The following photographs were produced through a photographic workshop conducted in Perth Western Australia, in early 1997, with people with Down syndrome taught the technical skills of photography and encouraged to create their own images of their lives.  All these photographs were the product of group workshopping and represent themes which were important to the participants' experiences of having Down syndrome.

The photographs themselves were taken collectively, with everyone participating in the process.

The objectives of the workshop were threefold:

• to teach the concrete technical skills of photography to young adults with Down syndrome who had little or no previous experience with photography, with a view to enhancing their ability to express themselves in an accessible artistic and creative medium.
• to enable the workshop participants to see their work displayed as part of a public exhibition, as a means of enhancing their self-esteem and confidence.
• to enable people with Down syndorme to make a powerful and public statement about having Down syndrome, with the intention of raising communiit awareness of the nature of this disability.

The workshop was funded by the Gordon Reid Foundation for Recreation for People with Disabilities and formed part of the Photographic Exhibition 'Beyond the Myths'.

   My body is beautiful!

One of Justin's passions is body building.  Some older stereotypes of people with Down syndrome caricature them as shambling and physically unattractive.  'Early Intervention' with an emphasis on physiotherapy can help people with Down syndrome achieve their full physical potential.  Justin's body is beautiful by any standards.     (workshop)

     I don't like people touching me and asking me if I'm OK!

I am an independent capable adult.

Cy is well aware of his own capabilities and resents the common - though often well meant - assumption that he can't manage.  Some paople seem to assume that people with Down syndrome can't cope, or that they have hidden physical disabilities which prevent them from doing even simple things for themselves.  As the saying goes, 'I may have an intellectual disability but I'm not stupid!'  While thoughtfulness is appreciated, intrusive or authoritarian bossiness is not!     (workshop)

     I dream of being a singer!

It would be nice to be loved by many people and have all the glamour.

Melissa is expressing something which many young people feel as they grow up.  Today there are an increasing number of young people with Down syndrome working in the entertainment industry, particularly as actors and models.  In Australia, Tracey Sammut, Saxon Graham and Ruth Cromer are three people with Down syndrome who have made their mark in Australian television production; and young models Kimberley Wall (Kimba) and Matthew Reeves have featured in Target advertising catalogues.  In 1996, Belgian actor Pascal Duquenne, who has Down syndrome, received the best actor award at Cannes for his performance in the film The Eighth Day.  More recently another actor Gerard O'Dwyer received the best actor award at the Movie Extra Tropfest 2009 (Australian Short Film) awards for his performance in the film Be My Brother.      (workshop)

     When people boss me around I feel like doing my karate kick.

Sometimes Shane feels as if he is treated with no respect because he has Down syndrome.  Other people, children and adults alike, experience teasing and bullying because of their disability.  In today's society, having Down syndrome can sometimes be experienced as powerlessness.  When Shane practises karate, he feels empowered.      (workshop)

     I often feel lonely

Wanting to protect those we love is natural, but protection can sometimes lead to cocooning, with a much-loved child cut off from the rough and tumble of everyday life.  The consequences can strike home as people reach teen years and adulthood; young people growing up can experience love and protection as loneliness and isolation.  While this certainly isn't always the case, loneliness can be part of the experience of growing up with Down syndrome.  'Letting go' of their children with Down syndrome and allowing them 'the dignity of risk' may be one of the most difficult issues parents have to confront.      (workshop)

     I don't like the words 'Down syndrome'. 

Why don't we call it 'Gorgeous syndrome?'

The power of labelling is clear to Justin, who has thought up a more attractive term for his disability.  Using labels which are acceptable to the people so labelled can be sneered at a 'politacal correctness', but names and balels can shape people's lives, for better or worse.  People with Down syndrome in the past have been referred to in a range of ways - as mental defectives, idiots, mongols and Children of God.  Which label would YOU prefer?      (workshop)

      Give me a chance to see the world my way!

Like Melissa, many people with Down syndrome find it frustrating to have their different life experiences overlooked or denied in a society which assumes that all people are similarly 'able'.  For minority groups, finding an appropriate means of self-expression can be particularly important.  Some people with Down syndrome have chosen to write about how they see their world:  Nigel Hunt's autobiographical The World of Nigel Hunt, and the recent book Count Us In - Growing Up with Down Syndrome, by Jason Kingsley and Mitchell Levitz, are examples.  Art and photography are also excellent alternative means to express views.  The photographic workshop which enabled the production of many of these photographs is an excellent example of this.  Drama is also an important means of self-expression.  In Perth the organisation DADAA (Disability in the Arts, Disadvantage in the Arts, Australia) runs workshops on all aspects of dance, theatre, dramatic and visual arts for people with disabilities.      (workshop)