#TeamT21 November Linky

Thank you all for joining in the monthly #TeamT21 blog linky and for taking part in the Facebook page of the same name.

 We are a team to be proud of indeed!

<div align="center">
<a href="http://www.downssideup.com" title="Downs Side Up"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjax3iHsx6pWvQ67hGe3QaCoyjwoqtfbeFdPH-Z01FOFX0Mh0Vt7DBegFXgDcszxn1EfrV547HffZ8-sjAefs1m36AMAFh96NuW1SHgcT4N-NwdU3E386t5iXbI4NnMnXKBap0YXunZoU_e/s1600/TeamT21.jpg" alt="Downs Side Up" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

Grab your blog badge code above to show you are a part of this amazing group. 
#TeamT21 was coined by Tom Bachofner at The Futures Rosie and the 
Facebook page is run by Alice Hassell from My Son My Life My Way.

What an amazing mix of blogs by people with Down's syndrome, parents, teachers and siblings we have seen added to the list and what a treat it is to sit down with a cuppa and spend time visiting and reading around these wonderful sites. Testimony to the power of our words indeed!
My latest favourite discovery is Beth Blogs! by Ginger Warrior's niece. Beth is a teen with DS and blogs about her fabulous life, this time her dedication to dance.

#TeamT21 Down Syndrome Awareness Month Linky #DSAM2014

Add your Down syndrome blog posts for #DSAM2014 

Welcome to the October Team T21 Linky dear Down syndrome bloggers. 
What a wonderful month it has been for our team, with positive media articles left right and centre,

Pulling Together for Team T21: a Linky

What a month it has been for us all... 

Team T21 pull together in the face of adversity

First the shocking Gammy story that deepened and darkened the more facts were unearthed.

This is Elijah: a Mum's Journey with Down's syndrome

Today's #TeamT21 monthly blog round-up kicks off with a beautiful, honest and inspiring guest post from Elijah's mum. So much of what she says will resonate with you, from her early shock, to recognising just how great the changes that parenthood brings about in us all are. 

#TeamT21 Linky

It's Friday folks!

Time to dust off an old blog post you'd like to reach a few more readers, or show us a new shining nugget of your writing. 

Link up for #TeamT21

Another week has flown by and it's time to link up your posts old and/or new for our weekly #TeamT21 blog celebration below. 

(Simply follow the instructions below after 'clicking to enter'. Put all the code of your blog post including the http:// part or it won't work.)

Alice Hassell has created an incredible badge for the team (left). She's working on adding some code so we can all add it to our blogs if we wish.

I've really enjoyed reading posts by familiar friends and newcomers  alike, and it's been a wonderful experience to feel part of a very close-knit community. If you haven't had time to read around, why not visit these three gems from last week:

Paul Critchlow who writes Orange Juice Flavour Sky gave us a wise post about time flying by and savouring the moments to be celebrated in life in Who Knows Where the Time Goes, Mardra at MardraSikora.com reminds us that our children really are The Very Least of our Worries in life, and Sunshine and the Berry gives a beautiful and inspirational account of breastfeeding despite the odds in Milo's Feeding Journey.

Now it's over to you!

Team T21 Link Up

The overriding message of the incredible Britmums Live '14 was, for me, collaboration, sharing and working together to enhance our message and make it more powerful. 

With that in mind I am launching the first regular Link Up 4 Down's linky, to run each Friday here on Downs Side Up.

Down Syndrome Awareness Month 2013 #DSAM2013

As parents and siblings and carers of children with Down's Syndrome we very quickly become top experts in our field. 

We are: 

doctors 

teachers

speech therapists 

story tellers

geneticists

physios

occupational therapists 

play specialists

artists

tailors (I'm very good at sewing up hems on sleeves)

nutritionalists

campaigners

historians

fighters

carers

mentors

spokespeople

The list goes on of course, but I for one wasn't quite so knowledgeable about what it meant to have Down's Syndrome when Natty was born nearly 7 years ago.
It has very much been a crash course, with Natty as our greatest teacher.

So I think we should be a little gentle on those who aren't in the 'inner circle' and don't quite have all their facts straight. Those who don't quite get the terminology correct or believe an outdated generalism to be true. Why would they? 

Certainly everyone is 'aware' of the condition, knows what Down's Syndrome is, looks like at least. And for we parents and those in the charity and support sector every single day is Down Syndrome Awareness Day/Month/Year.

So why are we doing this...? Do we need a Down Syndrome Awareness Month?

Well, as long as new parents continue to feel as worried and confused as we were in the early days, as long as 92% of parents with an antenatal diagnosis feel that Down's Syndrome is so scary that a termination is the only answer, as long as a professional working with adults with DS exists in the land who comes out with bafflingly ridiculous statements like "He could speak really well before he caught the Down's Syndrome," and as long as individuals with DS are the target of hate crime, offensive language or inexcusable bigotry around the world, then I feel an Awareness Month can only be a good thing.

