31 for 21: It's Halloween, which means...

.....that 31 for 21 is almost over!  I have several posts in my head, but haven't gotten them down, what with running after 4 kids and a hurricane (but I repeat myself...)

31 for 21: Make a difference NOW!

Do you know that most OB/GYN's - who are tasked with advising pregnant women whose baby is diagnosed with Down syndrome about their options - know no more about the condition than how to diagnose it?  Dr. Julia Kinder has set out to change this! She has started an online petition asking that third year medical school students receive, at minimum, two hours of education and training related to Down syndrome.  Can you believe that this minimal amount is 2 hours more than most of them currently receive?  That means that, in spite of the huge strides in medical and educational progress that has been made in this field, these doctors are basing their advice on their experience with "those kids" back in grade school.

Please make a difference in the way new doctors see individuals with Down syndrome by signing here.

Hat Tip Leah S.

Thank you!

31 for 21: The Ugly Duckling, another twist

The great thing about classics is that people can relate to them from many different circumstances.  They truly are universal.  Just a few days after I connected The Ugly Duckling to Down syndrome, my friend Hevel Cohen pointed to this post, where a Christian gay man quoted the entire original story by Hans Christian Andersen (who apparently was also gay), to show how it is actually about a homosexual individual seeking love and acceptance.

It is interesting, that so many people who use their religion to reach out to orphans, and to children with disabilities, are unable to see homosexuality in the same way.  Isn't a "sexual difference" just as much a "special need" worth respecting?

31 for 21: Torah Connection - Lech Lecha

Last week's reading was G*d's covenant with Noach, and through him, to all humanity, to continue the human race in perpetuity. This week continues the theme of G*d's covenantal relationship with people, but this time specifically with Abraham, the first Patriarch of the Jews. Several times, G*d promises Abraham numerous descendants, but none are forthcoming. He is 86 years old when Ishmael is born, only to be driven away due to Sarah's jealousy. What then? Yet Abraham's faith never wavers! When he is 99 years old, he is promised once again,

'I have hereby covenanted with you: You shall be the father of a horde of nations. Ani hineh veriti itach vehayita le'av hamon goyim.

Once again, the essence of G*d's covenant with humanity is... children.

The Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore said, "The birth of a child is G*d's way of saying that life must go on."

31 for 21: Progress in Russia

If you understand Russian, check out this video:




This is a Russian newscast, explaining how about 85% of Russian children born with Down syndrome are relinquished to orphanages (identical to the percentage aborted here after a prenatal diagnosis!), and demonstrating their actual potential when integrated in society.

I am actually quite impressed with their diction -- I don't know if they use different speech therapies there, or if Russian phonemes are just easier for people with Down syndrome to master, but all the Russian videos I have seen featuring both adults and children with Ds have been remarkable easy to understand.


And here is a video of a Russian family adopting a child with Down syndrome domestically.




 This is so encouraging to see the change happening around the world, not just here!

31 for 21: Serbia

Serbia has grown very protective of the information about its orphans in the last few years, due to several scandals involving corrupt adoption facilitators and agencies.  Therefore, there are no photolistings available of Serbian orphans.  This does NOT mean that those orphans do not exist, or that they are receiving adequate care in their own country!  There is progress being made, certainly, as some orphans are moved out of institutions and into foster homes.  But many, many more wait.  At the same time, the removal of the corrupt intermediaries has meant that the costs of a Serbian adoption are far lower than other Eastern European countries.

Here is one family in the middle of an adoption in Serbia.  Having requested a child aged 2-4 years old with Down syndrome, they received the files of 4 children.  Of these, they have chosen one.    We do not have names or faces for the others, but they are there.  How many older children wait, as well?  How many with other conditions?    They are no less real than the Russian, Ukrainian, or Bulgarian children profiled on Reece's Rainbow.  Or the Asian, African or Latin American children, for that matter!

If you are interested in learning more about what's involved, you can check out this site.  This is not an agency -- Serbia has not authorized any agencies to operate under the new laws -- just a private site for sharing information by people who have been there.

31 for 21: The Ugly Duckling

Mama Duck sat contentedly on her eggs.  Soon they will start hatching!  Finally the big day arrived.  One, two, three, four, five, all the hatchlings came out!  How happy and proud was Mama Duck!  And they all went for a swim in the pond.

Soon, however, she could not help noticing that one of the little ones was.... different.  Didn't look the same, couldn't swim the same, or fish the same as the others.  Even his quacks came out sounding strange, and hard to understand.  Oh, she loved him the same as all the others, but couldn't protect him from the teasing and insults.  Not until he grew up did she fully understand what a beautiful swan he truly was.

Yes, he was.... the duck with Down syndrome.