Michael Arrington, writing in TechCrunch.com via the Washington Post, reports that comedian Sarah Silverman has agreed to donate her time to a Los Angeles-area fundraiser to benefit people with Down syndrome.

Proceeds from the March 6 benefit in Culver City, called TwentyWonder, will go to the Down Syndrome Association of Los Angeles.

Silverman stirred controversy last week when she appeared before an international audience at the exclusive TED conference and cracked jokes referencing the current debate about the use of the word “retard.” Here’s how CNN described her routine:

In front of an audience of Nobel laureates, mathematicians, artists, scientists and inventors, Silverman did not hold back on her edgy brand of comedy.

After talking about the merits of adoption and the problem of overpopulation, Silverman joked on stage that she wants to adopt a “retarded” child with a terminal disease.

[Note: A writer on Salon.com said the term Silverman used was "terminally ill retard."]

That would earn her sympathy points, she said. But, because the child would die soon, she said she wouldn’t have to be stuck with the burden for too long.

In a video on the CNN site, Silverman explains her approach to comedy and says there is one category of humor that strikes her as offensive and unfair.

“I don’t really care for like fat jokes about women, specifically,” she said.

“Because I feel that we live in a society where fat men deserve love, and fat women do not deserve love — at least in white America. And so I feel like that’s an ugly thing, and it doesn’t make me laugh.”

In response to questions about Silverman’s upcoming appearance at TwentyWonder, DSALA board president Gina Vivona sent out the attached response. An excerpt:

It is DSALA’s position that we will treat people like we wish to be treated; with acceptance, respect, and understanding. Within those guiding principles, our goal is to extend the reach of our community by building relationships, providing education and increased awareness whenever possible.

There are many ways to be heard. One is to show people who don’t understand just how amazing our community members with Down syndrome are.

(Image from CNN video)

From Associated Press/USA Today and Reuters:

The United Nations has appointed musician Stevie Wonder as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. He will will focus on helping to improve life for the estimated 650 million people with disabilities — about 10% of the world’s population.

UN representatives said the singer-songwriter, who has won 25 Grammy awards, is being recognized for his philanthropic work with the U.S. President’s Committee on Employment of People with Disabilities, the Children’s Diabetes Foundation and Junior Blind of America.

Wonder was born in Saginaw, Michigan, in 1950 and became blind shortly after birth.

(Getty Images photo from USA Today)

UPDATE from AP:

Referring to the 650 million people with disabilities, Wonder said, “It is beyond my ability to fathom that 10 percent of the people of this world don’t matter to the other 90 percent of the people in the world.”

“I would hope that every single human being, and every single world leader, will commit themselves to making this world a better place and accessible for every single human being on this planet,” he said.

See also: Wonder promotes message of peace — CNN

Earlier post: UN says huge barriers remain for people with disabilities

While CA cuts funds for disabled, couple gets rich providing services

By Alan Zarembo in the Los Angeles Times:

A California couple who run a nonprofit for people with developmental disabilities have earned more than $7 million in salary and deferred compensation over the past five years, spurring questions about the limits of laws governing nonprofit organizations.

Edward and Marcia Dawson’s company, Social Vocational Services, provides job training, life skills instruction and group housing, and is sustained by taxpayer dollars.

The Dawsons made their millions while navigating the murky boundaries of nonprofit law. By definition, nonprofit companies exist for the public good. Federal law says that executive pay must be “reasonable” — a vague standard that regulators and watchdogs say essentially allows nonprofits to set their own limits.

While the state is slashing the budget for the developmentally disabled, it places no ceiling on how much executives like the Dawsons can earn. In addition to their pay, they collect more than $700,000 a year for renting properties to SVS, including a San Francisco condominium for their own use.

From the [Cherry Hill, NJ] Courier-Post:

Golfer Brad Hennefer, who has Down syndrome, has been selected in a nationwide internet vote to represent the Philadelphia Phillies at the 2009 All-Star Game in St. Louis this summer.

Hennefer, 20, was nominated in the “All-Stars Among Us” campaign for his work with the Golf for Life Foundation. The campaign, sponsored by Major League Baseball and People Magazine, recognizes individuals who have gone above and beyond to serve their communities. Winners will be honored at a pregame ceremony on July 14.

With the help of his family and the Philadelphia Section PGA, the 2008 Cherry Hill East High School graduate started the foundation in 2006. The organization provides coaching and opportunities for youngsters with Down syndrome.

Hennefer played varsity sports in high school, lettering in both golf and basketball.

Earlier posts here.

(Courier-Post photo)

From Newsday, Newsday Spin Cycle blog, People magazine on MSNBC.com, the [White Plains, NY] Journal News, and New York Daily News:

Saying she remains an advocate for people with developmental disabilities, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin appeared at two disability-related events in New York over the weekend. The appearances were seen as possible first steps toward a Palin campaign in 2012.

Palin was honored at a fundraiser for the Long Island-based Independent Group Home Living Inc., and also attended a fundraising walk for Autism Speaks in Purchase, New York. She told a sellout crowd on Long Island that God has shown her family through the example of her son that “every single person has purpose no matter their developmental abilities.” Palin’s son has Down syndrome.

(Photo from Newsday)

Boston Globe columnist Beverly Beckham writes about a small jewelry business run by a nonprofit residential community in Massachusetts that employs artisans with disabilities to create disability awareness jewelry.

Cheryl Bleakney, an employee of  New England Village, came up with the plan to design “True Meaning Jewelry.” The organization donates a percentage of its sales to the causes the jewelry represents. The rest of its revenues are used to pay workers with disabilities, boosting their personal pride and independence.

“Last year at this time, we were making jewelry for another company,” said Bleakney …  “And I thought, ‘Why can’t we make our own jewelry and do it for awareness? Who better to do this than these men and women? Why can’t we start our own little business?’”

The jewelry business has about 10 employees; Bleakney would like to expand to 20.

(New England Village photo)

From BBC, UK Times, People Magazine, Hindustan Times:

The story of an Indian girl whose cleft lip was repaired through surgery has won the Academy Award for best short documentary.

Directed by Megan Mylan, the film follows Pinki’s transformation from an introverted social outcast to an outgoing local celebrity after an operation funded by The Smile Train, an international charity organization that provides free surgery to children with cleft lips and palates.

Pinki, who attended the awards ceremony with her father and her surgeon, told People magazine that she had been shunned by children and townspeople in her rural village in India. Pinki’s birth had been a humiliation on her family, and villagers said her cleft lip was evidence of a curse.

Her father, Rajendra Sonkar, said he used to think it would have been better if his daughter had not been born. Now he hopes Pinki will grow up to be a flight attendant.

(Pinki with surgeon Subodh Kumar Singh, her father, and director Megan Mylan, AP photo from UK Times)