Recent news and views

We’ve been really busty with various work, home, and illness-related issues recently. Here’s some recent news stories I haven’t had time to blog about:

Athletes with intellectual disabilities to compete in 2012 Paralympics – The Times

Great news. It’s about time intellectually disabled athletes stopped being punished for the crimes of the intellectually able but morally corrupt.

Mentally disabled actors are victims of modern ‘blacking-up’, says campaigner – The Guardian

An interesting perspective, and one that I have some sympathy for.

Drive to improve pregnancy scans for Down’s syndrome – Daily Mail

“Guidelines for scans that assess the risk of Down’s syndrome in later pregnancy are being drawn up in an attempt to improve their accuracy.” Good. See here and here for previous posts about the importance of accuracy.

Sarah Palin: my life with a Down’s syndrome child – The Times

An interesting read, whatever you might think about her.

Progress towards possible Down’s syndrome treatment – BUPA and numerous other sources
“Medicines that target specific nerve cells in the brain could reverse poor mental function in people with Down’s syndrome, according to new research.”