BellaOnline Forums Family Special Needs Children Sarah Palin and Down Syndrome Awareness

From a comment at PatriciaEBauer.com
"As VP debate looms, coverage of Palin and disability":

...Biden has twice introduced a bill in the Senate that aims to prevent crimes against disabled people and improve the quality of service that we get from the criminal justice system.

Dick Sobsey from the International Coalition on Abuse & Disability blogs about it at the following links:

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I saw a story about Sarah Palin at a ribbon cutting ceremony for a group home, with scenes of families at her political rallies wearing 'Trig' and 'Special Needs Families for Sarah Palin' t-shirts today on our local noon news.

Here's a story about it:

Palin visits Welcome House
http://www.westlifenews.com/2008/10-15/govpalin.html

<<For supporters of Welcome House, the North Olmsted group home which works with people with Down Syndrome, it was an unexpected pleasure.

Tony Thomas, the director for Welcome House, said last Friday�s visit by Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin to dedicate a plaque in front of the home before a small group of officials and visitors, came about very quickly.

�It�s a great opportunity to make people more aware of Down Syndrome,� said Thomas. �It started when Tony George spoke to the McCain campaign about us. He�s been a contributor to the campaign and asked if Mrs. Palin would consider visiting us.�>>

and
Palin makes side trip for ribbon cutting

http://blog.cleveland.com/openers/2008/10/palin_makes_side_trip_for_ribb.html

<<Palin, whose son Trig has the same special needs, was in town for a George-sponsored fundraiser and made a side trip for the ceremony, billed as a non-partisan event and attracting as many Democrats as Republican officials.

"Partisanship needs to fly out the window at times like this," Palin said in brief remarks. "Helping families with special needs, I hope that is the top of our concerns."

The residence, which serves 30 people, was built with private donations and a $250,000 state grant arranged by State Rep. Tom Patton, a Strongsville Republican. >>

My son loves seeing pictures of Trig Palin, saying 'he looks like me in the face - so cute!' and I enjoy seeing children and families who are so enthusiastic about being ambassadors for Down syndrome awareness. This is more of what I hoped for when Sarah Palin entered the campaign.

I am also looking for stories that feature families who reflect the racial and ethnic diversity of our communities as well as a son or daughter with Down syndrome. I have looked for those stories since my son was just a sprout.

Thanks!

Pam W
SE of Seattle

Sarah Palin and Down Syndrome Awareness
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art58737.asp

October is National Down Syndrome Awareness month and I hope that advocacy and support groups across the USA are putting out great articles on resources, new parent packets, and drawing media attention to the great individuals with Down syndrome in our communities who inspire and delight us.

Palin details plan to help children with disabilities
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Palin�s �major policy� speech: Vague promises, no platform

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Johanna�s Top 10 Tips to Surviving the Last week of the 2008 Election (and preserving your Down syndrome support group at the same time)

1) The beauty of Down syndrome is that it�s an equal-opportunity diagnosis. Our children�s diagnosis brought us together�people of all political persuasions, economic classes, social classes, educational backgrounds, sexual orientations, ethnic and cultural backgrounds, and religious beliefs. We have something in common that folks outside of the Down syndrome community might not fully understand; this alone makes our group unique and worth preserving.

2) Elections come and go, but Down syndrome is for life. What choices can we make and how can we conduct ourselves now in order to preserve the well-being and civility of our Down syndrome support group after the election?

3) Many members of our Down syndrome support group hold political opinions exactly opposite of your own. It�s unwise to presume agreement.

4) Most, if not all, people in our support group have decided by now how they will vote (some may have voted already), and nothing said will likely change their minds.

5) Sweeping generalizations made by political pundits and absolutes that begin with �Democrats are all�,� �Republicans are all�,� �Libertarians are all�,� �Members of the Green Party are all�,� �Constitutionists are all�� and any post that includes charges of an Oligarchy, Socialism, Fascism, Marxism, greed, etc, not only aren�t persuasive in a mixed crowd but don�t contribute to the long-term health, trust, and well-being of our Down syndrome support group.

