering my independence and developing my own personality was pivotal in these early adolescent years and Lizzy’s and Brian’s intellectual and physical disabilities often put a lot of obstacles in the way of them doing

The Journal of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disability compared the attitudes of parents of children with Down syndrome in 1970 to those parents today. Forty percent of parent’s today report they have been confronted with accusations that their child could have been avoided (Shiver 10). Although policies over the past thirty years have become supportive of people with Down syndrome, parents frequently receive the message from society that they have chosen wrongly to deliver a child with Down syndrome. Parents do not want to live through guilt or discrimination of society. Therefore, most parents choose to abort their child, if the NIPT is positive. If there were not prenatal testing, there would be no way to determine if the child has Down syndrome before birth and parents would not be questioned why they chose for their child to experience life. In comparison, in Race: A History beyond Black and White, Aronson states, “Physical differences matter. The color of our skin, the curl of our hair, the size of our nose or lips-these are important. How we look is not just a personal matter; it identifies of a larger group” (Aronson 3). Physical differences matter, because those with Down syndrome often portray a small nose, a small mouth, upward eye slant, and flat back of the head. In society, those without the disease are prejudiced against people with Down syndrome, even though they are capable of big accomplishments. “We, those like us, those we find beautiful, are superior. You, those unlike us, those we find alien, are inferior. And yet the idea itself is so powerful because it confirms our ancient sense that those who look different are aliens and enemies” (Aronson 127). A binary has been created in society, that those with Down syndrome are less since they have distinct characteristics. Society negatively influenced parents of those with Down syndrome,

Growing up was a brother who suffers from down syndrome was a learning experience for Wong and really opened her eyes. When she was older she gave thought to medical procedures like prenatal testing that were offered

Down syndrome occurs in approximately 1 out of every 700 babies born in the United States (“Facts About Down Syndrome,” 2014). As a result, the level of awareness is not as high as that of disabilities that are more common. This campaign caters not only to the active publics, which would include parents and close members of someone with Down syndrome, but also aroused publics, who recognize and care about the issue at hand, but are not as knowledgeable about Down syndrome.

known risk factor is advanced maternal age-at age 35, a woman has 1 chance in

When I was little, I didn't think that my cousin Heather was any different than me. We played together, acted out the characters of our favorite movies and television shows, and talked like we've been best friends forever. At the time I was around the age seven, Heather was eight. We, along with our other cousins, were at our grandparent's house in Houston, Minnesota, waiting anxiously for supper so we could open Christmas presents afterwards.

According to the Encyclopedia of Genetic Disorders and Birth Defects, “Down syndrome is a chromosome abnormality caused by the presence of a third copy of chromosome 21. Characteristic facial features, in addition to epicanthal folds, include eyes slanted upward away from the nose, possibly with a speckling at the periphery of the iris, and a large tongue that often protrudes from an open mouth, making normal speech difficult” (Wynbrandt and Ludman 102-103). There are plenty of organizations dealing with Down syndrome and the acceptance of those with Downs, but one organization that really stood out was the National Down Syndrome Society. They offer various support groups in the community to help cope with the obviously emotionally jarring situation. The NDSS is definitely a leadership organization, and it has many leadership qualities, including resourcefulness, respectfulness, and tolerance.

I personally do not have a family member with an exceptionality, but I do have a friend who has an older sister with Down syndrome. I Interviewed Isabel who's sister has been living with Down syndrome for 27 years. The interview was really interesting as I learned more about my friend's personal experience. Some of the things she shared were really personal which I never dared to ask due to the sensitive of the subject. Isabel shared her personal experience growing up with a sibling who has an exceptionality. She shared how indifferent she was to her sister's exceptionality and how the death of their mother brought them closer. At one point the interview was quite emotional that had us both in tears.

Down syndrome is a genetic disorder in which a person is born with an extra copy of chromosome 21. There are three genetic variations that cause Down syndrome: Trisomy 21, Mosaic Trisomy 21 or Translocation Trisomy 21. There are many ways in which theses disorders affect the body.  Trisomy 21 occurs when an egg or sperm comes in with an extra copy of chromosome 21, then, once an embryo is formed and starts to develop, the chromosome is replicated in every single cell of the embryo. Trisomy 21 is the most common type of Down syndrome. About 92% of Down syndrome patients have this type. People with Trisomy usually have physical problems.