http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-1032600/Parents-fury-Downs-Syndrome-dolls-designed-help-children-deal-disability.htmlParents' fury at 'Down's Syndrome dolls' designed to help children deal with disability
By Lorraine Fisher
Last updated at 8:40 AM on 07th July 2008
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At a distance, it may seem to be an ordinary, if a little old-fashioned, doll. But look up close and you will see that it is, in fact, quite unusual.
The protruding tongue, almond-shaped eyes, flattened nose and low ears all make it very different to most shop-bought toys.
So do the small mouth, short fingers and the horizontal crease across the palm of the hands.
This is a Down’s syndrome doll which has been designed with the characteristics of children born with the condition.
It’s one of an increasingly popular — but hugely controversial — range of dolls with different disabilities produced to give youngsters with health problems a toy with which they can identify.
The manufacturers claim such dolls, which are finding a growing market in Britain, help ‘normalise’ conditions like Down’s syndrome so young sufferers don’t feel so different from their friends. They even say such dolls may help make disabled people more accepted by society.
Children undergoing cancer treatment can get ‘chemo’ dolls which are bald and come complete with headscarves. Others are available with hearing aids, glasses, guide dogs, wheelchairs, crutches and leg braces.
Many parents of disabled children have welcomed the dolls as a realistic alternative to the physical perfection of the Baby Annabells already on the market.
Others, however, dismiss them as a sick joke. In fact, their detractors believe they only emphasise a disabled child’s differences to their able-bodied friends
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So, what do you all think...a good thing, or not?? Personally, I think it's a good thing...along the same lines as including children with disabilities in reading books, etc at schools.
(there are pics at the link)
