Washington D.C., October 22, 2015: As Down Syndrome Awareness Month comes to a close, many have marked the occasion by sharing their testimony about the surprises that come when one embraces living with special needs.
A child with disabilities brings unexpected joy into a family, so much so that family members can’t imagine life without that person. Although many parents can become discouraged after the diagnosis of their preborn child, research concludes that people with Down syndrome lead fulfilling lives.
American Life League, through its Culture of Life Studies Program, is finalizing development of an educational unit study for institutional and home use which aids in dispelling the myths and in raising awareness of Down syndrome and other disabilities. Entitled All Shapes and Sizes, the unit teaches children that, while some people have disabilities that make themseem different from others, everyone has beautiful and unique gifts and talents.
As one parent of a child with Down syndrome remarked:
Our Rose is funny, clever, determined, stubborn, expressive, smart, persistent, joyful, adored. . . . She is capable of incredible things, one of the most extraordinary being her ability to make everyone around her feel loved. To be loved by a person with Down syndrome is to experience love in its purest, rawest form. . . . Our world is starving for this love.
– Erin Daub, mother to Rose and her two proud big sisters
Society has made Down syndrome something to be feared and has convinced far too many moms and dads that their children with Down syndrome would be better off being aborted. Sadly, 90 percent of children diagnosed with Down syndrome are aborted. It’s an incredible tragedy. And the only way to combat this untruth is through education and exposure.
We welcome the inquiry of journalists and advocates regarding this unit study and the entire Culture of Life Studies Program initiative.
Contact: Matt Wielgos, American Life League chief communications officer, at 540-846-3822.
Samples of the curriculum modules for evaluation are available by request.