People with Down syndrome deserve acceptance, not ridicule

Being the father of a son who was born with Down syndrome, I feel qualified and compelled to voice my family’s opinion about the controversy of the recent motion picture, “Tropic Thunder.” The bottom line is there now exists a perfect opportunity to ban the use of the word “retard” from our daily use.

Let me elaborate, if I may, on what our son, Joey, deals with on a daily basis living with Down syndrome. I remember holding our son in his first hour of life, wondering what challenges were in store for us. Although we had no idea he would be born with this condition, it didn’t stop us from being overjoyed at our new addition to our family.

Now 7 years old, he has had to receive physical, speech and occupational therapy to help him overcome his mental handicap which delays his development, since the age of two months. He also has had three surgeries for ear tubes, as people born with this condition are prone to ear infections. He has had his tonsils out, wears glasses to help correct his vision and uses orthotic braces to help him with his posture. We are very fortunate because he doesn’t have any issues with his heart or digestive tract as a lot of other kids born with Down syndrome do.

He didn’t ask to be born with it, it just happened and it doesn’t stop him from being a typical kid in every other aspect. He is extremely outgoing and affectionate and got the nickname “The Mayor” in preschool due to his penchant for interacting with anyone and everyone he came in contact with. Another family member said he had the sweetest soul while he was an infant, and nothing could be more true to this day.

People born with Down syndrome have an extra chromosome, which I have heard many people say is the love chromosome. How true it is!

The point I’m trying to make is that although we can’t legislate what people are going to say, using the word “retard” as a noun, verb, or adjective is just plain hurtful. It’s akin to using racial slurs against someone — it’s not illegal, but extremely hurtful. I’m all for free speech, but I implore you to eliminate this word from our daily language on behalf of my son and every other person who is mentally retarded or has any other mental handicap.

Sanford Myers

Ballston Spa

Pig ‘races’ part of animal abuse at fairs

Re: Aug. 27 article, “Fair opens with speedy swine”: If kids knew that the pigs they are cheering on will end up on dinner plates, they’d run kicking and screaming from this “race.”

Pigs are smart and personable animals. On the fair circuit, they are continually carted from one town to the next and are treated with little more care than rigging or equipment. Imagine being surrounded by screaming crowds, blaring music and bullhorns, with no chance of escape. The stress and anxiety this frightening environment causes cannot be dismissed. The logistics of getting from place to place on a tight schedule does not allow for downtime to let animals rest or recuperate.

If fairs want to remain viable in this gigabyte 21st century, they’ll continue to eliminate cruel animal displays and replace them with innovative exhibits that are informative and genuinely entertaining.

Jennifer O’Connor

Norfolk, Va.

The writer is an animals in entertainment campaign writer PETA, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Make Tryon safe not only for youth, but staff

Much has been written, especially in the last few weeks, about the worsening conditions for workers at Tryon Residential Center [Aug. 26 Gazette]. Every week there is a new assault on a youth development aide, YDAs as they are known.

Speak with 10 YDAs and they will rattle off a laundry list of injuries from on-the-job assaults: broken wrist, torn bicep, lacerations, you name it. Add to that being punched, bitten, kicked, cursed at, spit at, having urine-filled snack bags lobbed at you, and threatened on a daily basis. Put those things together and you get a glimpse of what work life consists of for YDAs at Tryon.

But that wouldn’t be the whole picture. You also need to factor in the mandatory overtime that is forcing some workers to stay on as much as seven extra shifts in a two-week period. Against the escalating violence, training on a “therapeutic” or “sanctuary” model is being rolled out at OCFS-run [New York State Office of Children & Family Services] youth detention facilities statewide.

In a twisted case of irony, OCFS Commissioner Gladys Carrion is trumpeting the attributes of the “sanctuary” model for criminal offenders while their own staff is suffering physical and emotional trauma. How about sanctuary for YDAs?

Surely OCFS can implement the changes they view as beneficial to youthful offenders while at the same time maintaining a safe working environment for staff in residential facilities like Tryon. OCFS has a responsibility to live up to and they must do a better job of it.

Kathy Garrison

Latham

The writer is president of the CSEA in the Capital Region.

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