Journalist – Historian – Speaker
There are two distinct types of message driven inspirational videos. One type focuses inward at the community it represents; the other pushes outward. #HowDoYouSeeMe claims to be directed outward. The makers and their PR folks claim that its goal is to change the way people see Down syndrome. In fact, headline after headline over the …
“Ally’s story, and Penny’s story, don’t negate the significance of these new neurological findings, or the fact that drug interventions for cognition will come as good news for some people with Down syndrome. I am not certain that Penny needs medical interventions to improve her cognition, but I know she needs a social context that …
It’s my understanding that the head of NARAL – Missouri will read this Testimony at a Senate Hearing for SB 802, a bill that make it illegal to have an abortion after a pre-natal diagnosis. Resources. SB 802 text. An article I wrote for CNN on the Ohio version of this bill. My testimony: I …
Born This Way was the new Down syndrome reality show that aired over December and January. I wrote a review of it here as basically fine TV limited by its artificial format. Here, though, is a really detailed essay on the show including, wonderfully, interviews with self-advocates about watching it. Opinions, of course, vary widely, no …
This Facebook post from Mosul Eye, a source that I’m told has some track record of reliability, shows a video of disabled children (just hanging out, really), then claims the following: Through monitoring and following the death incidents of children with Down’s Syndrome and congenital deformities, we were able to learn that the Shar’i Board …
My son, like many children with disabilities, has some acute sensory issues. T-shirt tags bother him incessantly, and the advent of the printed label is wonderful. We try not to buy shirts that have tags, and when we do … Universal design for T-shirts is: no tags! #Sensory pic.twitter.com/iLnupk1fZ8 — David M. Perry (@Lollardfish) December …
The Star Tribune has a great five-part series about disability and work, focused on Minnesota, but looking more broadly – Failing the Disabled. Here’s one I like, because it’s a positive outcome. With her zest and ambition, Wollum personifies the remarkable strategy that has made Vermont a leader in the civil rights movement for adults …
(Reposted from 9/16/15 on a defunct part of the site) In West Virginia, a young man with Down syndrome is being told he can’t attend the inclusive school near his house. It all started when Roy’s parents noticed he was becoming more disinterested in school while attending Magnolia High School during his freshman year. In …
Content Note: This post does not describe rape, but does describe the way our justice system embodies rape culture. In March, 2013 – I wrote about a rape case involving a woman with Down syndrome. Her rapist was convicted, but the judge threw out the case because “she didn’t act enough like a victim.” The …
UPDATE: I am leaving the essay below as is. I am increasingly persuaded by my smart interlocutors that the correct response to these kinds of essays is to offer empathy to the mother and to tell one’s own story as best one can in one’s own spaces. Thanks for all the feedback. Websites and newspapers …