6) Among our members, there are Democrats who are pro-choice and pro-life, as well as Republicans who are pro-choice and pro-life. It�s good to remember that the only ticket into our exclusive Down syndrome club is to have a child with Down syndrome. All of the members of our group support positive messages about Down syndrome, support Down syndrome awareness, and deeply love and value people with Down syndrome.

7) If we have the goal of preserving the integrity, safety, respect and compassion for members of our support group, it�s probably not a good idea to use divisive rhetoric generated by campaigns in posts. That type of rhetoric is crafted with the intention of shoring-up a base of people who are already in agreement and it�s not intended to be persuasive in a bi-partisan group.

8) It�s even more important in the forum of this online support group for people like us�parents of children w/ differences (in physical appearances and/or with intellectual differences) who are vulnerable to bullies�to model civility and tolerance of differences. We can discuss ideas and disagree without resorting to insults and forgetting that there are human beings behind those differences. If we act with intolerance and disrespect of others because of their ideas, values, and differences, that makes us bullies. I believe we, of all people, should be above that.

9) Generally speaking, venting and ranting in a post to the support group is contagious and counter-productive if we want to maintain civility in our group. We�re only human and all of us have done it, but it�s a good idea to resist the knee-jerk instincts that lead us to do it.

10) Everyone has something going on in their lives besides politics and you never know who or what it might be�in the middle of a health crisis, cheering on first steps, celebrating a birthday, receiving a new diagnosis, struggling with school issues, learning to read or potty train, getting laid off, worrying about a deployed family member, caring for an aging parent, single-parenting, struggling to pay rent or mortgage, working to connect with a significant other, celebrating milestones, growing their family, laying down new roots, burying a loved one, starting a new career, choosing new habits, etc., etc. Let�s see each other with empathy and vow to reconnect with our mission of supporting each other. There�s enough suffering and celebration to go around�

"Respect for opinions is not an easy art at all. It requires self-esteem, self-control, sensitivity, tolerance, fairness, and generosity."
--Dr. P.M. Forni, Professor at Johns Hopkins University and co-founder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project.

25 Rules of Considerate Conduct:
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"Portraying individuals with Down syndrome as having so little potential or quality of life that pro-choice moms terminate pregnancies and pro-life moms give birth only as part of an adoption plan is misleading and contrary to the experience of families.

Also, suggesting that children with Down syndrome are so difficult and unsatisfying to raise that their parents must be saints or special in any way is equally ignorant and insulting."

THANK YOU!! Both of those common assumptions annoy me terribly.

I enjoyed seeing the picture of little Trig Palin in his Halloween costume (Republican elephant) with his oldest sister and mom smiling at him. Six months old already! I bet he was adorable.

Trig And Piper Palin Dress Up As Elephant And Snow Princess For Halloween (PHOTOS)

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What do you think about the CNN interview that featured Sarah Palin saying she would be honored to be invited to help out President-elect Barack Obama on a commission to make recommendations about children with disabilities?

I enjoy every opportunity seeing Trig during interviews and in other footage ~ it will be fun seeing him grow up in public.

During her Fox news interview she cautioned her youngest daughter to be careful carrying baby Trig in the kitchen ~ perhaps being mindful of the concerns of viewers when Piper carried him on stage during the campaign.

But I think that the Fifth District Washington Representative, Cathy McMorris Rogers, would be a more appropriate parent participant. She seems to be the driving force behind the bipartisan Congressional Down Syndrome Caucus and has educated herself about developmental disabilities, issues and resources. Read more about her credentials at:
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Using terminology in a derogatory manner might get clueless movie actors nominated for Golden Globes, but an American comedian insulting Sarah Palin's family on a BBC radio program was found to be in violation of the Broadcasting Code. Read about it here:

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There's a good discussion in this Anchorage Press article, of the Wait List as well as inadequately funded services for those who are not waiting, but underserved.

December 23, 2008 - The Least Among Us BellaOnline ALERT: Raw URLs are not allowed in these forums for security reasons. Please use UBB code. If you don't know how to do UBB code just post here for help - we will help out!