This Grandmother Started A Fashion Line For People With Down Syndrome

"I can't believe I'm making a difference," Karen Bowersox says, "all with a pair of jeans."

The 65-year-old is the founder of Downs Designs, a company that makes clothing for people with Down syndrome.

"When [people with Down syndrome] are forced to wear clothes from everyday stores, the clothing makes them look different. All you see is the Down syndrome," Bowersox told The Huffington Post. "When they wear our pants and they fit and they look and feel more comfortable, they can be confident in themselves. You don't see the Down syndrome anymore."

Bowersox's granddaughter, Maggie, inspired the endeavor back in 2010. Maggie, now 9, has Down syndrome, and it's been a challenge to find clothes that fit her, Bowersox told HuffPost.

Grandma had the solution.

Read more of Megan Gritto's Huffington Post article HERE.

Study Finds Autism More Challenging For Caregivers

By Michelle Diament from disabilityscoop.com

Caregivers of kids with autism report more trouble accessing services and a greater impact on their families than do parents of children with other developmental disabilities.

Despite having some similar needs, a new study indicates that the experiences of families living with autism differ significantly from those with intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome and other developmental disabilities as well as those with mental health conditions.

For the study, researchers looked at survey data collected through the federal government’s 2009–2010 National Survey of Children with Special Health Care Needs. They focused on responses from more than 18,000 caregivers of children ages 3 to 17 with autism, other developmental disabilities or mental health conditions.

Read more HERE.

Oregon teen is first person with Down syndrome to reach Mount Everest base camp

From KABC-TV/DT National News

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- A teen from Bend, Ore. made the history books by becoming the first person with Down syndrome to climb to the base camp of Mount Everest.

Eli Reimer, 15, and his father arrived at Los Angeles International Airport to find a crowd of supporters waiting for him Tuesday night. The two returned to the states from Nepal after a successful mission to raise money and awareness for disabled children.

Eli trained for a year before he and his dad set out on a two-week, 70-mile hike to reach the Everest base camp. The altitude was 17,600 feet.

"I would say over 90 percent of the world's cultures don't accept disability and wouldn't think that somebody like my son would be able to attempt let alone complete something like this. So it was an amazing experience to do it with him. And like I said he actually led the way. We were dragging. We were experiencing our own sense of disability as we went up into the mountains and he led us all the way to base camp," described Eli's father, Justin Reimer.

Eli is the first person with Down syndrome ever to stand on that spot.

Article HERE.

‘Dolls for Downs’ offers dolls to children with disabilities

Every kid deserves a best friend, and every kid wants to fit in.

However, often children with Down Syndrome and other disabilities find themselves out of the social loop.

As Dolls for Downs creator Connie Feda said, dolls offer companionship. To a child with Down syndrome or another disability, a doll can offer so much more.

Feda said her 13-year-old daughter Hannah, who has Down syndrome, inspired her to create Dolls for Downs.

“She was flipping through a catalog and said, ‘Mom, none of these dolls look like me. Not one of them.’” Feda said.

The dolls Feda created are about 18 inches tall with changeable clothing that stresses occupational therapy skills such as zippers, Velcro, buttons, ties and snaps.

Read the WPXI article HERE.

Woman With Disability Battles Mother Over Independent Living

In a hotly-contested case, a court is set to decide whether a 28-year-old with Down syndrome or her mom should determine if the young woman lives in a group home or with her friends.

Margaret “Jenny” Hatch has been living in a group home since last summer after being placed into guardianship against her will. The Virginia woman had previously lived semi-independently, for a time with her friends, Jim Talbert and Kelly Morris.

Hatch says she wants to return to Talbert and Morris’ home, but on Thursday a judge transferred the woman’s guardianship from a nonprofit organization to her mother and stepfather.

Read more of Michelle Diament's Disability Scoop article HERE.

Advocates: Laws needed to protect special-needs students after girl's feet duct-taped

Read Jill Disis and Bill McCleery's IndyStar article HERE.

High Bar Urged For Youth With Disabilities

A new federal effort is encouraging young people with disabilities — and those who come into contact with them — to set high expectations.

In a public service campaign that launched Wednesday, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment is highlighting the experiences of seven Americans with varying disabilities who’ve excelled at work, sports and in life because of the support of others.

