Posts by Lindsay Robertson
When Doctor's Said No, The Bythewood's Said Yes
When Doctor's Said No, The Bythewood's Said Yes

Abortion is a common go-to for those in the medical field. Within the Down syndrome community, many parents hear it suggested one time too many. "Your baby has a 90% chance of having Down syndrome. We recommend abortion.” “There are several Down syndrome markers present. We recommend having an abortion.” “Down syndrome means an unhealthy and difficult life. We recommend abortion.” This is a huge concern for those in the disability community and an issue many are trying to correct by educating medical professionals and the general public.

Instead of taking the doctor’s advice when the Bythwood’s were told there was nothing they could do for their baby, they went a different route. They decided to lean on hope and turn to their religion.

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Discrimination, Genocide, Advocacy and AwarenessLindsay Robertsondiscrimination, abortion, AwarenessComment
An Entire Community In Mourning
An Entire Community In Mourning

As a member of the Down syndrome community, I’m heartbroken and outraged at the same time. As a mother, I’m scared of the world my children are being raised in. As an individual who cares, I’m pissed off that there isn’t more awareness being made focusing on these three kids. Why are these cases not national news? Why don’t they get the same attention as any other murdered child?

For those reasons, I’m going to share the information I’ve found on two of these cases below (you can find information on Kylee Willis here – Adam Hughes’ preliminary hearing is scheduled for June 19th, 2020. He has been charged with “assault on a child causing death.”) and the link that includes the contact information for those working on each case as well as examples of the letters that you can send if you’d like to reach out and help make a difference.

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Discrimination, Advocacy and AwarenessLindsay RobertsonDown syndrome, awareness, advocate, discriminationComment
COVID-19 and Down Syndrome: Facts, Resources and Safety Tips
COVID-19 and Down Syndrome: Facts, Resources and Safety Tips

During this Global Pandemic and the spread of COVID-19 (Coronavirus), we want all of our self-advocates, advocates, ambassadors, volunteers and followers to know that our thoughts are with you during this trying time. We know how important it is to stay up to date on the most current and accurate information and will continue to monitor the news and CDC as closely as possible. In the meantime, we want to go ahead and briefly summarize COVID-19, the affects it could have on individuals with Down syndrome and pre-existing conditions as well as a list of CDC recommended safety tips. We will also list additional resources for you from other credible sources and will continue to update the list as needed.

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HealthLindsay RobertsonHealth, WellnessComment
10 Blogs We Think You Should Also Follow
10 Blogs We Think You Should Also Follow

When it comes to special needs and Down syndrome, there are literally hundreds of blogs you can follow; From funny, heartfelt and inspirational to educational and knowledge-based. We know how hard it is to find blogs that really pull you in, make you feel a part of the family and leave you waiting anxiously for the next post. We also know that sometimes it’s impossible to find a blog that gives up-to-date information on current happenings or opinions on books and helpful materials. So we decided to make it a little easier for you.

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Advocacy and AwarenessLindsay RobertsonBlogs, Down Syndrome, family, Awareness Comment
15 Reasons Why You Need To Watch The Peanut Butter Falcon Right Now
15 Reasons Why You Need To Watch The Peanut Butter Falcon Right Now

If you haven’t yet seen the movie, you’re missing out. Big time. But don’t just take my word for it. Instead, I turned to the Down syndrome community and asked them to give me one good reason why the public (you if you’re one of the few who has yet to see it) needs to watch The Peanut Butter Falcon. This is what they had to say:

  1. This movie shows what a relationship should be like between an individual with Down syndrome and a typical person. People with Down syndrome want to be treated like everyone else. This type of relationship was beautifully displayed in The Peanut Butter Falcon! - Lauren D.

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Inclusion, Advocacy and AwarenessLindsay RobertsonInclusion, Down Syndrome, AwarenessComment
New Year, New Goals
New Year, New Goals

We have been restructuring our organization, as well as our website, and so we apologize for our delayed absence. Save Down Syndrome’s blog posts will continue to be posted every Monday and we hope that you’ll continue to follow along.

We are so thrilled to share with you all of our accomplishments from 2019 made possible by our fellow advocates and to share our goals for this new year!

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Advocacy and AwarenessLindsay RobertsonNonprofit, Down Syndrome, Goals, Awareness Comment
American Girl: A Follow Up To Our Open Letter
American Girl: A Follow Up To Our Open Letter

Earlier this year I wrote an open letter to American Girl with the hopes that they would see how much making a doll with Down syndrome features and characteristics would mean to so many. The only response I received from the company was a generic reply letting me know that they celebrate all kids and are constantly working to show diversity, but they had no immediate plans to create a doll with Down syndrome because they didn’t want to offend the community.

