"My son can too": a campaign to reverse the prejudices about Down syndrome

Since 2011, every 21st of March is celebrated on World Day of Down Syndrome. With this initiative, the World Health Organization (WHO) seeks to increase public awareness of the disease and to stress the importance of its autonomy and individual independence. This year's body motto is "Do not leave anyone behind." And, for that, parents of children with this syndrome encourage a curious initiative.

Under the hashtags #Driving Preconceptions, # MyHijoTambiénPuede and #CambiemosLa Mirada, they viraliser video where they point out five common misconceptions and they contrast with reality. So, we can find phrases such as "can not be charming" or "can not graduate" until statements such as "can not succeed", "can not read from the music "and" can not be used ".

On the other side, we have examples that show the errorMadeline Stuart is a professional model, Noelia Garella is a garden teacher, Jamie Brewer is a comedian, Emmanuel Bishop is a violinist, and Le Reflet has six employees with Down syndrome. In this way, the sentence of the video is clear: "Down syndrome is not what I am, that's what I have".

These prejudices directly affect the integration of people with this genetic disease into society. This is why it is necessary to understand that they have no basis in reality and can fulfill the objectives of the WHO.

To this campaign Many celebrities have already joinedamong them: Cris Morena, Benito Fernandez, Adolfo Cambiaso, Radamel Falcao, Juan Jose Méndez, Gonzalo Pieres, Pablo Mac Donough, Juan Marin Neto, María Vazquez, Benjamín Amadéo, Pedro Alfonso, Belu Pouchan, Bernardita Siutti, Bernardita Si, Rituo Cale and Agustina Attias.

How can you add yourself too? It's very simple: just do like Benito. Put two different stockings, take a picture, upload them to your social networks using the hashtags on offer and score three friends in this challenge. Maybe yes, from tomorrow we will have a more egalitarian world.

The Down syndrome is a genetic disorder which occurs when abnormal cell division produces a total or partial copy of chromosome 21. This additional material causes changes in the development and physical characteristics badociated with this condition. This is explained by the Mayo Clinic and he adds that his gravity varies from one individual to another.

This one is the genetic chromosomal disorder and the most common cause of learning disorders in children. Among the abnormalities that it causes are intellectual disability, developmental delays, digestive and heart disorders. Better understanding of the syndrome and intervening at an early age will help to improve the quality of life of people with HIV.