Anyone else feel like they're in grade school waiting for the first person to bust out laughing?

HELL YEA!!

We're soooo going to hell.

Errrr, wait, I don't believe in hell. Oh well, bad karma's coming our way.

Why would we be laughing?

I think they are beautiful! However, I prefer the line of dolls represented in the photo to the other line mentioned in the article.

I am biased, though, having a child with disabilities myself. It can be difficult finding dolls they can relate to.

Because the doll in the thumbnail looks ridiculous.

Do disabled people look ridiculous? No.

I have a child with a disability, as do other plimates, so I don't think it's that you are biased because you have a disabled child, I just think it's personal perspective.

I think Vex said what he did as it's considered taboo to laugh at anything disability related. I recognize there's a difference between poking fun and mocking and genuine humour but I think that's why he said what he did.

If you don't mind me asking what disabilities do your children have? I only ask as one of my children was born deaf, his hearing has significantly and inexplicably improved but he still is hard of hearing.


*editz* Josh Blues a great example of how you don't have to tipee-toe around the subject of disability

<a href='http://www.plime.com/redir.p?http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9uAs2KidfDg' class='plime' target='_blank' rel='nofollow'><b>flash video</b></a>

I have a friend with CP who loves it when he's being ragged-on and treated normally instead of people patronizing him and treating him like a victim.

When I first met him he told me he often ends up on the side of the road he didn't want to be on.

The reason is that people see him standing on the pavement (sidewalk) and "help" him cross the road before he can explain he doesn't want to cross.

Yeah, I was definitely laughing at the doll. I didn't even occur to me that someone would think I was laughing at the kids who have those conditions.

I'm an a*****e but not THAT much of one.

My 18 month old was also born deaf (severe-profound bilateral sensorineural hearing loss). My almost 4 year old is being evaluated for Apergers and is currently in therapy for moderate Sensory Integration Dysfunction. Both of my children have Neurofibromatosis Type 1, as does my husband, which results in small visible tumors, birthmark like spots all over their bodies (each of my daughters have over 100 and they are still appearing), possible large bone deformities among other things.

I do not think the doll looks ridiculous. THAT is what small children and toddlers with moderate-severe DS look like. The dolls on the other site provided in the article are much less realistic.

That is exactly the same diagnosis as our youngest boy. He was aided from 8 weeks old and we were told that his hearing wouldn't improve but in the past 5 mths he has stopped wearing aids and his hearing has significantly improved. The specialists are still trying to figure out why the hell his hearing has improved lol. The doctors have no said he has a fluctuating hearing loss so he could go back to being profoundly deaf as quickly as it improved.

Picture of a real child with Downs Syndrome...



Picture of the doll...

Just like "typically abled" people, not every person with DS looks the same... traits specific to DS are represented differently in every occurance.

*poof*

??

You said this referring to the doll...

Now you're saying the doll doesn't represent what all Ds people look like?

Sorry but I think the doll looks ridiculous. Is that wrong of me?

Seriously, could you make the pics smaller or take a few away cos it kinda dominates the comments for anyone coming in.

I don't believe that doll is far off the mark, as far as dolls go that is. I don't see why they had to have the tongue sticking out, though. Whatever.

I hear where you're coming from doggy, I used to have a friend with some heart problems. I don't remember what exactly the problems were (we were pretty young) but it stunted his growth and he had to have a few heart transplants during his time on this earth. He was a cool kid. I wouldn't call him one of my best friends, but we were friends. He mocked my obesity and I mocked his shortness, he mocked my man-boobs and I mocked his borrowed heart. To someone who didn't know us, we would have seemed cruel; but being friends it didn't matter.

I personally hate when I see handicapped people being treated differently than others, and from the looks in their eyes I don't think they like it much either.

At the same time though, I understand why/how parents and siblings can be offended by such humor. And honestly, if you don't know them you can't very well joke.

The issue at hand, however; the dolls don't look bad in my opinion. I don't see why the tongue is sticking out in the one Doggy linked to, but otherwise it looks like someone with DS.

I'm actually bothered that the headline of the article reads "Disabilities become popular". What? Like there's a concious decision made to have a disability and it's a fad or something. That gets under my skin.

Too be honest the tongue sticking out bit is what made me think it looked ridiculous.

I hear what you,re saying about joking aorund other people. Me and my mate Dave (Who's got CP) mock each other relentlessly, he takes the piss out of my height, I'm 5'7, and I mock his disability. We get on great but I have to tell him to tone it down a bit when strangers are around as they get offended by it.

He reckons he wins dance competitions a lot, just walking over to the bar.

I think that what they mean is that production of these dolls may help take the social stigma out of having a disability. I think that when you popularize (and by that I mean not shying away from it, showing that it's okay and normal to have a disability), it becomes culturally accepted.

And I agree, the tongue thing bothers me some, but I have seen a lot of children do that, so I guess it's more accurate this way.

I've seen a lot of kids picking their noses, but I don't see the dolls with the finger inserted... Though I might actually buy one of those.

Wow, I definitely phrased that wrong. For posterity's sake, I meant that I've seen a lot of Downs children who have their tongues out. I have also seen lots of very cheeky kids who stick their tongues out, but I am not referring to those.

And if they don't have nose digging dolls, then holy crap, they need some now. A veritable gold mine in that concept. Pun fully intended.

Personally, I think the doll is as creepy as any dolls I have seen.

Dolls are scary.

My niece has downs. A common downs trait is habitual tongue protrusion.

This thread is a good example for support of the dolls. To empathize one must be informed. The doll's face is not too far off the mark. And the dolls face does not look ridiculous.