DOWN SYNDROME EDUCATION INTERNATIONAL Conference
DSEI Conference
Saturday I spent the day soaking up Sue Buckley’s wisdom in Irvine, CA, at the Down Syndrome Education International Conference.
I have a yoga chant CD that repeats the phrase, “The Mother of us all.” Well, folks, that’s Sue Buckley.
Every mother/father in the audience could relate to what she communicated to us. Information, insight, realism…she hit the targets of our hearts and brains.
What is the DSEI?
The UK, in the form of the DSEI, is far ahead of us in education research, application, and inclusion. So as far as I’m concerned, we sit at their feet and worship. Here’s their site. And if you’re interested in purchasing their education materials, go through their USA site, which is here. Their store page can be hard to find, so here it is.
The DSE-USA, under the leadership of Dana Halle (no relation to Hale), did a bang-up job of running a smooth conference, no easy feat.
What did I come away with?
Many things, as an educator, since my heavy parenting days are past with 29-yr-old Jonathan. But I can tell you in one story something that all parents can relate to…
Sue’s daughter Roberta (DS) is 44 now and has been with her partner David for 5 years. Roberta was a very late bloomer in every way and has limited speech. Nevertheless, she recently communicated to Sue that since David’s birthday was coming up soon, she had her heart set on taking David to a special theatre and restaurant in another part of town where the transportation system doesn’t run. So she wanted Mum to transport them on this special evening.
What did Sue do? She told us she sat down and cried.
In that moment, seeing the complex planning that Roberta had done for the man she loves, Sue felt she had underestimated Roberta’s functioning for years. “What have we been DOING?” she asked herself. It was a pivotal moment.
Plan to attend whenever!
Sue opened our eyes to so many possibilities in education, inclusion, functioning, and expectations…it was fantastic, and whenever you see that the DSEI is coming to your neck of the woods, GO!
Hugs to parents everywhere,
