Great video clip about a mate with Down Syndrome.

[Oakie]

Check this out if you can spare a few minutes.

Hayden is a resident at the place I work at. He's a feisty little bugger who has been knocked around by some health problems but just keeps bouncing back. Some truly funny moments in this as he's a natural comedian and entertainer. Also well worth a look at if you feel a little uncomfortable around the intellectually disabled or have pre-conceptions about how they live. Oh ... and watch where his eyes go when he introduces his girlfriend.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tCcak-gbFh0

http://www.hohepa.com/canterbury.php

Oh, if anyone who watches this feels the urge to make fun of the subject ... just keep it to yourself huh?

[Brian d marge]

My old man works in the Napier place

our two boys have . and use a lot , the toys they make

some great work goes on there

even if the old man can be a tit sometimes!!!

Stephen

[Oakie]

Yeah, the Napier place is a bit more into making stuff to sell than we are. Christchurch has moved in a slightly different direction.

[yungatart]

Thanks, Oakie!
Inspirational stuff..I have emailed the link to my boss.

[Oakie]

Yeah, Hayden epitomizes my work place for me.
He just leaves me in awe.

[ynot slow]

If you also want inspirational acts,check out the disability programme on Sunday mornings,a lady today with downs syndrome had her full driving license,house etc,was great the things her parents set her when growing up,no special treatment when she was born 30 odd years ago.

[SMOKEU]

Do most of the residents there know that they are 'special'?

[James Deuce]

Do most of the residents there know that they are 'special'?
There's always one bigoted knob with a big mouth.

[Mom]

Fabulous video - warms the cockles of your heart.

Only one other thing to add really

Main Entry: ignorance
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: unintelligence, inexperience
Synonyms: benightedness, bewilderment, blindness, callowness, crudeness, darkness, denseness, disregard, dumbness, empty-headedness, fog*, half-knowledge, illiteracy, incapacity, incomprehension, innocence, inscience, insensitivity, lack of education, mental incapacity, naiveté, nescience, oblivion, obtuseness, philistinism, rawness, sciolism, shallowness, simplicity, unawareness, unconsciousness, uncouthness, unenlightenment, unfamiliarity, unscholarliness, vagueness

[short-circuit]

There's always one bigoted knob with a big mouth.

Yeah...he's a white south african racist as well - immigration laws are pretty poor really aren't they?

[Oakie]

Do most of the residents there know that they are 'special'?

I'll give you the benefit of the doubt.

I'd be surprised if any of our guys thought of themselves as 'special' (your word, not ours).

Part of our philosophy is that our guys are part of the wider community so they are involved as much as possible in 'community participation' They do the same things you and I do as much as possible (but not ride motorbikes)

Another part of our philosphy is that the guys have an ultimate potential they can achieve and so they are given the chance to do as much for themselves as they can. Where possible they are supported to do things themselves rather than just cared for.