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Discrimination, InclusionLindsay RobertsonDown Syndrome, American Girl, InclusionComment
Why People First Language Is So Important
Why People First Language Is So Important

What is “People First Language” and what does it mean? People First Language refers to the individual first instead of their diagnosis. For instance, you would say, “Charlie has Down syndrome,” NOT “The Down syndrome kid, Charlie.” People First Language eliminates stereotypes, generalizations and assumptions about individuals, instead making the conversation about that person versus making it about their diagnosis. All people with Down syndrome are not alike, just like all people who have Autism are not alike. They each have their own personalities and characteristics making them, you guessed it, an individual.

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Advocacy and Awareness, People First LanguageLindsay RobertsonLanguage, Advocacy, Awareness, Down syndrome Comment
Recognizing Trauma In Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities
Recognizing Trauma In Individuals With Intellectual Disabilities

From talking to a wide number of parents, care-givers, family members, healthcare professionals and the like, recognizing trauma in individuals who are intellectually delayed, or those who may be nonverbal, is a big concern; “What if something happens and we can’t tell?,” “What if they can’t express what’s going on and it continues?” The list of questions and concerns over this one topic are endless and I’ll admit, I’ve thought about it myself. As a mother of a daughter who has Down syndrome, the very last thing I want to think about is the possibility of some kind of abuse occurring and my daughter unable to tell me about it.

So what can we do? We educate ourselves on the signs and symptoms of abuse and the steps we take if it does occur.

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Advocacy and Awareness, EducationLindsay RobertsonAbuse, discrimination, Down Syndrome, educationComment
Odhran Varney: How Medical Professionals Couldn't See Past A Diagnosis
Odhran Varney: How Medical Professionals Couldn't See Past A Diagnosis

“As he grew older and around 2 y/o he started to have trouble going to the toilet. He would scream in pain and it was glaringly obvious something wasn’t right. We took him to the doctors between the age of 2 and 4 at least 20 times. Always the same answer. He has Ds and constipation was a side effect. We placed our trust in the professionals. I will never forgive myself for that. After multiple trips to the hospital A&E and being made to feel like we were wasting their time. The look and lack of belief in what we were telling them was so evident. Our son was not the weight his age should have been but still it took us 2 years to get a serious appointment to have a look at the problem…”

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DiscriminationLindsay Robertsondown syndrome, #deardoctor, discriminationComment
The Spread The Word To End The Word Campaign and Why It's So Important
The Spread The Word To End The Word Campaign and Why It's So Important

The word retarded first originated as a medical phrase, “mentally retarded,” from the mid 1890’s which was synonymous for slow or delayed. This term was originally used as a replacement for other derogatory terms at the time like moron or idiot. It wasn’t until the 1960’s that this term took on an entirely different meaning used to insult people.

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Advocacy and Awareness, DiscriminationLindsay Robertsondown syndrome, Spread the word to end the word, discriminationComment
An Open Letter to American Girl
An Open Letter to American Girl

Madison’s younger sister, Charlotte “Charlie,” is fascinated by Madison’s American Girl doll. She wants one for herself. Madison has asked me time and time again why American Girl has dolls in wheelchairs or with arm crutches but they don’t have the option to buy a doll with Down syndrome. “I don’t know,” I’ve told her. “Maybe they just haven’t met the right person with the right story,” I’ve said. This isn’t true but I don’t have the heart to tell her that the company doesn’t see the value in adding a doll that looks like her sister just yet.

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Lindsay Robertson Comments
Happy Holidays from Save Down Syndrome!
Happy Holidays from Save Down Syndrome!

As the year ends, we think about all our organization is appreciative for and our relationship with our ambassadors, our community of advocates and our followers are just a few. Your continued support has made Save Down Syndrome successful and we would like to extend our sincere thanks. We are grateful for each and every one of you.

From Save Down Syndrome and our Ambassadors, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

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Lindsay Robertson Comment
It's Buddy Walk Season, and We're Celebrating
It's Buddy Walk Season, and We're Celebrating

October: known for ghosts and ghouls, pink ribbons and puzzle pieces. More often than not, when people think about October, Halloween, Breast Cancer Awareness and Autism Awareness (in Canada) come to mind. People don’t often realize that October is also Down syndrome awareness month. Before having my daughter, Charlie, I had no idea there was even a whole month dedicated to recognizing Down syndrome. How can I expect those who don’t live within the Down syndrome community to know this when I didn’t? Simple - by Advocating.

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Advocacy and AwarenessLindsay Robertsondown syndrome, advocacy, buddy walk Comment
More Alike Than Different
More Alike Than Different

Lauren Costabile, along with her brother Paul, produced a video called "More Alike Than Different" in celebration of World Down Syndrome day 2015. They asked both typically developing children and kids rocking an extra chromosome the same questions and recorded their answers for everyone to see. 

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Lindsay RobertsonComment