hearttoheartamerican.org Blog

“It is well known that parents who are confronted with a profoundly distressing situation such as the birth of a child with Down syndrome frequently display impaired decision making capacity, since cognitive dysfunction usually prevails.” (Murphy, Oleshansky) ” During this initial traumatic period, parents are extremely vulnerable to external influences and suggestions. They often do not fully understand the presented medical complexities and the long-term implications.” (Pueschel)

“Therefore, it is not only cruel to ask parents ‘what they want,’ but it is also dishonest because many parents are consciously or unconsciously influenced by ‘one’ opinion. Parents may come to a different decision if they are afforded access to arrange of resources beyond the expertise and bias of a single ‘opinion.’ This should include other parents who have a child with Down syndrome. They should afford sufficient time for considering options and alternatives.” (IBID)

Treatment and care has continued to improve in quality and our schools and yeshivas at last must finally accept the responsibility to educate our children who have gone through so much over the course of distant past and recent history.

Now that we have faced the challenges of keeping our children at home we must now finally find a way to educate them properly. No more short cuts. No more corners cut to satisfy the status quo. Children with Down syndrome and other handicaps have always been here but just not in our schools.

Maybe at one time we did not know how to educate this population but now we know how to do it right. These are children who simply want to be accepted just as their siblings are accepted and in the same places by the same people.