it’s mainly because prospective parents believe that their son or daughter with Down Syndrome is “better off dead”- and that raising such a child is overwhelming and empty. As an educational psychologist and professor who has written more than twenty books, I can assure you that both beliefs are completely false.

These two men—Scott and Scotty—had grown up together, in the same faith community. I sensed a deep, mutual respect. Scotty had Down Syndrome. Scott treated him with a gentle deference.