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'Assume that I can' ad shows people with Down syndrome taking control of their lives

"Assume that I can live on my own. So I live on my own."

down syndrome; world down syndrome day; assume that i can ad; coordown; ableism

Photo by Eunice Pais on Canva/Photo by Olena Bohovyk on Canva

Powerful ad shows people with Down syndrome taking control

There can be nothing more frustrating than someone assuming that you don't know how to do something. Oftentimes this occurs for reasons like your gender or age. Someone may assume a petite woman wouldn't know how to fix a car or can't lift something heavy, while someone else may believe that a child can't read a book above their grade level.

These small assumptions not only put people in a box unintentionally, but it can also be sexism, ageism and ableism when it happens to people who are physically or developmentally delayed. An ad put together by CoorDown for World Down Syndrome Day on March 21, tackles the assumptions placed on people with Down syndrome.

People that have Down syndrome are often treated much younger than what they are, even if developmentally they're closer to their numerical age. They even face these misconceptions when it comes to seeking medical treatment, with doctors treating them like children. That's why the CoorDown ad is so powerful. It challenges those misconceptions and inherent biases.

Starring in the commercial is Madison Tevlin, an actor with Down syndrome that stars in the comedy Champions with Woody Harrelson. The ad starts out with Tevlin sitting at a bar as her voiceover says, "hey bartender, you assume that I cannot drink a margarita. So you don't serve me a margarita," as the bartender slides her a colorful soda pop with a straw. 'So I don't drink a margarita. Your assumption becomes reality."

Tevlin goes through different scenarios that point out assumptions being made about her capabilities. Parents who don't think their child with Down syndrome can move out. Teachers who think they can't learn more complicated pieces of literature, with the main point of the commercial being to stop limiting the realities of people who have Down syndrome by making assumptions. People under the video applauded CoorDown for the reminder that people of differing abilities can do all sorts of things if given the chance and appropriate support.

"Nailed it! Let's get beyond thinking it's great that people with developmental disabilities are "invited to the table" and support a paradigm where they are the host of that table," one person writes.

"What a fantastic message! We all need to listen to it. Don’t overlook their potential. They will surprise you," someone else says.

"Bravo! Excellent message and the delivery is amazing! I don't have Down syndrome but I am Autistic, so I have been exposed to so many parents who hold their children back with low expectations," another shares.

One teacher wants to show the commercial to her class but there's an F bomb at the end, so she will have to wait for the censored version. Overall the reaction was nothing but positive and you can watch the incredible ad below.

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National Geographic Documentary Films

National Geographic Documentary Films

Nat Geo's 'Blink' tracks a family finding beauty while facing blindness as they travel the globe

“Let's go all in and fill their visual memory with as much beauty as we can."

via Edith Lemay/NatGeo

Mia, Leo, Colin, and Laurent Pelletier pose on top of their camper van in front of adouble rainbow while in Mongolia.

True

“Blink,” a new film by National Geographic Documentary Films shows how a family with four children, three of whom are going blind, embraces life in the face of an uncertain future. It’s a testament to the resilience of the Lemay-Pelletier family but also a reminder for all of us to seize the day because all our futures are uncertain.

Edith Lemay and Sébastien Pelletier are the parents of Mia, a 13-year-old girl, and three boys: Léo, 11, Colin, 9, and Laurent, 7. Over the last six years, they’ve learned that Mia and the two youngest boys have retinitis pigmentosa, a rare genetic disease in which the cells of the retina slowly die. As the disease progresses, the person develops “tunnel vision” that shrinks until very little vision remains.

The diagnosis devastated the parents. "The hardest part with the diagnosis was inaction. There's nothing they can do about it. There's no treatment,” Edith says in the film.

However, even though the parents couldn’t affect the progress of the disease, they could give their children’s senses an epic experience that would benefit them for a lifetime.

“We don’t know how fast it’s going to go, but we expect them to be completely blind by mid-life,” said the parents. Mia’s impairment advisor suggested they fill her visual memory with pictures from books. “I thought, I’m not going to show her an elephant in a book; I’m going to take her to see a real elephant,” Edith explains in the film. “And I’m going to fill her visual memory with the best, most beautiful images I can.”

