Excerpt from: BellaOnline (click for full article)
I have been thinking of Maryland often. That is where Robert Saylor
lived, the man with Down syndrome who died in a movie theater after
refusing to leave his seat. It has been more difficult to leave my own
son alone for five minutes now when we go out, and especially to the
movies.
Theater staff, including off-duty policemen working security, obviously
had some outdated ideas about people with developmental disabilities
that allowed them to over-react and behave just the opposite of how they
might have with the proper training, or a little grace. I am sure that
everyone involved will live with regret for the rest of their lives, but
a family lost a very dear person because someone decided that Robert
Saylor could not remain in his seat after the movie ended. I wish
everyone involved had practiced a little tenderness and common sense.
People with Down syndrome are as likely to have a difference of opinion
with theater workers and authority figures as their mainstream peers,
and may be more sensitive about strangers insisting that they change
plans, especially if a trusted caregiver has agreed with a course of
action. Many years ago individuals with Down syndrome may have been
raised in settings where complete strangers can make decisions for them
on the spur of the moment, but we raise our sons and daughters with the
knowledge that they have the right to speak up and refuse to do what
they are told by strangers. Obviously, their mainstream peers and
authority figures in our communities need to be aware that individuals
with Down syndrome have civil rights as well as a diagnosis.
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