Grace Film Review - Down Syndrome and Autonomy A heartfelt review of Grace, a short film by Anna Rodgers exploring autonomy, love, and self-determination for a young woman with Down Syndrome.

Grace Film Review - Down Syndrome and #Autonomy - #Grace, a short film written and directed by #AnnaRodgers, starring #FiadhnaitCanning as a young woman with #DownSyndrome navigating love, independence, and the boundaries others place on her life - www.disabled-world.com/communicatio...

New Friends
January 15, 2015
Worcester, MA

#photography
#portraits
#mercycentre
#catholiccharities
#downsyndrome
#holycross

A solitary light tower in a green field with a blue sky.

"Castilla" photo: Guillermo Trillo #NwnPhoto photographers with a #disability #inclusion #diversity #intellectualdisabilities #downsyndrome #FASD #photography

Understanding, not correction.

#speechrecognition #fine-tuning #Downsyndrome #worderrorrate #accessibility

That result matters not because fine-tuning is surprising — it isn't — but because of what it proves. The speech was always intelligible. The model just hadn't learned how to listen to it yet. All I did was teach it.

#speechrecognition #fine-tuning #Downsyndrome #worderrorrate #accessibility

Same architecture, different training distribution. One run, a few hours later: 12.1% word error rate. A 66% improvement.

#speechrecognition #fine-tuning #Downsyndrome #worderrorrate #accessibility

It's undertrained on this kind of speech because this kind of speech is underrepresented in every dataset that ever went into it. That's not a model failure — it's a data failure upstream of the model.

So I fine-tuned.

#speechrecognition #fine-tuning #Downsyndrome #worderrorrate #accessibility

Averaging in easier cases flatters the metric and hides the real gap.

The real gap was the point. Whisper isn't bad because it was built carelessly.

#speechrecognition #fine-tuning #Downsyndrome #worderrorrate #accessibility

I added a clarifying commit almost immediately, because if you're building something for a specific population, your baseline has to be honest about that population.

#speechrecognition #fine-tuning #Downsyndrome #worderrorrate #accessibility

Then I read my own measurement more carefully. That number included non-DS speakers in the mix. Strip those out and look at DS speech alone, and the picture gets worse. The headline was misleading.

#speechrecognition #fine-tuning #Downsyndrome #worderrorrate #accessibility

So I ran vanilla Whisper — one of the best general-purpose speech recognition models in the world — against a curated dataset of Down syndrome speech. The word error rate came back at 35.7%.

#speechrecognition #fine-tuning #Downsyndrome #worderrorrate #accessibility

66% improvement in one training run — and why the baseline number was a lie

Before you can make something better, you need to know how bad it actually is.

#speechrecognition #fine-tuning #Downsyndrome #worderrorrate #accessibility

#inclusion #disability #specialneeds #autism #autismawareness #disabilityawareness #specialeducation #earlychildhoodeducation #educationforall #accessibility #downsyndrome #learningdisabilities #specialneedskids #disabilityinclusion #inclusivelearning #childdevelopment #equaleducation

🧠 Triplicated DYRK1A may be a major driver of impaired neurogenesis and cognitive deficits in Down syndrome, keeping DYRK1A inhibitors in focus. @megeblad.bsky.social
#DownSyndrome
🔗 www.xiahepublishing.com/1555-3884/GE...

11-Year-Old Boy with Down Syndrome Celebrates Being Cancer Free 2 Years After Leukemia Diagnosis

Big news! An 11-year-old boy with Down Syndrome is celebrating two years cancer-free following his leukemia diagnosis. A testament to his strength and successful treatment. 🎗️💙 #CancerFree #Leukemia #DownSyndrome #UpliftingNews

Meet Alan!: Alan's First Storybook Meet Alan!: Alan's First Storybook [Press, MT] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. Meet Alan!: Alan's First Storybook

When children hear that Alan has #DownSyndrome, they are sometimes unsure of what to expect. This book is for those kids and now you can MEET ALAN! You will see that in many ways, Alan is just like you! booksalans on insta and x #childrensbooks #kidsbooks #kidslit amazon.com/dp/B0C9SDJYMQ

PRESS RELEASE! Study, co-led by Michael S. Breen & Joseph Buxbaum, in collab w @lieberinstitute.bsky.social, Medical University of Sofia & @uarizona.bsky.social, has ID'd biological process that may help explain how brain develops diff in people w #DownSyndrome. 👉 www.mountsinai.org/about/newsro...