“Many people who achieve success and have found satisfaction in their careers have done so because one person believed in them and urged them to set their expectations high,” said Kathy Martinez, assistant secretary of labor for disability employment policy. “This PSA challenges viewers to rethink their ideas about what people with disabilities can achieve and consider what they might do to encourage young people with disabilities to pursue their personal and career goals.”

Those featured in the campaign include a Virginia man with Down syndrome who works for a caterer and an artist with Asperger’s syndrome who credits a teacher for helping him see his talent.

Read more of Michelle Diament's Disability Scoop article HERE.

Emma Has Down Syndrome and a Big, Loving Family! - The Mutz Family - Our Special Life

By CafeMomStudios

Emma is a vivacious, 11-year-old girl with 11 brothers and sisters! While she has Down Syndrome, she doesn't know a stranger in the world and is known as the jewel in her family.

A Girl with Down Syndrome: The McClintic Family -- Our Special Life

From CafeMomStudios

Maddox has Down Syndrome. She's 2 years old and is a new big sister! Her mom Jamie not only does special care at home for Maddox, but that is what her day job is as well. 

Puppies Help Save Boy with Down Syndrome

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Breaking Barriers: The Disability Rights Movement in Russia

When I first crossed the doorstep of an American high school as a 17-year-old new immigrant from Russia, my jaw dropped – kids in wheelchairs were playing tag in the wide hall, a cute teen-age couple was communicating animatedly in what appeared to be sign language; a blind boy was walking next to a classmate laughing at some kind of a joke. I turned to my American cousin and asked in still rudimentary English, “Immigrants here sent to special handicapped school?”

He stared at me uncomprehending, not realizing that in my 10 years of Moscow schooling I never had classmates with disabilities. In fact, until I went to the United States in the early 90’s I hadn’t seen many people with disabilities. Back home they were next to invisible, confined to special institutions or their homes, as the concept of an inclusive society didn’t exist.

Read more of  Tanya Lokshina's Human Rights Watch article HERE.

Swimwear Designer Plucks Model With Special Needs

In what’s believed to be a first, a Miami girl with Down syndrome is the new face of a major fashion designer’s ad campaign.

At 10-months-old, Valentina Guerrero is the cover girl for Spanish swimwear designer Dolores Cortés’ new U.S. catalog and will be featured in ads for the brand’s DC Kids line.

“People with Down syndrome are just as beautiful and deserve the same opportunities. I’m thrilled to have Valentina modeling for us,” Cortés said, according to Adweek.

In addition to featuring Guerrero in her advertisements, Cortés also brought the youngster out on the runway during Fashion Week in Miami last Friday.

The designer has pledged to donate 10 percent of profits from the swimwear collection to the Down Syndrome Association of Miami.

Read more of Shaun Heasley's Disability Scoop article HERE.

College Urged For ‘Glee’ Character With Down Syndrome

When students on Fox’s “Glee” graduated this season, many considered college. Now a Twitter campaign is calling on the show’s writers to make the same plan for a character with Down syndrome.

Using the hashtag #College4Becky, a social media push launching this week is encouraging the “Glee” writers to send Becky Jackson to college at the end of the show’s next season. Though the character is believed to be a rising high school senior, little has been said about her future.

“All of Becky’s friends on the show are heading off to college next year. That’s something she can do too — but we haven’t yet heard what her plans are after graduation,” reads an open letter to the writers of “Glee” from the campaign’s organizers at Think College, a national clearinghouse on college options for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities that’s housed at the University of Massachusetts Boston.

“If you make college plans for Becky, you’ll be raising the expectations of all your viewers with Down syndrome and other intellectual disabilities,” the letter reads.

Read more of Michelle Diament's Disability Scoop article HERE.

Down syndrome student fights to keep playing sports

After spending a Sunday afternoon with Eric Dompierre and his parents it's clear that they're extremely grateful that Eric has always been included. Eric Dompierre has Down syndrome, but he's been welcome to play sports with other kids in Ishpeming Michigan since he was in elementary school. "We didn't know how far he'd go, how many coaches would keep him on the team," says Dean Dompierre, Eric's father. When he got to high school, Eric was invited to keep playing. Now he's on both the Ishpeming High School football and basketball teams. He attends every practice and works out with the other players and if it's appropriate he plays a few minutes at the end of the game. read more of Ted Rowlands' CNN article HERE.

