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Journalism of Courage
Emilie Weight’s son was diagnosed with Fragile X syndrome, a genetic condition causing intellectual disability.
Talking about the time when the family found out about her son’s condition, she recalled how everyone reacted very normally, unlike many of those who deem disability to be the “end of the world”. After a period of 10 years, Weight now feels she has learned more than she lost in adapting to her son’s reality.
In a Ted Talk, Weight talks about how a diagnosis of disability heralds an opportunity, not despair. “We call them disabled because they do not have the same capabilities as us but they might have other capacities elsewhere,” she said.
Weight then goes on to talk about the three main things she has learned from her intellectually disabled son–mindfulness, time management, and how to enrich emotional intelligence.
“Intellectually disabled people can bring added value to our society because they are life-achievers,” said Weight.
Watch the video here:
