A combination of drugs recommended for depression and attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder is being widely promoted as a "treatment" for Down syndrome. There is no scientific support for the... Read more...
A conference on the situation of girls and women with disabilities was organised by the Spanish committee of representatives of people with disabilities (CERMI) and the European Disability Forum (EDF).... Read more...
Index
News
News about Down syndrome from around the world.
European conference on women with disabilities
The European Disability Forum (EDF) and the Spanish committee of representatives
of people with disabilities (CERMI) organised a conference on the situation of girls
and women with disabilities. The main outcome of the conference held in Madrid on
16th-18th November 2007 was a declaration on recognising the rights of girls and
women with disabilities.
100 countries sign United Nations convention
An
estimated 650 million people (around 10% of the world's population) live with a
disability. A new UN treaty promises to promote the interests and safeguard the
rights of people with disabilities everywhere.
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities was adopted
on 13 December 2006 and opened for signature on 30 March 2007. In July, Qatar became
the 100th country to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights
of Persons with Disabilities. The UN is now hopeful that the treaty could take effect
in early 2008.
Ten
years of achievement in Moscow
The Moscow charity Downside Up is celebrating its 10th Anniversary this year and
I recently had the privilege of visiting their Centre and meeting the staff and
many of the children and families using their services. In Russia, on average only
15% of children with Down syndrome live with their families. The rest (85%) are
orphaned at birth and go straight to state institutions. In Moscow, thanks to the
work of Downside Up, some 45% of new babies are now being taken home.