The Psychologist’s Blog: Thoughts about March 21 or the Label that is Difficult to Remove.

Blog written by Lika Barabadze , link worker in “Caucasus Sub-Regional Social Inclusion of Children with Disabilities”. project.

March 21 is the World Syndrome Day that is globally celebrated and widely advertised with pictures of multicolored socks, videos, flash mobs and different events.     

 This year I was actively involved in this event, but I’m not going to describe the details of the event – there was enough said on different TV channels and publications. To my mind, it was an unprecedented campaign, enhancing the visibility of persons with disabilities and forming a good example -  The unity of parents, activities they have boosted, looking for partners, getting of media support, minimal and optimal utilization of finances, operating within the global campaign framework, involvement of high rank politicians and public opinion leaders –  as passes good manual on awareness can be written about the event.    

All this has been already told and assessed. This post is not about the events organized in March. I just want to share my observations – where the future challenges can occur.  

     "Cute Syndrome “

 Despite the awareness rising, the labels still remain actual in our society. Of course, many understood that “DOWN” is not offensive word and it is not good to shout at someone “Oh, you are a DOWN” while playing football in the playground. One way or other, people tried to refrain from negative labels during this campaign of multicolored socks. The journalists were also ready to listen to the explanations and use the correct terms.      

 But …… new, again unsubstantiated stereotypes have emerged.  This is a dialogue, I’ve heard at one of the events:

 -         Oh, you know they are God’s children; they’ll directly get to heaven!

-         …….. ( I couldn’t distinguish the answer)

-         Not everyone with disabilities, only “DONWS”. They are so lovely.         

 Several times it was even heard in the media that … children with Down syndrome are unusually warm, sweet and affectionate …. And even more …  They are not children at all…. They are different  from us, ordinary people… both physically and emotionally…. They are unique creatures….        

  The Harm of Labels

 Why is such judgment unjustified? First of all – it is wrong. This “Well-wishers” will be “disappointed” to see that children with Down syndrome are alike all other children - they show anger when they get angry; they cry when they are offended, shout when fail to get something desired, sometimes scatter the toys in anger. Such misinterpretation often leads to non-realistic expectations that are harmful both for the society and children.  For example, one teacher had poor competence in individual adjustment of programs, so not all the children were equally involved in her lesson. In her class, one of the children, being frustrated, started to pull his classmate’s hair…. And teacher got surprised…. She shared her concerns that from all the “Lovely DOWN Children” she had an “Aggressive” exception in her class.    

 And the second reason – in long-term perspective, such stereotypes, promote exclusion and separation: if children with Down syndrome are different (notably “warm” and “sweet”), why should they learn together with my child? What is a sense of having a job for them?  They are so lovely, warm, touching creatures… Let them stay at home and take care of them… Call them out on March 21 and look at them … give a hug….            

Are people with Down syndrome always children? Can you imagine a grown-up man, 40 years old, with independent living skills, making his bed in the morning, preparing his breakfast, going to work and getting frustrated when tired…..    

 Generalization is a “Lame Excuse”  

 Yes, it is true that people with Down syndrome mostly fail to control their emotions, feelings. Yes, they may fail to control in which situation it is “OK” to hug, and in which not, but it doesn’t mean that they are always carriers of positive emotions and what is more, people with Down syndrome are not homogeneous group, each of them has own, individual and different character. Some are sweet, some are warm, some are touchy, choleric and some melancholic, some of them likes painting, some – cooking, etc. 

At the first stage of awareness rising, such reaction is quite expectable. Society tends to generalize everything unfamiliar; therefore it is our obligation - of parents’ specialists, involved persons – to give a clear explanation of the issue.

 Is there a Contact?

 Though that’s not enough.  No matter how many posts I’ll write and how many programs will be shown on March 21, people won’t understand what’s going on… There is something that can’t’ be explained by words, something that requires direct, daily contacts. Human nature can’t be recognized from booklets…   Only when people become the part of our life, we “see” the personality and not the labels. Individuals with Down syndrome should become the part of our life. We need to meet them in the kindergartens, schools, playgrounds, post-school education institutions, at our job places. They should live next to us: we have to meet them in the shops and minivans; they should buy some of our services and we have to buy some of their products.  Someone will like us – we’ll make friends, someone will not – so, we’ll take different ways… Labels can be removed by personal communication.

 I do really hope that such campaign is constructing the first steps of such personal communication. I hope that: politicians, getting photographed with multicolored socks today, will establish inclusive policy tomorrow; Media will show interest in this topic not only on March 21 …. Children will be perceived as children and adults – as adults and everyone – as humans.      

 … And in the future, maybe no one will say (or think) – This is Nika, he has a Down syndrome, but instead of it – This is Nika, he loved animals from his childhood and that’s why he became a veterinarian