Navigating Inclusion and Support Reflections and Decisions in Early Education

Parents of children with disabilities have to learn to navigate all types of things as their children age. One of them has to do with education. What is best for your own child?
#DownSyndrome #ParentingJourney #parents #DisabilityAwareness
open.substack.com/pub/handsonn...

To Master Life Skills, Young People With Autism And Down Syndrome Turn To Virtual Reality In a controlled, low-risk environment, participants in a pilot program build confidence and master everyday tasks like crossing the street, riding a bus or making a purchase, all at their own pace.

In a controlled, low-risk environment, participants in a pilot program build confidence and master everyday tasks like crossing the street, riding a bus or making a purchase, all at their own pace. #disabilities #autism #DownSyndrome

beautiful baby with Down syndrome, with bright blue eyes, grey cap and green pajamas, lying on a brown blanket

In the latest issue of 3.21: Canada's Down Syndrome Magazine, DSRF's Marla Folden and Glen Hoos shared a guide for medical professionals delivering a diagnosis of Down syndrome.

Read More: bit.ly/4bUh8Bn

#DownSyndrome #diagnosis #CompassionateCare

Accelerating Research for Down Syndrome

🗓️Join us online April 9 when researchers from MIT, University of São Paulo and Rutgers University will present short talks on their research on Down syndrome and related conditions. Registration is open and free! picower.mit.edu/events/accel... #downsyndrome

A column formed by a small peach (top), a tomato (middle), and an apple (bottom) is on a white bowl, which is on a white flat plate. White background.

"Balance" photo: Silvia/ Sabadell #NwnPhoto #inclusion photographers with a #disability #diversity #intellectualdisabilities #downsyndrome #FASD #photography

In the latest Healthcare issue of 3.21 Magazine, you'll find "Delivering the #DownSyndrome Diagnosis: A Guide for Medical Professionals" which walks professionals through what to expect, what to say, and what NOT to say when that first moment arrives. Read the full story at buff.ly/JG5VZ1H

a young Asian woman with Down syndrome wearing a beige apron over a blue shirt holds a small potted plant inside a gardening centre

Making summer plans? DSRF has just released our jam-packed summer program schedule!

Registration for all summer programs opens next Thursday Apr 2. But you can find all the details now at the link below!

Summer Programs: bit.ly/46bAwHU
#DownSyndrome

Adidas Introduces Shoe Geared Towards Athletes With Down Syndrome After a multiyear collaboration with individuals with Down syndrome and other disabilities, one of the world's largest footwear companies is rolling out a shoe designed to specifically meet their needs.

"Adidas launched the Supernova Rise 3 Adaptive over the weekend, timed to coincide with World Down Syndrome Day on March 21." Read more here: www.disabilityscoop.com/2026/03/24/adidas-introd... #PwD #DownSyndrome #Disability

Young woman in pink fur coat and dress by piano

By: Brooke Balentine

unsplash.com/photos/young-woman-in-pi...

📸 Canon, EOS R5m2
50.0mm ƒ/1.2
1/160s
ISO 100

#girl #portrait #people #celebration #piano #dress #confidence #musicalInstrument #sitting #downSyndrome #individuality

This Entrepreneur With Down Syndrome Is Building A Booming Spice Blend Brand Max Crawford is 22 and has Down syndrome and products from his budding seasoning business are sold in 150 stores across the Midwest.

Max Crawford is 22 and has #DownSyndrome and products from his budding seasoning business are sold in 150 stores across the Midwest. #disabilities

A leftover tub with 3 sauced spareribs and some frozen broccoli

I helped Alice make dinner tonight. And by help, I mean I made sure she stayed on task and really little else. She was having a good brain day today. Leftover ribs and broccoli. #disability #downSyndrome #independence #cooking #food #parenting

U01.01.064 Autosomal trisomies Test your knowledge of U01.01.064 Autosomal Trisomies. Practice identifying the clinical triads, genetic mechanisms (nondisjunction vs. translocation), and prenatal screening results for Trisomy 21, 18, and 13.

🔢 The Power of Three: Master the Autosomal Trisomies! 🔢

#USMLEStep1 #MedEd #MedicalStudent #Genetics #Step1Prep #HighYield #MedSchool #DownSyndrome #EdwardsSyndrome #PatauSyndrome #Pediatrics #Biochemistry #USMLE #FutureDoctor #StudyGram #MedTwitter

"Yet millions of voices like Frank’s are never heard - denied the chance to live and be known.

“We are giving the world a chance to think above the ethics of choosing which humans get a chance at life.”

#DownSyndrome #Purpose #Existence #WorldDownSyndromeDay