BASSETERRE, St. Kitts – MEMBERS of the Cotton Thomas Comprehensive School are seeking to dispel the stigma placed on individuals who have the Down Syndrome (DS) and, as such, the institution participated in the commemoration of World Syndrome Day.
Observed yesterday (Mar. 21) under the theme ‘My Friends, My Community’, members of the learning institution, for the first time, held a special assembly on that day and treated its Down Syndrome students (nine) to a sumptuous lunch at the Ocean Terrace Inn.
Principal of the School Charmaine Earle-Blanchette, in an interview with SKNVibes, explained that there is need for society to understand that notwithstanding the genetic disorder, individuals with DownSyndrome are fully capable of being active and productive members of society.
The nucleus of each cell in the human body has 23 pairs of chromosomes. Down Syndrome occurs when trisomy of the 21st pair of chromosomes takes place; that is, an extra copy of one of the pair becomes present.
According to Education International, “Down syndrome is a common human condition, resulting from an additional copy of the whole or part of chromosome 21, usually in every cell. This genetic difference is present from conception, affecting people with Down Syndrome during prenatal development, infancy, childhood and throughout their adult lives.”
Blanchette indicated that because of the presence of three copies of chromosome 21, World Down Syndrome Day is observed on the 21st day of the third month each year.
She explained that her school commemorated the day to promote inclusion, awareness and empowerment.
Commenting on the difficulty which individuals with Down Syndrome (trisomy 21) experience, she said their physical hardships are compounded by the fact that society has attached a stigma to them.
“It was used as an awareness day for children and adults with Down Syndrome. Along with awareness, it was also used as a medium of showing people just how productive those individuals with Down Syndrome are to us and to society.
“They encounter a lot of stigma in the society, people not accepting them for who they are, people not understanding them and the employers not employing them when they leave school and we know that they can be gainfully employed. They usually keep their jobs because they are very loyal individuals. Sometimes along with the mental challenge that they have, they have heart problems, speech problems, hearing problems. But if their parents or adults who could work with them manage their disabilities properly, they would be able to have a normal regular life.
Public Relations Officer for the school, Sylvester Dore told SKNVibes that empowerment, awareness and inclusion would be the focal points of campaigns which the school would be embarking on to educate the public about Down Syndrome.
“This is part of why we took them out yesterday, so that the public can see them out and about and functioning normally. We are also embarking on a public awareness campaign to highlight their activities, capabilities. We also are going to have seminars and getting the Parents Teachers Association to do more in terms of public awareness.”
According to the National Down Syndrome Society, Down Syndrome is the most prevalent genetic condition in the USA with one in every 691 children being born with it. And according to Down Syndrome Education International, it is estimated that there are 1.6 million children born with Down syndrome across the world.
