Reflection Questions

This are my reflection Q&A (:

Angels with Down Syndrome Finale

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Outcome of my Project...

I hope that when people see my blogs and see my website they can feel sympathy if they already haven't. I want them to spread awareness of protecting our children with discapasibilities. I want them to act up when somebody is misjudging and or treaten bad one of this children. I want to make the un-educated understand the importance of equality. Lastly, I want them to be connected with my emotions trough reading my post. For them to understand how WE, the siblings of children with discapasibilities feel and go trough ALL the time; basically FOREVER!

By spreading awareness and educating people I know I can begin the change for a better life for all the children with DS. I know by doing so, they will gain confidence and face the world with courage and dignity.

I hope to touch hearts and make people join to start making a change...

DS Web page

file:///E:/Semester%202%282011%29/Ms.Jhonson/Down%20Syndrome/DSW.html

This is my work in progress. Tehe is the website I am doing base on my project<3





Toodles<3 Steph

{Thank you Estefany! I do appreciate your kind words, I do Love what I do!

So, tell me about your project on DS. I am getting ready to start photographing the kids for the 2012 Down Syndrome Houston calendar.....would you be interested in coming out to volunteer at some of the photo sessions?

I look forward to hearing from you,

Laura

Laura Popiel Photography
www.laurapopielphotography.com}

Ahh, I am excited! I emailed Laura Popiel a photographer who specializes in photography of kids with DS, and I told her that I am inspired on what she does because 1; I love photography & 2. I love children with DS(:

So i told her I would love to do the same as her so she invited me to go help her with her 2012 DS Calender. She photographs children with D.S & puts them in a Calender. I am soo looking foward this!

Notes & Work Cited

http://www.scribd.com/doc/53079995 Notes on DS http://www.scribd.com/doc/53080108 Work Cited

Surfing online

I been doing some online surfing and i found 3 great websites that made me smiled when i read them! This website is of a fotographer name Laura Popiel;

http://www.laurapopielphotography.com/index2.php

“Photographing children with disabilities holds a special place in my heart. My beautiful son Nicholas was born with Down Syndrome in June of 2000 and that’s when our lives changed. His sweet gentle spirit has brought new meaning to our lives and to all those around him. After hearing distressing stories from other families about studios unwilling and unable to meet their photography needs, my career took a new wonderful direction – focusing on families with special needs children.”

~ Laura Popiel ~ 713-992-3662

&

Whis is the Association oF Down Syndrome in Houston! It provides a lot of fun activities for children with DS & Dissabilities;

http://www.dsah.org/index.htm

&

I also found a school that is ALL bout children with dissabilities!

http://www.thehorizonschooltx.com/thehorizonschool/Home.html

What I've learned...

1. I learned that it might be possible that tigers(animals) can have Down Syndrome. It's not medically proven yet but look at the face structure of this tiger & then look at the face of a child with down syndrome. They have almost the same characteristics with the exception of the fur.(http://www.itchmo.com/taking-care-of-a-cat-diagnosed-with-down-syndrome-1523 -cat diagnosed with Down Syndrome)

2. I learned that almost 90% of children that are diagnosed with Down Syndrome are aborted and or put to adoption. Most mothers who abort a child with donw syndrome wanted to keep the baby but because of the diagnostic they prefer getting "rid" of them. Some mothers want to receive the blessing of having a baby with Down Syndrome;

"We know of one parent who wants desperately to have her own baby and for the baby to have Down syndrome. Why? This lady has been in contact with Down Syndrome people and has learnt they are not to be feared and that people with Down Syndrome can fit into society and be part of it."

3. 30% - 50% of the individuals with Down syndrome have heart defects and 8% - 12% have gastrointestinal tract abnormalities present at birth. Most of these defects are now correctable by surgery.

