World Down Syndrome Day: 'How Do You See Me?' video highlights prejudice surrounding condition
"I see myself as an ordinary person with an important, meaningful, and beautiful life. How do you see me?"
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Your support makes all the difference.A charity has marked World Down Syndrome with a video depicting the life of a woman with the condition, and calling on viewers to question their attitudes.
Entitled How Do You See Me? the video shows a young woman played by able-bodied Game of Thrones actress Oliva Wilde spending time with her family, watching TV with her partner, laughing, dancing and crying.
“This is how I see myself. I see myself as a daughter. As a sister and a best friend. As a person you can rely on. I see myself meeting someone that I can share my life with.
“I see myself singing dancing and laughing until I cannot breathe.
“I see myself as an ordinary person with an important, meaningful, and beautiful life. This is how I see myself. How do you see me?"
The video ends with Wilde looking into a mirror, and panning out to reveal she has in fact been acting out the life of Anna Rose, a young girl with Down Syndrome.
Italian charity CoorDown created the video alongside the advertising agency Saatchi & Saatchi, which has previously worked with terminal illness charity Marie Curie.
Down Syndrome is a genetic condition caused by an extra copy of chromosome 21 in the person's cells.
At least one in 1,000 babies are born with the condition each year across the world, with around 775 in England and Wales, according to the NHS.
The condition can cause learning disabilities, as well as physical characteristics including below-average weight and height.
However, the severity of Down Syndrome can vary greatly from person to person.
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