aware of the term, Down’s Syndrome when my 6th grade teacher read, “Angel Unaware” by Dale Evans, back in the 1950’s. Until then the babies, children and adults were kept hidden. She said in that book or another one that a doctor said they should be taken to a mountain top and shot. She said they were at some kind of jamboree and when she looked out the window, there were hundreds of DS children. She had told parents that it was ok to take their kids out to events. That book taught me to look at the heart but I had already been taught that by having a nephew who had birth defects. We never, ever treated him any differently than any other kid. When he was in high school, he could not play sports so he was team manager. He would go to the pool, take off his leg and jump in. If others did something, he did it too. If you have not read Dale’s book, do so. I have never forgotten it.
What happened to my first few words? I first became should have been there. Guess I have a ghost.
I remember reading about Football Coach Gene Stallings and his son Johnny who had Down Syndrome. Sweet pictures at the link.
http://cnsnews.com/news/article/football-legend-would-pick-his-down-syndrome-son-over-normal-child