Comments on: Couple Finds Love Despite Down Syndrome, Distance http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2010/02/12/couple-finds-love/6983/ Developmental Disability News Sat, 11 Feb 2012 00:55:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v= By: twinkie1cat http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2010/02/12/couple-finds-love/6983/comment-page-1/#comment-1199 twinkie1cat Sat, 13 Feb 2010 03:42:50 +0000 http://www.disabilityscoop.com/?p=6983#comment-1199 How far we have come. When I started teaching, kids with Downs were still routinely institutionalized and many died by the age of 10 from poor medical care. Parents hoped they would outlive them and sometimes facilitated their death by not allowing needed surgery. Then they were "allowed" in the community but thought not to be able to learn anything but functional skills. Down's is about to become a disability of minimal consequence where the person lives a normal life with just the assistance he or she needs and the same opportunities as everyone else. In another generation perhaps they will not be the face a person thinks of when he hears the words "mental retardation". Congratulations to the couple. I hope they have a long and happy marriage. How far we have come. When I started teaching, kids with Downs were still routinely institutionalized and many died by the age of 10 from poor medical care. Parents hoped they would outlive them and sometimes facilitated their death by not allowing needed surgery. Then they were “allowed” in the community but thought not to be able to learn anything but functional skills. Down’s is about to become a disability of minimal consequence where the person lives a normal life with just the assistance he or she needs and the same opportunities as everyone else. In another generation perhaps they will not be the face a person thinks of when he hears the words “mental retardation”.

Congratulations to the couple. I hope they have a long and happy marriage.

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