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How We Are Better Than We Used To Be

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June 17, 2013

There was a time when children like my daughter were routinely sent away to live in institutions. To say that they were “cared for” is a gross distortion. They were warehoused until they died, often abused: physically, psychologically and even sexually, and subjected to some barbaric forms of “treatment” for their conditions. I would like to think that I would have been one of the few parents who refused to subject their children to such a fate, and I think I know myself well enough to say that I would have been, but I will never be certain of that.

There is a lot that is wrong with the world now, and it is easy for me to focus on that as I watch my country slide into a brutal, authoritarian police state and government-induced economic collapse. However there are also beautiful things happening in the world, and there are some really positive trends in our evolution as human beings. This is one of them: That it is no longer routine to send developmentally disabled children to live as zoo animals to be tormented and ignored; That there are entire industries around caring for those with autism and other developmental disabilities; And that more and more parents are beginning to appreciate the unique beauty of their own children. This photo essay is one example of that trend:

Fashion photographer focuses on those with genetic conditions to reframe beauty

Corrina 1

Note: Corrina (pictured above) is a friend of ours, and has the same genetic condition that our daughter has – IDIC(15).

The Best of Bretigne Shaffer

The Best of Bretigne Shaffer

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$bio: Bretigne Shaffer  [send her mail] was a journalist in Asia for many years. She is the author of Annabel Pickering & the Sky Pirates, and Urban Yogini (A Superhero Who Can’t Use Violence). She blogs at www.bretigne.com.
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Bretigne Shaffer [send her mail] was a journalist in Asia for many years. She is the author of Annabel Pickering & the Sky Pirates, and Urban Yogini (A Superhero Who Can’t Use Violence). She blogs at www.bretigne.com.

Previous article by Bretigne Shaffer:

Political Theatre

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