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0 pointsteruakohatu16d ago0 comments

In my country people with Down syndrome often live in housing together in suburban areas, with a social worker keeping an eye on things (independent living) or a carer available 24/7. They do sports, catch the bus, go to neighbourhood bbqs etc.

Your depiction of a person with downs is not representative of the majority.

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7 comments · 4 top-level

Forgeties7916d ago· 3 in thread

I’m fairly certain your depiction is not representative of the majority experience throughout the world.

I can’t say for 100% certain but I struggle to believe what you’re describing is more common than not. That strikes me as a level of support provided by the state that most people with ds - and their family - do not enjoy throughout the world.

teruakohatuOP16d ago

> I can’t say for 100% certain but I struggle to believe what you’re describing is more common than not.

This is absolutely common in New Zealand.

I think treating people with dignity, respect and part of the community is as important as state financial support.

Our government will also subsidise wages in certain industries for people with certain disabilities. So it’s common for people with intellectual disabilities to be working at supermarkets.

Forgeties7916d ago

Never questioned if it was common in New Zealand. I’m sure some countries have great support, and others do not. But in the aggregate, most people in the world simply do not have that level of support. So the conversation needs to be calibrated with that in mind.

Remember the original context here: someone talked about what they experienced and then you came in questioning it saying how wonderful the support you see is, then said what they experienced is not the majority experience, when the reality is quite the opposite actually. The support you are seeing is what is actually uncommon worldwide. New Zealand is exceptional here.

nkrisc16d ago

New Zealand, probably among the bottom half of countries based on population, so quite likely what you’re describing is not the majority experience. It’s probably rather rare worldwide.

Gareth32116d ago

I think yours is not representative of the majority. Most places in the world can't afford dedicated carers, dedicated villages and housing, dedicated services, etc. [66-70% of Down's syndrome sufferers cannot live independently.](https://www.dscba.org/files/content/DS_functional_milestones...) Further, [11% cannot feed themselves, 26% cannot dress themselves, 29% cannot use the toilet themselves, and 52-54% cannot shower or bathe themselves.](https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/11/8/1012)

It gets worse. People with Down’s syndrome face all kinds of health issues. *Half* are born with heart defects. They have higher risk of hearing loss, vision problems, sleep apnoea, thyroid disease, coeliac disease, digestive problems, epilepsy, infections and leukaemia. They also have elevated risk of dementia later in life.

This is a hellish existence which no one would wish on their worst enemy. It's hell for the sufferers and it's hell for the family.

inglor_cz16d ago

I am not an expert on Downs kids to know how majority looks like (are you?) Here in CZ, I knew of one preCovid cafe that employed adult Downs as waiters, and they absolutely needed supervision most of the time - cannot take the complicated Prague public transport alone. Maybe it is different in rural settings where there is just one bus line that never changes its course.

That said, prospective parents usually don't make their decisions to abort or not to abort on an expected median outcome, but some of the more pessimistic-but-realistic scenarios.

dana-s16d ago

> In my country > Your depiction of a person with downs is not representative of the majority.

It may be for a different country, both experiences are valid to hear. In my country as far as I know it doesn't happen like yours.

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