The Pelletier family (from left): Mia, Sebastien, Colin, Edith Lemay, Laurent and Leo inKuujjuaq, Canada.via National Geographic/Katie Orlinsky

This realization led to an inspiring year-long journey across 24 countries, during which every family member experienced something on their bucket list. Mia swam with dolphins, Edith rode a hot-air balloon in Cappadocia, and Léo saw elephants on safari.

Colin realized his dream of sleeping on a moving train while Sébastien saw the historic site of Angkor Wat.

“We were focusing on sights,” explains Pelletier. “We were also focusing a lot on fauna and flora. We’ve seen incredible animals in Africa but also elsewhere. So we were really trying to make them see things that they wouldn’t have seen at home and have the most incredible experiences.”

Cameras followed the family for 76 days as they traveled to far-flung locales, including Namibia, Mongolia, Egypt, Laos, Nepal and Turkey. Along the way, the family made friends with local people and wildlife. In a heartbreaking scene, the boys wept as the family had to leave behind a dog named Bella he befriended in the mountains of Nepal.

But the film isn't just about the wonders of nature and family camaraderie. The family's trip becomes a “nightmare” when they are trapped in a cable car suspended hundreds of feet above the Ecuadorian forest for over 10 hours.

annapurna range, blink, nat geo Leo, Laurent, Edith, Colin, Mia, and Sebastien look out at the mountains in the Annapurna range.via MRC/Jean-Sébastien Francoeur

As expected, NatGeo’s cinematographers beautifully capture the family's journey, and in the case of “Blink,” this majestic vision is of even greater importance. In some of the film's quietest moments, we see the children taking in the world's wonders, from the vast White Desert in Egypt to a fearless butterfly in Nepal, with the full knowledge that their sight will fail one day.

Along the way, the family took as many pictures as possible to reinforce the memories they made on their adventure. “Maybe they’ll be able to look at the photographs and the pictures and they will bring back those stories, those memories, of the family together,” Edith says.

But the film is about more than travel adventures and the pain of grief; ultimately, it’s about family.

“By balancing [the parents’ grief] with a more innocent and joyous tale of childlike wonder and discovery, we felt we could go beyond a mere catalog of locations and capture something universal,” the directors Edmund Stenson and Daniel Roher, said in a statement. “Keeping our camera at kid-height and intimately close to the family, we aimed to immerse the audience in the observational realities of their daily life, as well as the subtle relationships between each of them. This is a film built on looks, gestures and tiny details—the very fabric of our relationships with one another.”

Ultimately, “Blink” is a great film to see with your loved ones because it’s a beautiful reminder to appreciate the wonders of our world, the gift of our senses and the beauty of family.

The film will open in over 150 theaters in the U.S. and Canada beginning Oct. 4 and will debut on National Geographic Channel and stream on Disney+ and Hulu later this year. Visit the “Blink” website for more information.

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Ecologist 'burst into tears' seeing endangered gliders using boxes designed to save them

A third of the greater gliders' remaining habitat was destroyed in the Australian wildfires, and researchers didn't know if their high-tech box idea would work.

Mark Gillow/Flickr

Greater gliders are endangered in Australia and rely on old-growth tree hollows to make their nests.

When a team of Australian researchers started checking the high-tech boxes they'd installed to help save endangered greater gliders, they weren't sure what they were going to find. The hope was that the tree-dwelling marsupials would use them for nesting—a replacement for the tree hollows they normally nest in—but no one knew whether or not the creatures would take to them.

So when Dr. Kita Ashman, Threatened Species and Climate Adaptation Ecologist at WWF-Australia, found a glider in the second box she checked, she was thrilled.

"I just burst into tears, I was so surprised and so happy," she told ABC News Australia.

Greater gliders are nocturnal marsupials that live in old-growth forests of eastern Australia. They have large ears, fluffy fur, long tails, and they can glide up to 100 meters at a time. The species is only found in Australia.

