A Paisley charity has produced a film and an animation to help dispel the stigma and myths of Down’s syndrome.
The stars of the show are seven children with the syndrome and it’s aimed to raise awareness among schoolkids.
Four of the seven children are from Renfrewshire and East Renfrewshire and the work has been pioneered by the Paisley-based charity I Am Me Scotland.
The resource also includes an interactive classroom lesson narrated by the children themselves.
Six-year-old Rian from Inchinnan loves to dance and uses Makaton to help aid his speech.
While nine-year-old Charlotte, from Renfrew, tells all about her favourite and least favourite foods.
Grace,16, from Barrhead explains her love of concerts, dancing and Makaton.
As eight-year-old Chloe, from Irvine, explains in the introduction to the lesson: “As you can see we’re all different, unique individuals, with likes and dislikes.
The film can be watched by cutting and pasting the following links, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9LED_Z5abVE and the animation at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s3M59NeOJCI
“However, we do have one little thing in common, well apart from all being amazing, we would like to tell you about Down’s syndrome.”
It is being launched today, October 1, to coincide with the start of Down’s syndrome Awareness Month.
The animated characters in the film are based on the children.
I Am Me Scotland was set up to educate young people and the wider community about disabilities, bullying and hate crime.
The charity works directly with children, young people and disabled people to develop their ground-breaking resources.
Every year in Scotland, around 70 babies are born with Down’s syndrome and it’s estimated about 4,500 people are living with it.
As well as raising awareness of Down’s syndrome amongst schoolchildren, the video, animation and lesson also celebrate the abilities and achievements of children with the condition and the love and joy they bring to their parents, families and friends.
The resource was made with the assistance of Wouldn’t Change a Thing, a UK-wide charity which aims to change outdated perceptions of Down’s syndrome and Down’s syndrome Scotland, established in 1982 and dedicated solely to supporting people with Down’s syndrome and their families and carers.
Carol Burt-Wilson MBE, the I Am Me charity founder said:“Working with the children to develop this lesson has been an incredible experience.
“The team and volunteers have enjoyed working with the group of seven children who star in the film and the animation, but also the other 11 children who worked extremely hard to provide the voiceovers for the lesson, making them more accessible and promoting peer to peer learning.
“Making education inclusive facilitates the opportunity for children and young people to learn the importance of understanding and respecting difference, whilst helping to tackle stigma and prejudice.
“We are looking forward to continuing to build our inclusive education platform for children and young people across Scotland”
Eddie McConnell, chief executive of Down’s syndrome Scotland, added: “We are delighted to have worked with I Am Me on this wonderful project.
“It is a fantastic resource and we are sure it will serve as an amazing awareness-raising tool for children and young people that will show them the potential of everyone living with an extra chromosome and encourage them to create a more including society for everyone.”
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