Started a thread in SN's but for those that don't venture over, interested in knowing your thoughts on these disability dolls

[Thomcat]

There is an article on them here

They are dolls with Down's syndrome, undergoing chemotherapy, blinds dolls, dolls with prosthetic limbs etc.

Good idea, bad??
Would you buy one?

Agree with WannaBe.

I would feel it patronising if someone bought one of these for my sister.

my girls are probably too old for baby dolls now anyway but I'm not sure if I would buy one.

and the hair on those american ones is scary!

i too can see the "point" of the chemo and surgery dolls to help a child through an experience but I feel a bit weird about the DS dolls. my girls play with a little girl at school who has DS and they learn a lot from her that I don't think they would from a doll.

I agree with what Simon Barnes said in the article (in fact I heart Simon Barnes's writing)

but I am incapable of unbiased opinion really because dolls do give me the creeps in general.

My daughter is 3.7. I don't want to buy her a "disability doll", because

(a) I don't want to worry her and to get into explanations she cannot possibly yet understand about why a doll might have a missing limb, no hair etc

(b) I am not at all convinced that a "disability doll" would give her any understanding at all of disability or serious illness

I saw these ages ago TC and they made me feel uncomfortable. Why - I could not really put my finger on it.

For children undergoing chemo and using them as a teaching tool in terms of 'medicalised' dolls that could show and help children understand a procedure they may be having - sure.

But a doll with down syndrome - nope - I guess I see them almost as a caricature of a person with down syndrome. I think it highlights differences rather than celebrating how children with down syndrome are just like other kids.

I am not sure how you teach acceptance of children with down syndrome using a doll.

TBH I do not think dd1 sees herself as any different to any other child.

eidsvold - you are right, a disability doll just reduces the doll to its disability and highlights it - which is the very opposite of what we want to achieve.

eidsvold i think you hit the nail on the head. most disabled children won't see them self as looking different and imo they don't. all dc's look different in some way or other. this is just another was of making money.
you only have to look at any toy designed for sn. the price instantly goes up(cos we are all rich you know)

interesting thread. As there was as earlier thread, and I was feeling very pro these dolls, especially for kids with SN, but some of the posts on here are really making me re-think my opinions.

Cupoftea, my partner mnakes films with disabled people and people with learning difficulties. People just don't want to watch them. I posted the times when his film was on TV recentl;y and had zero response.

Having Downs Syndrome is not a nice expereince for a lot of people socially. They do know they are different and they feel it especially keenly in their teenage and adult years.

They know they'll never get the girl/boy of their dreams - that the time they spend at the day centre might be the best of their lives.

Now people don;t think they should be dools they can inedtify with ditreclty in case they are seen as a characture.

People with downs syndrom and other disablities and conditions are already reduced to their disablity by a maority of people. Having a problem with them, cos of som emisguded notion of political correctness is completley missing the point and seems more concerened with the political offence inflicted on 'normal' people than the people with the condition - which is astonishing to me quite frankly.

seems more concerened with the political offence inflicted on 'normal' people than the emotional comfort derived by the people with the condition

Sorry, have only scanned the rest of the posts but ds2 has Down's and looks nothing like that doll,neither do any of the little girls who go to his Makaton group nor any of the other children we meet at the Support group.

I understand the theory behind the dolls but personally I don't think they are a great idea.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion, but saying they shouldn'r exist or alluding that they are offensive is a bit much I think

OK have not read thread but

"normal" Dolls are ATTRACTIVE

These DS dolls are NOT attractive. What does that say about DS? That it cannot be attractive???!?! WTF? I've seen children with DS that I think are beautiful - not in any prissy 'oooh what a beautiful (INSIDE) child' but in a CONVENTIONALLY ATTRACTIVE SENSE - just like some NT children are beautiful (and some are dribbling snot monsters). So why not make a doll with DS that is beautiful? That's what I don't understand.

Normal dolls are not all attractive - some dolls are down right ugly. I have seen them in Woolworths!

It's nothing to do with atractiveness, 'convetional' or otherwise - it's abotu diversoty. There is enough room in teh world for these dolls and for them not to send out an earthquake into the privleged chattering classes fgs

The litmus test is: Would Mary Whitehouse have approved? - no, I don;t think she would. Says it all.

People with Downs and other genetic conditions are often not conventaional looking - are we supposed to pretend they aren't?

There are plenty of beautiful dolls to choose from already.

Who for though? Surely the child should be able to judge for themselves?

Hmm, not sure about these. Look very odd to me but that could just be the novelty factor. Moot point anyway as ds isn't interested in dolls.

When I was little I definitely preferred dolls that looked like me - remember being very fed up that 90 per cent of them had blue eyes and blonde hair. Would be interested to hear from parents of kids with DS about the child's reaction.

I have a doll toting DS3 (just turned 2yo)At playgroup today he organised a picnic of dolls - the black girl doll in a wheelchair represented me (I'm white and dont use a wheelchair), the man on crutches was DH ( who doesn't use crutches) - we picnicked for ages! I was fascinated by his choice. Is the need for children to see themselves represented our need or theirs? DS3 quite happily had me as black and in a wheelchair. But would I buy him a black doll or a disabled doll?? - yes I would if that was the doll he chose given a range to choose from. If all he was offered was chouchous and annabelles - he would end up with something that probably looked more similar to himself.

There is a little boy however at playgroup who has splints on his legs (CP maybe??) they have dolphins on them - DS3 wants to wear them on his legs too.

My DD has a couple of dolls which she uses for creative play. She loves fairy tales, happy endings and believes in fairies etc. It saddens me that children do not get to be in this stage for longer...but the bombardment of tv and media and even us parents eventually erode that magical time for them. I am happy to encourage this time for her.

I would not buy her a doll like this. We all eventually have to face reality, but not at 4.
As a child I went through a stage of sickness where I spent some time in hospital. I recall coping by dreaming, going into fantasy worlds, playing good times with my dolls. I did not want something I could relate to, I wanted something to escape to.

Can't we just lay off the politically correct messages and let children play, dream and hope?

don't get that last post at all.

"We all eventually have to face reality, but not at 4." Now that's horrible. It assumes that "reality" is something so awful that we have to shield children from it for a bit longer. Is that how you meant it to come across or have I got the wrong end of the stick here?