Is The World Finally Coming To Terms With Down Syndrome?

I am not a judgemental person or at least I try not to be one. I also hate the sympathy cap or ‘I am better than you’ cap for being the mother of a girl with down syndrome but I do demand a normal treatment and some sensitivity.

From the time I started writing and reading the vast number of Father or mother blogs, I have gone from one end of spectrum to the other. From feeling totally overwhelmed with the amount of advice given to now being hardly bothered by any or all kind of posts one generally comes across in special need groups.

While all or most are sensitized within the community, I always longed for the outside world to come, share, understand and stand with us, without feeling bad for us or keeping that ‘poor you’ face away. I believed that unless we convert the unconverted, we can’t take it too far within the community irrespective of how much we write because unless we are educating the general public with whom our kids will have to deal with eventually, we can’t really pretend  to be an advocate.

When I read about the movie Produce, I got tears of joy in my eyes, I don’t know why but when somebody totally unrelated to down syndrome  talks about it or discusses it, I get totally overjoyed. The fact that somebody in movie business decided to make a movie on a character based on down syndrome was huge for me. And I still laugh at my micro brain for thinking that even if this doesn’t work, at least the unit that worked in it is now completely sensitized! How lame. The fact is that this film is going to be seen by millions across the globe and we are going to take the awareness levels to a new high and perceptions and prejudices would be shattered for good. I was also happy that such an effort is taking our kids to the people who don’t get to closely observe our life and are always bothered or sympathetic towards us. I was so happy that it all was finally happening!

While I was still basking in the glory of this film, I come across a similar effort happening in India! Now this I never expected. This movie title ‘Yellow’ is about a Mother and her daughter who has down syndrome and is now swimming her way into the best competitions. I got a choked throat looking at the trailer (can’t help it)

And the proudest thing is that such efforts are gaining a momentum. We should be happy that these movies are bringing down syndrome at the forefront and would also help people talk and discuss about it openly. I am happy that this world, which was putting our kids down 30 years ago, is making movies with them which would inspire the coming generations and would change the world for better.

I am glad that such efforts would spread and soon we would be hearing about the next dance evening, a piano recital or better still a theatre festival with our children. I am glad that this world is coming to terms with our kids and all that they are capable of.

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