Sunday, April 17, 2011

Down Syndrome Quotes

Quote 1: “ ‘Dialogue cannot occur… between those who deny others the right to speak their word and those whose right to speak has been denied them.’” page 72


What Kliewer is saying here is that there can be no progress without listening. The image depicted in this sentence is one of someone screaming with their fingers in their ears at someone with their mouth sewed shut. This is what is happening when it comes to the segregation of children with down syndrome. People automatically see these children as defected and unable to learn so they throw them into different classrooms that do not satisfy their needs and neglect them. They are never given a chance or voice to fight for their equal educational rights.




Quote 2: “ ‘Its your stereotype, your mindset…. But if that’s how you chose to see him, I don’t think that anything I could do, we could do, I don’t think there’s anything Lee could do to change your mind.’” page 84


What Colleen is saying here is there a schema placed on anyone who fits into a stereotype, in this case down syndrome, where the person automatically assumes how this person is before they really know them. And once that happens there no changing your mind. Ironically, its like you’re the supposed handicap. Many people have this and this is what really fuels the separation of kids with down syndrome to everyone else. 


Quote 3: “ ‘ We are the same! Eat together, drink together, laugh contagious together…We been learning about life together.’” page 88


When it comes down to it, people need to realize that we are all the same species. We take ourselves and instantly divide into categories of sub categories and it just makes up a false hierarchy of superiority. Very few gain from this and many get hurt. If people with down syndrome were given the same opportunities in education as well as beyond we would see that. 


One thing I would like to debate in class is ways of undoing all the physiological damage we all have when it comes to matters of stereotypes on the topics of down syndrome. Are there ways of shutting off the ignorance? 

2 comments:

  1. i really like the first quote you chose heather! it sounds to simple to state- like common sense but unfortunately it is something that some people have to deal with all of the time....

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  2. I love quote three! People are people, we eat, drink, sleep, go to the bathroom WHATEVER it is we usually have basic life necesities in common yet we stereotype or segregate people who are different. It saddens me because they're people!

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