For High School Athlete With Down Syndrome, Age Is an Issue

By Tim Rohan from The New York Times - Sports

Last New Year’s Eve, Eric Dompierre was at a party with his high school basketball teammates. At 12:30 a.m., he called his father, Dean Dompierre, to see if he could stay out for another hour. By 2 a.m., his father was good-naturedly dragging him home.

It was a typical night in the life of a teenager in Ishpeming, Mich., a small mining town of about 7,000 people in the state’s Upper Peninsula, exactly the sort of night that Dean Dompierre had always wanted for his son.

Eric Dompierre has Down syndrome, which led to his being held back in junior kindergarten and first grade. Now Dompierre is a junior at Ishpeming High School, doing well in school and navigating the tricky social hierarchy of the teenage world, in part because of his participation in basketball.

Read more HERE.

For Many, Disabilities Still Conjure Stereotypes

By Shaun Heasley from disability scoop

Even among caregivers of those with disabilities, new research suggests that the sight of someone with facial characteristics typical of Down syndrome triggers negative thoughts.

In a study published this month in the journal PLoS ONE, researchers showed a group of 165 adults standardized images of children with Down syndrome and typically developing kids, all exhibiting neutral expressions.

As the photographs flashed before them on a screen, participants were asked to use keys to respond as quickly as possible to assess both positive and negative character traits, judging for example whether or not a child appeared “affectionate” or “stupid.”

While the adults in the study expressed more positive than negative thoughts about kids with and without Down syndrome, negative opinions became more frequent as a child’s facial features tended more toward those characteristic of Down syndrome.

This trend held true even among the 55 study participants working as professional caregivers for people with intellectual disabilities, though these individuals held the most positive thoughts of all the study participants about kids with Down syndrome.

Researchers from Aix-Marseille University in Marseille, France who were behind the study say that the findings are significant because their test measured implicit thoughts, or feelings that people may not freely divulge.

“Research into the social perception of intellectually disabled persons has been largely one-sided, focusing predominantly on thoughts and feelings, which may be distorted by social desirability concerns. In the current research, we found evidence of subtle forms of prejudice toward children with special needs at both the explicit and implicit levels,” they wrote.

The fact that professional caregivers were more likely to express positive impressions, however, suggests that relationships with individuals who have intellectual disabilities do make an impact, the study authors said.

Article HERE.

Down Syndrome of the Bay Area Support Group Meeting

Tuesday, March 27
7 p.m.-9 p.m.
Danville
More details HERE.

Oldest Man With Down Syndrome Lives To 83

A Minnesota man recognized by Guinness World Records as the world’s oldest with Down syndrome has died at age 83.

Bert Holbrook was identified as the world’s oldest man with Down syndrome in November 2008. The Waseca, Minn. resident died on Wednesday of natural causes, a caregiver told the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

Those who knew Holbrook attributed his long life to good genes. They told the Star Tribune that Holbrook, who outlived his parents and his sister, was a “charismatic” man with a constant smile on his face.

Read more of Michelle Diament's Disability Scoop article HERE.

Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area 1ST ANNUAL DSCBA EMPOWERMENT CONFERENCE AND ANNUAL MEETING and More

1ST ANNUAL DSCBA EMPOWERMENT CONFERENCE
AND ANNUAL MEETING
When: Saturday, March 17, 2012
Where: Rolling Hills Community Church, Danville
Time: 9:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.

$25 per person or 2 for $40 (continental breakfast and lunch included)

Come learn about Behavior, Communication and Adult Services from the Experts

ALL DAY CHILDCARE - provided by UC Berkeley Circle K Sibling Support, Music Therapy and Art Projects will be offered throughout
the day.

More event information HERE.




Parent Support Group 2012 Spring Schedule
Facilitator: Martha Hogan
Location: DSCBA, Danville
Tuesdays: 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Feb 28, Mar 27, April 24, May 22, June 26
More meeting information HERE.

Teen With Down Syndrome Turns Basketball Phenom

See Shaun Heasley's Disability Scoop article HERE.