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The participants on the Downs Syndrome list are mostly parents who talk about typical concerns for their children: self-esteem, education, family relationships, making their way in the world. Considering the obstacles they face, this is a fairly upbeat group. Participants discuss the social as well as medical aspects of Downs Syndrome including research and preventing potential health problems. There is intense discussion on how much Downs children are capable of learning and doing, which is far more than most people would expect. Even experts who not too long ago talked of institutionalization and low expectations are now changing their minds. This is partly due to family groups like this one where members learn from each other that there may be more that is possible for their kids. Recently the group has confronted what they feel to be offensive comments about mentally-challenged children on some Web pages and has been effective in raising the awareness of those page owners about how a little "humor" can be quite destructive. - E.L.

subject matter: families, education, health

regional affiliation: global

format: mailing list

language: English

cost: no cost