This post is also available in: French

Belgium 2016 – 2019

Two girls discuss the benefits of a conditioner in the showers at a swimming pool.  This banal exchange takes on another dimension on this day of the Special Olympics.  As I watched the scene, I was struck more by what was normal than what was different.  It disrupts my perception of the handicap.

These two girls, both with Trisomy 21, are surprisingly independent.  The character played by Pascal Duquenne, in the film “Le Huitième Jour” by Jaco Van Dormael , remains improbable or exceptional for most of us.  But how are things in real life?  Around one hundred children affected by Down’s Syndrome are born every year in Belgium.  Do they grow up to be happy and accomplished adults?  What place do they find in society?

These questions drove me to go out to meet these people.

To become independent… a dream, a combat, a quest, a source of pride…

Day after day, with determination and courage, adults with Down’s Syndrome gain the confidence to surmount their difficulties, never giving up.  Guided by their family and friends from their childhood, they gradually develop their skills, adapt to their handicap, accept their differences and develop their full potential.

“The world according to Down’s” shows snapshots of the daily lives of these people with remarkable interpersonal qualities.  It is a humanist documentary, militating for a more inclusive society.

”The window of dreams opens out to a world of possibilities”. Victor Hugo