2024-03-22 19:32:52
(ANSA) – ROME, MARCH 21 – “He thinks I can. So maybe I can”. It is an invitation to overcome stereotypes and mental barriers towards people with Down syndrome, which lead to the idea that they cannot do some things, which comes on the occasion of the Day dedicated to this syndrome, which is celebrated today 21 March. CoorDown – National Coordination of Associations of people with Down syndrome – together with international partners has launched the awareness campaign “Assume that I can”, to ask to put an end to prejudices by supporting the concrete potential of every person with Down syndrome. In just 4 days after launch, the video published on CoorDown’s social profiles has become a worldwide phenomenon, reaching over 100 million views on TikTok, Instagram, X, Linkedin, Youtube and Facebook. “In psychology there is a concept, “self-fulfilling prophecy”, that is, a self-fulfilling prophecy, therefore the teacher who thinks that the student cannot understand, behaves accordingly, does not explain and makes the prophecy come true.
But for me there are no easy and difficult concepts. If I think about the things that were not explained and taught to me, this makes me angry” these were the words of Marta Sodano, a 30 year old woman with Down syndrome, spoken at the United Nations. It is from her story that the film was born” Assume that I Can”, in collaboration with the Small agency in New York: a girl with Down syndrome has people around her who believe she cannot drink a cocktail, practice boxing, study Shakespeare, go to live alone and so they limit her Then, halfway through the film, the turning point comes, the young woman invites us to use the self-fulfilling prophecy in a positive sense: if you believe in me, if you trust me, you will be able to have a positive impact and then, perhaps, I will be able to achieve goals, even unexpected ones. “Changing the way we approach disability is the challenge launched by CoorDown for 2024 – underlines the president Antonella Falugiani -. With ‘Assume That I Can’ we show how each of us can contribute to inclusion by listening and looking at people with Down syndrome and their desires without distorted filters. Only in this way can we break down the walls that still limit the lives of people with intellectual disabilities”. (ANSA).
2024-03-22 19:32:52