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The Telegraph also picked up on the Down Syndrome Doll story!

Please note that the report incorrectly stated that we sold out of Mattel's Barbie doll Becky. A copy of the article can be read below or check out the following link: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2261945/Down's-syndrome-dolls-made-for-disabled-children.html#continue

Down's syndrome dolls made for disabled children

By Laura Clout
Last updated: 7:32 PM BST 07/07/2008

Dolls designed to resemble children with Down's syndrome may soon be available in Britain.

They are among several ranges of toys with other disabilities, which aim to give children a toy with which they can identify.
Although many parents have welcomed them as an alternative to the version of physical perfection represented by the likes of Barbie, some claim they suggest children are defined purely by their disability.
Others say they are an example of exaggerated political correctness, or even a cynical money-making operation.
Features of the Down's syndrome dolls include small ears set low on the head, shortened fingers, slightly protruding tongues and almond-shaped eyes.
They also have an incision on the chest to indicate open-heart surgery, as around half of children with the chromosomal disorder are born with heart defects.
The dolls are produced by several US firms, one of which - downicreations.com - is currently in talks with British stores.
Donna Moore, a special needs teacher from South Carolina, set up the firm 12 years ago and charges £90 per doll.
She said: "Children with Down's syndrome didn't have anything to identify with. They carry around baby dolls that don't look anything like them. The children realise they are not the same and want something to identify with, like all children."
Dolls designed with other disabilities have already proved popular in Britain.
East Sussex-based kidslikeme.co.uk has a range which come with wheelchairs, hearing aids and guide dogs and when Mattel launched Becky - Barbie's friend in a wheelchair - it sold out within a fortnight.
However, they remain controversial. Civil servant Sue Farren, from Durham, whose daughter Rebecca has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair said: "To me, creating disabled dolls like these and giving them to a child pigeon-holes the disabled and turns them into something akin to a freak show.
"It seems as if the disability is being highlighted here, whereas most disabled kids just want to blend in and be accepted for who they are – Rebecca doesn't even like her disability being referred to.
"Also, it worries me that able-bodied children might treat these dolls as a figure of fun. Life is difficult enough as a disabled child, as Rebecca will testify, without this unwelcome attention."
Story from Telegraph News:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/2261945/Down%27s-syndrome-dolls-made-for-disabled-children.html
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