The story that touched my heart

Just wanted to share this story with you guys! It's very heart-touching! http://www.prenatalpartnersforlife.org/Stories/StoriesDowns_LukeAlondra.htm

Fustration & Indignation

Ugh, can't nobody know how indignated I am feeling! Yesterday, April 6, 2011, my father went to pick up my little sister Cindy to her school. My other sister, Wendy, was with him so he told her, "Wendy valla a traer a Cindy." "Go get Cindy" Wendy went to get here, which theres this hallway were they are seated until their parents come for them. Wendy notice Cindy wasn't there so she came back to the car and told my dad, that Cindy wasn't there. My dad immediatly got down and had to go inside the school, which we never have to do when picking Cindy up, and ask were was she. The teacher told her that they didn't know. So they basically LOST HER! Ugh, they know that kids with D.S and other dissabilities need A LOT of care, they shouldnt be unsupervise! They had looked for Cindy all over the school like for half an hour i believe until they found her. Now that shouldnt have to happen ever! I mean when i have gone pick up Cindy she comes runnign out and teachers don't even notice, why because it's like they don't care!! That shows that this people are not dedicated to what they do! Things like this make me want to sacrifice wanting to be a doctor to be a teacher for children with dissabilities. I know darn right that nooo student would be scream at by me, or a parent have to look for their child because they were unsupervise. Ive's seen this cases when i wa in elementary school and it's sad. It breaks my heart! It fustrates me that people volunteer to teach children like this, and dont have patient. They be screaming at them because they don't understand. Like really? I ask God to give me the strenght, and the courage to go trough all of this! Now that i have the knowledge i will make something to stop this! Since I am still in High School i really can't get involved as much as i want becuase i can't be missing school a lot. But i am looking foward the meeting of evaluation they reschedule for Cindy. There I don't care missing schhol, it's my sister future. I will let them know of the incident that happen!

Buddie Walk April 30, 2011

I have join an upcoming Buddy Walk!

For more information of how to join please visit the following web link! http://www.buddywalk.org/index.php

It's very simple and easy! Please join &' support the walk!!!

The Buddy Walk will be held at

University of St. Thomas on

April 30, 2011 at

Best Buddies Friendship Walk: Houston, TX

Why Down Syndrome as topic?

I choose Down Syndrome as my project, because I am facinating with kids with ALL types of disabilities, and of course because I have a sister with DS.

It's important for me to project the importance of acceptance, equality, and respect among each other! Now, don't get me wrong you might not be one of those people that disrespect human beins that bare with D.S. But unfortantly theres many people out there that do! They treat them basically as "alliens". They might not want to have one around them because their IGNORANT self think it might be contagious.

"I might contract their retardiness if Im close to her".-Unknown

That's what I've heard many times when I was in middle school. It sad but it's reality. Yes we shouldn't have to listen to what others say and let that affect us but you don't understand how impossible that seems, when your own sister has D.S. Knowing that people that say STUPID things like that, referring to one of yours, is indignating and frustrating. But we have to be true to ourselfs, there's a lot of heartless people out there. One day, not by you or me but by God, They'll receive their punishment for pointing fingers!

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About 1 in 800 babies is born with Down Syndrome. Down Syndrome affects anybody, it's not herited. It's most common among woman who get pregnant when they are around 35 & up of age. The older the woman the more high chances of having a child with Down Syndrome. Young woman can have babies with Down Syndrome. Most woman blame theirselfs but there no reason why to. God just decided to bless your blessing. You can get mild DS which means is not as bad as it may seem but in cases there is severe DS. Thats were you would see children in wheel chairs, deformity, or anger management problems.

Mother Pregnancy with children of D.S

When my mom was pregnant with her 5 pregnancy, she went to the doctor for her routine check-up. I believe she was around 5 months when the doctor decided to perform an Amniocentesis, which is when they take a sample from the Amniotic Fluid(Fluid that surrounds your baby when in the womb) to test for birth defects and or genetic defects. When the results came in she was in shock. The doctor told her her baby girl had Down Syndrome. That they were going to monitor her more often to see how the fetus developed. When she use to go to her doctor appointments she would be terrified because the doctor would tell her that the baby most probably be paralyzed, have deformity, or anything possible that children with D.S may have.

