From the [UK] Times:

Doll manufacturers are starting to turn out all types of “disability dolls,” with prosthetic limbs, hearing aids, blindness and Down syndrome (left). In addition to reaping potential financial benefits, dollmakers say they are hoping to build the confidence of children with differences, as well as educate children about disability and help to remove stigma.

The chief executive of the Down’s Syndrome Association in the UK cautions parents, saying the dolls lack a research basis and vary widely in quality and accuracy. Other professionals worry that they will serve to further isolate and stigmatize children who have lifelong conditions like cerebral palsy or Down syndrome.

Parents’ opinions:

Rosa Monckton: [Daughter] Domenica’s childhood is as full of joy, pain and sorrow as any other. She should be defined by her common humanity rather than by her Down’s syndrome. She does not want to live in a parallel world peopled with Down’s syndrome dolls distinguishable from the rest. She does not want to be defined by her facial features, or by the gap between her big toe and the rest of her toes being wider than most, or that she is half the height of her peers. Still less would she want these differences portrayed in a series of sickly looking, politically correct mannequins.

Simon Barnes: People with Down’s syndrome are people, not syndromes. The more such people we bump into in our daily lives, the less of a big deal it becomes. The Downsie doll is just one more minor symptom of a major change. The doll is ‘orrible, but I like it. The thought behind it, anyway.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, June 25th, 2008 at 6:37 pm and is filed under Down syndrome, NOT2BEMISSED, blindness/visual impairments, cerebral palsy, chronic illness, cultural attitudes, deaf/hard of hearing, limb loss, public attitudes, stigma. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post