1,200,000 views. Posted on Facebook this Saturday, February 20, 2016, the video has already been viewed by more than a million people around the world. We see a young Canadian dad (very moved and very moving) explaining to the camera what Trisomy 21 – a genetic anomaly which concerns him directly, since his son, Turner, 7 years old, is concerned.
Statistically, 1 in 800 babies are born with Down syndrome, also called “trisomy 21” since it is characterized by the development of a extra chromosome at the level of the 21st pair. People with Down’s syndrome suffer from various disorders: severe hypotonia, psychomotor retardation, heart, urinary, eye or digestive malformations …
But beyond the only medical diagnosis, Robb Scott (the dad of the video) wanted to emphasize how people with Down’s syndrome were. exceptional, both in their perception of the world and in their reactions. A poignant testimony, which allows us to take a fresh look at trisomy 21.
“Disability is just a perception”
The video is publicly available on Facebook – click here to view it. The translation: “I’m just making this video because I need to straighten things out. I was in a video club and there was a dad and his two sons picking out movies. Suddenly a boy came up. asked “What is Down’s syndrome?” He was holding a DVD in which there is a child with Down’s syndrome. I don’t think his father wanted to be mean: I saw he was looking for him. He said it was a disease: the disease of not knowing anything. I said nothing: I’m not the type to get stuck in people’s conversations. But by choosing not to say anything, I have advanced the ignorance of a generation.
I failed vis-à-vis my son: I should have said something. So now I’m going to zero the counters for him. Down’s syndrome is one of the most beautiful things that has happened to me in my life. It’s great, it’s amazing, it’s funny, it’s kind, it’s loving, it’s sweet … People with Down’s syndrome have a lot to teach us. It is not an illness. No. That’s not a handicap. (…) Disability is just a perception: that’s what I learned from Turner. My son has different things to teach us. “