"I grew up looking at greater gliders all throughout the Dandenong Ranges. So they have a really special place in my heart," said Dr. Ashman told ANU.

The special nesting boxes were designed and created through a partnership between Australian National University (ANU), Greening Australia and the World Wide Fund for Nature-Australia after bushfires destroyed a third of the greater gliders' remaining habitat. The tree hollows that greater gliders rely on to nest can take over 100 years to form, according to ANU, so it's not like they can just find some new trees to live in when their homes are destroyed.

Nesting boxes that are commonly used for wildlife aren't a good fit for greater gliders, as the thin walls and lack of thermal protection can result in gliders overheating. (Heat-stressed gliders will slow their eating, which can be life-threatening, according to ANU.) The high-tech boxes in this project are insulated and include a non-toxic, heat-reflective, fire-resistant coating to keep gliders safe.

"I've affectionately been calling this design the Goldilocks box because we hope it will keep greater gliders not too hot and not too cold and will help to increase the species' resilience in a changing climate," Ashman said in July 2022.

"Producing and installing high-quality nest boxes is costly," added ANU research fellow Dr. Kara Youngentob, "so this project is very important because it will help us understand if expensive interventions like nest boxes are the best use of funding in our urgent mission to save greater gliders."

It appears that their efforts are paying off.

"What we didn't know was whether these boxes worked and whether they have an impact on the glider population," Dr. Youngentob told ABC News Australia. "Much to our delight, within a few months of them going up they are already being used by gliders, so we know the individuals themselves like them and use them."

According to Youngentob, greater gliders are the largest gliding marsupial at risk of extinction. More than 200 nesting boxes have been installed in Victoria's East Gippsland and in Tallaganda National Park in New South Wales. Youngentob told ABC News Australia that this project will help researchers learn more about how many of the species are left in the wild.

The quiet, nocturnal marsupial faces threats from climate change and deforestation in addition to the wildfires that ravaged Australia in 2020. Their population has fallen by 80% in the past 20 years and the species reached endangered status in July of 2022.

"They're a treasure for this country." Dr. Youngentob told ANU. "And I think the more people know about them, the more that they will fall in love with them and want to protect them too."

This article originally appeared on 1.20.23

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Gen Zer asks Gex X how they got around without GPS and the answers are perfectly accurate

"We're old. Older than Google, too."

Photo credit: Canva

Gen Zer asks how people got around without GPS, Gen X responds

It's easy to forget what life was like before cell phones fit in your pocket and Google could tell you the meaning of life in less than .2 seconds. Gen Z is the first generation to be born after technology began to move faster than most people can blink. They never had to deal with the slow speeds and loud noises of dial up internet.

In fact, most people that fall in the Gen Z category have no idea that their parents burned music on a CD thinking that was peak mix tape technology. Oh, how wrong they were. Now songs live in a cloud but somehow come out of your phone without having to purchase the entire album or wait until the radio station plays the song so you can record it.

But Gen Z has never lived that struggle so the idea of things they consider to be basic parts of life not existing are baffling to them. One self professed Gen Zer, Aneisha, took to social media to ask a question that has been burning on her mind–how did people travel before GPS?

Now, if you're older than Gen Z–whose oldest members are just 27 years old–then you likely know the answer to the young whippersnapper's question. But even some Millennials had trouble answering Aneisha's question as several people matter of factly pointed to Mapquest. A service that requires–you guessed it, the internet.

Aneisha asks in her video, "Okay, serious question. How did people get around before the GPS? Like, did you guys actually pull a map and like draw lines to your destination? But then how does that work when you're driving by yourself, trying to hold up the map and drive? I know it's Gen Z of me but I kind of want to know."

@aneishaaaaaaaaaaa I hope this reaches the right people, i want to know
♬ original sound - aneishaaaaaaa

These are legitimate questions for someone who has never known life without GPS. Even when most Millennials were starting to drive, they had some form of internet to download turn-by-turn directions, so it makes sense that the cohort between Gen Z and Gen X would direct Aneisha to Mapquest. But there was a time before imaginary tiny pirates lived inside of computer screens to point you in the right direction and tales from those times are reserved for Gen X.

