"The Disability is Not a Limitation"

  I want to start out by saying that I believe this video would not only be useful in educating today's children and youth, but can also be used to send a message to our entire society that Down syndrome is a disability NOT a limitation.

Included is a short video of a young man, Eli and his father, Justin, sharing their experience climbing to the first base camp of Mount Everest.

How many of you have done that???

In this video Justin (Eli's father) talks about how there is nothing out of the realm of possibility when an individual has Down syndrome. In fact, while they were climbing, Eli's health was often better than all the others who were with them. Justin says, "that [they] were the ones feeling [their] own sense of disability" and Justin was often times leading the group on the climb.

Here is Justin's message:

"For anyone who has a child with a disability...or for the rest of the culture...to understand the disability is NOT a limitation and is not outside of the scope of God's goodness...the lives of those with disabilities have infinite worth and they can attempt great things...they can be used powerfully to impact their culture and impact the world"

God's goodness indeed!!! Well said!!!

Watch the video. Show it to your students and children. Help Justin share his message with everyone.

If you are having trouble viewing, click here. 

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Lesson Idea:

Again just a thought, teachers feel free to share ideas with us about how you incorporated this video into your lesson and/or classroom. I would love to hear!!!

Teachers could use Eli's story as a model for students in the classroom. His story could be used to provide students with a example of something exceptional that a person with a disability has accomplished.

Ages: 13 & up (Grade 8 to grade 12)

Introduction:

• Have a short mini lesson on some common (but accurate) characteristics of individuals with Down syndrome. For accurate information click here, here and here. Show the students what is expected of them for the assignment.

• Show Eli's video to the class

• Have the students in groups or individually go out and research other people that have accomplished unthinkable or exceptional goals who have a disability of any kind.

• The assignment could include a written portion

• The students could do a class presentation about the individual and their disability. This way the rest of the class would have the opportunity to be exposed to and learn about other individuals with disabilities and what each disability highlighted might entail.

Conclusion:

Students could do a self reflection of what they learned. How this assignment may have helped them to be empathetic toward individuals with disabilities? What was the most important lesson they gained from the assignment? Whether or not this assignment helped them to view individuals with disabilities differently?

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I hope this helps even so much as to provide you with just a few helpful links and a video to show your students.

Please let me know if you found this helpful or feel free to share your ideas with us!!!

Melissa Riggio Shares Her Thoughts

 

Here is an excerpt from an article from the National Geographic Kids website. Melissa Riggio is sharing her thoughts about what it is like to have Down syndrome. She is very honest and mature in the way that she describes what her life is like and what her dreams are. She says,

"I can’t change that I have Down syndrome, but one thing I would change is how people think of me. I’d tell them: Judge me as a whole person, not just the person you see. Treat me with respect, and accept me for who I am. Most important, just be my friend.

After all, I would do the same for you."

Please read the the rest of the article here.

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Lesson:

This article could be incorporated into a lesson in so many ways. I will leave it to you to decide how you will use this. It could be as simple as...

1. Reading the article independently and doing a journal reflection

2. The teacher could read the article and have a class discussion

3. Could be used in center work or even as guided reading material

I am sure you all will come up with more innovative ideas than that but I thought I would put it out there. And as always....

Please feel free to share how you used this resource in your classrooms and/or homes and also tell us how your students reacted to Melissa's story.

It's the small things

I have so many posts to get up at the moment, but I feel that this interaction between a publishing company and myself needs to be shared with all of you. If you follow us on Facebook you may have seen this interaction take place. If you are not following us on Facebook, what are you waiting for?! Head on over and "like" Chasing Hazel's page, here.  

Plus, it allows me an opportunity to mention a new series I am thinking about introducing on the blog. I would LOVE your feedback.

This new series would include:

A section all on its own dedicated to educating parents, teachers, children and anyone that may be interested about Down syndrome. Mainly, the goal will be to try and provide resources that are helpful for parents and teachers to educate other children about what it means to have Down syndrome.

What brought this on?

I have been noticing that children, even those that go to school with someone who has DS, tend to have questions about Hazel. Questions about why she looks different than them, or they wonder if she will ever learn to read and so on. It sparked some interest and concern as to what Hazel's peers REALLY know about Down syndrome. I decided that I would try to help in whatever way that I could. Admittedly, I did not know a great deal about Down syndrome before Hazel, aside from my own teaching experiences. So I can understand where that disconnect might occur.

I would say that the most important thing is to recognize each child as an individual. I think sometimes kids who go to school with other kids who have DS, think that ALL kids who have DS are the same. This couldn't be farther from the truth. Just as typically developing children all achieve goals when they are ready, or have unique strengths and weaknesses, so do children with DS. I hope that when Hazel goes to school, her peers understand that just because she might not be able to do the same things as them at that time, it doesn't mean she will NEVER learn to do it. Like all kids, kids with DS achieve goals at their own pace and when they are ready.

Recently, I was doing some research for online resources to add to this series. I came across a book called, "My Friend Has Down Syndrome." Great!!! Excited, I quickly wanted to read the description of the book. Needless to say I was very upset with what I found. It said:

"My Friend Has Down Syndrome describes a condition that affects many families. Younger children are normally puzzled when they encounter other kids who suffer from Down Syndrome. Here is a heartwarming and reassuring story of how an ordinary child comes to understand and befriend another child who has Down Syndrome."

Immediately, I emailed the publisher to express my concern for such a negative and inaccurate statement about children and families with DS. This description was on all websites that sell this book (big names). I felt it was sending a VERY false message to those looking to learn about DS and thought I would see what I could do.

The company was very apologetic and were also very willing to change the description right away. The new description for the book is now as follows:

My Friend Has Down Syndrome explores this common chromosomal condition from a child's perspective. Younger children may be confused and have many questions when they encounter kids who have Down syndrome. Here, in this reassuring story, two children, one with Down syndrome and one without, learn that they are both good at different things and that by helping each other overcome their fears and difficulties they can accomplish a great deal together.

So much better!!!

So really it is the small things, that contribute to the bigger issues that perpetuate stereotypes about Down syndrome. I was happy to try in one small little way to help society become more accepting of those who might be a little different. Can you please try to do the same. Chasing Hazel readers have always been so supportive and accepting of all that DS has to offer. Collectively, we need to try to reach those who do not know the beauty and blessings of DS. Please help Hazel by sharing this on your social media channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, etc.

So I am interested to hear what you all think? Please leave a comment and tell me if there is anything you would like me to add to this series, helpful resources you might have found or things you have noticed that you would like to see addressed. Please share with me how you educate your children. Perhaps, some ideas that have worked for you and your families.

Calling other Mamas!!!

Other mamas that have kids with DS, please feel free to weigh in here. I would love to hear from you! Do you think this is necessary? What would you like others to know about your children? If you don't feel comfy leaving a comment, you can always e-mail me.