And to those whose heart is in the right place but who let insensitivities slip, we can gently put them straight.

So, to raise awareness of certain issues or causes that you are involved with, to iron out a few myths, to signpost support groups or invaluable information, to let us know about charity events or to share your all time favourite blog post or article, please attach them in the comments section below, or join the blog hop linky at the bottom of this post. 

A blog hop also means that you visit others' posts, so this is a super -de-duper way of bringing the Down's Syndrome community together, making us all stronger. You can copy the code at the bottom to add to your post and the others in the linky will appear on your blog too.

Let's see if we can get 31 at least, one for every day of the month. 

Let's make a change together.

Let's Pull Together and celebrate our children

"When a light shines brightly, shadows appear darker, they come out fighting. We must keep shining bright and drown them out."

Please join us to write, and write with integrity, to show the world how this man has upset us and just how incredible our children are. That we wouldn't change them for the world.

It's been a fraut, emotional and upsetting week.
The comments of an all-too local Councillor have been impossible to ignore.
And finally John Pring from Disability News Service gave Collin Brewer enough rope to metaphorically hang himself from. Please do not read the article if you are easily upset.

I have started at least 4 posts on the subject, each deleted and scrapped for one reason or another. I feel that Brewer, and a small minority of others like him are nothing but trolls, albeit trolls in the public eye with a microphone in their paws. And my motto is always to starve trolls of oxygen, not fuel their craving for publicity at any cost. If we stoop to their level they have won.

But this man we cannot ignore, we cannot allow him to remain in power (however minor that power might be).

Many have written succinctly over the weekend about Brewer's latest interview, including journalists far more qualified than I. I felt it futile to write another post about his comments and how they echo of Nazi propaganda. I found it hard to write without anger and hurt in my voice. There had to be a gentle effective Downs Side Up way...

So I spent the last few days writing to as many human rights and disability campaigners as I have ever had the pleasure to meet.

Their replies have been heartwarming and calming and I now feel ready to act in my own way against this monster. The positive slant I have chosen to emply doesn't detract from my anger. But there are many ways of skinning a cat so to speak.

1) Sadly complaining to the Council and signing ePetitions are not going to work as no-one appears to have the power to sack Brewer. I have accepted this and will now work in a legal direction. I have asked national disability groups to take this up for us. We have some very high profile people on board. A multi party group of local councillors have written their concern.

2) We must bear in mind that the majority of people are good, loving and accepting of difference. Only a tiny minority, such as Brewer exist. Furthermore, the man is ill and may be displaying signs of mental degeneration or incapacity. It is difficult not to become disillusioned and depressed at times like this but we must focus on our amazing children.

3) We need to show the world what we all know, that individuals with disabilites contribute as fully to society as everyone else.
Let's all flood our local media outlets with wonderful, positive, inspiring stories of the achievements of those with disabilities. Get in touch with your local paper about an event, sporting or for a charity and an individual who has done something news worthy. A person's worth can never be measured in pound coins.

4) If you blog, please join our linky here. I'm calling all the amazing bloggers I know, who write with integrity and intelligence to join together. 

It might be how the Brewer affair has left you feeling, it might be be how amazing your child is. It might be a nugget of support for other parents, a poem or a religious word. Please keep all posts respectable and let's join together in a wave of support for each other, a way of showing the world that Cllr Brewer is utterly wrong. I for one don't want to come out screaming like a banshee.

Highs, Challenges and Hopes Linky

I was recently asked by Kate of Kate on Thin Ice to think about the Highs and Lows of 2012 (Click to read) for our family.  It was an interesting excercise to think over the last 12 months and focus on my hopes and aspirations for 2013.

I thought it might be nice to share your thoughts on your year past and present, for it is always a balancing process to think about where you are and compare your worries and hopes to those of others. I find it makes me stop whining about the little things in life like bad service in a shop or an under par meal.

It's healthy to put behind us negative thoughts and focus on the best bits for the next year. I don't believe in unrealistic resolutions of the 'I will lose 3 stone in weight, become a millionaire and learn to be a Nigella in the kitchen" ilk. They can only lead to insecurities and frustrations.
Instead let's celebrate the important things in life.

If you would like to take part, all you have to do is answer the following questions and add your blog to the linky below. Alternatively, pop your answers on our Facebook page or in a comment below.


1) What was the high point of 2012 for you?

2) When was the most challenging thing, the part that tested you to your limit?

3) What 3 hopes do you hold dear for 2013?


Much love to you and yours for 2013.