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Diseases and disabilities
“To be or not to be”: actors with Down's Syndrome give a performance of Hamlet that challenges prejudices
Author / Source : EIB Published on : Thematic : Diseases and disabilities News Temps de lecture : 2 min.
This Shakespearean tragedy has been revisited by Peruvian playwright Chela De Ferrari and her “Teatro La Plaza” company, made up of eight actors, all of whom have Down's syndrome. They tell us their dreams, their hopes, their struggles to be considered as people, autonomous, capable of love, as well as their claim to be different. They share their suffering and their desire to be understood. They believe that “theater is perhaps the last resort” because it...
EIB NEWS : UN criticises Belgium for ‘high rate’ of abortions linked to prenatal Down’s Syndrome tests
Author / Source : EIB Published on : Thematic : Diseases and disabilities News Temps de lecture : 2 min.
The fact that the negative perception of people with disabilities leads to a high rate of abortions due to Down's syndrome is in practice linked to the widespread use of the NIP-test as a screening method in Belgium. This non-invasive blood test is routinely offered to pregnant women, and is fully reimbursed by the Belgian state. Although healthcare providers are supposed to leave the choice to couples faced with the news of a disability, more than 95% of pregnancies are nevertheless...
Belgium under the UN’s microscope regarding the rights of people with disabilities: between inclusion and the extinction of Down's syndrome
Author / Source : IEB Published on : Thematic : Diseases and disabilities News Temps de lecture : 2 min.
In terms of bioethics, it remains to be seen whether the CRPD will examine the social and ethical implications of widespread prenatal screening for Down's syndrome in Belgium, using the NIP-test. This non-invasive blood test is routinely offered to pregnant women, and is fully reimbursed by the Belgian state. There is no official campaign to encourage women and couples to keep the child or, conversely, to have an abortion if a trisomy is detected (particularly for Down’s syndrome,...
Guy Dembour, a life devoted to revolutionizing the approach to disability
Author / Source : IEB Published on : Thematic : Diseases and disabilities News Temps de lecture : 1 min.
Guy Dembour was keen to set up a multidisciplinary medical program to monitor the overall development of children with Down's syndrome, who present difficulties in a number of areas (cardiac, auditory, visual, etc.). Monitoring begins with an assessment of the child's development, highlighting positive aspects and building on achievements. We then work with the parents, who are given the means to take concrete action through everyday activities and games they can play with their child. The...