The generation known for practically raising themselves chimed in, not only to sarcastically tell Millennials to sit down but to set the record straight on what travel was like before the invention of the internet. Someone clearly unamused by younger folks' suggestion shares, "The people saying mapquest. There was a time before the internet kids."

Others are a little more helpful, like one person who writes, "You mentally note landmarks, intersections. Pretty easy actually," they continue. "stop at a gas station, open map in the store, ($4.99), put it back (free)."

"Believe it or not, yes we did use maps back then. We look at it before we leave, then take small glances to see what exits to take," someone says, which leaves Aneisha in disbelief, replying, "That's crazyy, I can't even read a map."

"Pulled over and asked the guy at the gas station," one person writes as another chimes in under the comment, "and then ask the guy down the street to make sure you told me right."

Imagine being a gas station attendant in the 90s while also being directionally challenged. Was that part of the hiring process, memorizing directions for when customers came in angry or crying because they were lost? Not knowing where you were going before the invention of the internet was also a bit of a brain exercise laced with exposure therapy for those with anxiety. There were no cell phones so if you were lost no one who cared about you would know until you could find a payphone to check in.

The world is so overly connected today that the idea of not being able to simply share your location with loved ones and "Ask Siri" when you've gotten turned around on your route seems dystopian. But in actuality, if you took a few teens from 1993 and plopped them into 2024 they'd think they were living inside of a sci-fi movie awaiting aliens to invade.

Technology has made our lives infinitely easier and nearly unrecognizable from the future most could've imagined before the year 2000, so it's not Gen Z's fault that they're unaware of how the "before times" were. They're simply a product of their generation.

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Guy who sounds remarkably like Michael Jackson gets 27 million views on first TikTok video

Holy moly that voice.

Constru-centro /Wikimedia Commons

Brandon Conway sounds remarkably like Michael Jackson when he sings.

When Michael Jackson died 13 years ago, the pop music world lost a legend. However markedly mysterious and controversial his personal life was, his contributions to music will go down in history as some of the most influential of all time.

Part of what made him such a beloved singer was the uniqueness of his voice. From the time he was a young child singing lead for The Jackson 5, his high-pitched vocals stood out. Hearing him sing live was impressive, his pitch-perfect performances always entertaining.

No one could ever really be compared to MJ, or so we thought. Out of the blue, a guy showed up on TikTok recently with a casual performance that sounds so much like the King of Pop it's blowing people away.

Brandon Conway posted his first TikTok video ever on July 24, and in less than three weeks it's been viewed more than 27 million times. It's just him standing in a parking lot snapping his fingers and singing "The Way You Make Me Feel," but when he opens his mouth, whoa.

As he keeps going, it gets even more whoa. Then he hits Jackson's signature "he he" and the whoa turns into what?!?

Take a listen:

@brandonconway11
First post on tiktok let me know what you guys think! More videos coming soon feom mj to country to rock so yall be sure to stay tuned!#fyp #singer #usherchallenge @usher @tpain #letsgo #firstvideo

Uncanny, right? If you need a reminder of how Jackson himself sounded when he sang it, here's a live performance from Auckland during his 1996 world tour.

Very impressive. You can follow Brandon Conway on TikTok to hear more from him.

This article originally appeared on 8.10.22

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Mother is shocked her daughter's male teacher told her to 'hold in' her period

The $50,000 question: What subject does the instructor teach?

via Pexels

There's a lot of men out there that shy away from discussing menstruation with women. But any man who's ever taken a class in basic human biology or had a mother, sister, wife, girlfriend or any other woman in their life should know the basics of how it works.

That's why a mother on the Mumsnet message board was completely "shocked" that her daughter's teacher told her to "hold in" her period.

Does he think a woman can hold in her period like it's pee?

Mumsnet is a UK website where parents come together to discuss anything from adoption to women's rights. This post appeared under the "Am I Being Unreasonable" thread.