• Heart defects


• Intestinal defects


• Vision problems


• Hearing loss


• Infections


• Thyroid problems


• Leukemia


• Memory loss

My mom just couldn't wait for my sister to be born, so that she wouldn't be mortified with all of this things the doctor would tell her. But it was the doctor's job to inform my mother about all of this defects so that she would prepare herself for the biggest challenge of her life, or so it was!

My mother and father decided to name her, Cindy Guadalupe Galdamez, she was born December 14 1998. Months went by and my sister Cindy seem perfect. She could move her legs, make baby sounds, follow objects, etc. The doctor did an ultrasound and saw that she had a hole in her heart. I m not quite sure what the name of her defect was. The doctor said we shouldn't really worried. That the best medicine for it would be something called, LOVE.

Indeed, it may seem weird but her holes were closed! I guess Love can really sometimes cure the heart! As she was growing we would take her 2-3 times a week to her speech therapy. She started walking, and less than you knew she was running everywhere. At the beginning of the pregnancy my mother & father would have their problems. And my father would blame my mother for Cindy's Down Syndrome. But little did he know that you can't make your child have down syndrome, it just happens! Of course my father didn't believe, how could he? His highest grade level was 1st grade. Eventually he stopped and he accepted the reality.

My mother was always out so my sister Kimberly and I would be the ones caring for Cindy since we were 9-10 yoa. It was very hard we were just kids taking care of a special need kid. My father was working to give us the best! My mom started changing and so we became mothers to our siblings. We had to change my sister Cindy's diaper till she was around 6. Potty training her was very difficult. Everything we would teach her she would forget. And so we started surmising that she had memory loss problems, it's possible.

Now she is starting her teenage life, she already had her period. When i found out she started her period I cried and cried. It was already a struggle showing her go to the restroom by herself imagine now. Why I cried? Because i always taught that why should it be me having to stress my self, it should had been my mother! All my family always says that to us, that they are so mad at the fact that my mother just left us with ALL the responsibilities at such young age like if its easy. Specially with a child with D.S. Everyday is a new struggle. But that's whats made me a responsible young woman! That's what has keep me out of trouble all my life. And i honestly thank God and my mother in that aspect. Because they taught me how to care for others and how to be responsible!

Hi (:

OK, so for my blog I am planning on going out & about, about every single detail of having a sister with D.S. It's important for me to show you guys a little of what we go trough everyday with a sibling with D.S. It takes courage, love and lots of patience! So stay tune and bring on your tissue because I know I will touch deep withing your heart! There's a lot of people out there in the world who are going almost trought what I am going and they may relate to this. For those of you who don't you'll be in our shoes for a bit!

Angels with Down Syndrome

Down Syndrome:

It's not a disease like HIV thats contagious, so why are people afraid of it? Why do people make fun of it? Why point fingers? Why just not smile?

All this toughts go trough my mind all the time. It hurts to see how kids in school make fun of kids with Down Syndrome. Yes their learning capacity is much slower than yours, but yet they are still human beins. It's just God decided to give them an extra 21 chromosome. While everybody has 46 chromosomes, children with DS have 47. Due to chromosome 21 having three instead of two.

I personally have a sister with DS. It's very hard being a teenager and having to raise a family member whom you care about, with DS. You have to have a lot of patience. You have to be caring and loving because thats what they want. To be loved and care for. To be accepted as any other human being. They don't understand that trought other peoples eye, they are different. They only see what they can see, them being normal.

I am asking you to start making a change. If you see somebody judging, ponting fingers, laughing about kids with DS tell them its not right, don't just laugh with them. Beleive it or not children with DS have feelings and do cry when people don't accept them. My sister has cry and it breaks my heart. It's in our power to stop this! It's in my hands and in yours!