Via Mumsnet

According to the post, the 15-year-old's teacher prevented her from using the bathroom because he legitimately thinks women can hold back period blood. Or he knows a bit about biology but still decided to put her in the position to be mortally embarrassed.

The mother later said that the lessons last two hours so the girl had a long time to wait before being able to change her pad.

A few parents said that the teacher was correct to say no because students often lie about their periods to get out of class.

assets.rebelmouse.io

assets.rebelmouse.io

But most parents thought the teacher did the wrong thing and needs a lesson in basic biology.

One poster was irate but completely right about the issue.

assets.rebelmouse.io

Another believes the daughter should have disobeyed the teacher and gone to the bathroom.

assets.rebelmouse.io

This poster did a great job at re-framing the situation so that the teacher's actions seem even more ridiculous.

assets.rebelmouse.io

Why should the mother even have to justify herself?

assets.rebelmouse.io

The $50,000 question: What subject does the instructor teach?

assets.rebelmouse.io

This story originally appeared on 02.13.20

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Pregnant woman seeks out her baby's name by walking through a cemetary and it's wonderful

Is this the beginning of a "gravestone baby" trend?

Photo credit: Canva

Honestly, there are far worst places to get baby name inspo.

There are a million and one ways to find a baby name. Some parents might glean their own family line, scour through beloved books or pop culture references, or even hire a professional to conjure up some creative ideas.

But as we dive into the spooky season, you could opt for the more macabre route. That is what Haley Hodge did for her fourth child.

In a video that quickly went viral on TikTok back in May, Hodge filmed herself in a flowy pink dress traipsing around the Smithville Burying Ground in Southport, North Carolina, on a quest to find her soon-to-be-daughter’s name.

As she does, her onscreen text offers this fun fact “did you know families usd to come to cemeteries to have a picnic with their loved ones?” (sounds like a very Victorian pastime).

Hodge’s other kids lend a helping hand in the name hunt, her son getting particularly excited to find a gravestone with the name Salem. Bunny, Winnie, Vienna, and Olympus were some other good ones.

@hodgehouse Fun fact: My sister came from someones gravestone 🤍 #babynames #southport #love #fyp #viral #weird #graveyard ♬ Beautiful Memories - Lux-Inspira

In an interview with TODAY, Hodge shared that she came by this idea rather honestly, as her mom was a history buff who loved to go epitaphing—i.e., visit cemeteries—and would often bring her and her sister along. In fact, her sister’s name came from someone’s grave.

"My mom found that we were more interested in spooky stories and ghost stories rather than the historical tours," she shared with USA Today. "I've always been fond of walking through the cemeteries and looking at how they're decorated or their stories behind some of the people."

Though she said some might find it “creepy,” Hodge argues that “You can learn so much about cultural aspects of the past." And many in the comments seemed to agree.

“I love this! and it’s absolutely no different than looking at a book of names or getting a name from a movie/show. and it’s a great way to bring back the older generation's names!” one person wrote.

“How beautiful must it be for some of these souls to hear their name spoken again after so many years. I hope you have an incredible pregnancy and a healthy baby,” added another.

One fellow “gravestone baby” even shared that “whenever people compliment my name I love to tell them and see their shocked faces when I say, ‘thanks my mom got it from a gravestone.’"

Still, other more superstitious viewers did share concern about visiting cemeteries while pregnant, as they feared it could attract uninvited spirits or energies.

Either way, Hodge has found a really cool way of both honoring some family traditions while bringing something fresh and unique. "I know there's baby books, but I feel like I see a lot of repeated names over and over again. And it's fun to have a story behind finding a name,” she told USA Today.

And in case you were wondering, it looks like Salem was the winner.

See on Instagram

Look, graveyards might be a place for somber remembrance, but they can also be a source of joy. Previously, Upworthy covered a librarian who got delicious recipes from tombstones. Even earlier this mount a cemetery went viral for filming a nesting bluebird couple.

Bottom line: Cemeteries remind us of the inevitably of death, but they are also opportunities to celebrate life as well.

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