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Portraits Of People From 9 Months To 60 Years Of Age With Down Syndrome
“First and foremost I am” series consists of 21 portraits of people who all have Down syndrome. 21 portrait, since the trisomy of the 21st chromosome causes Down syndrome. I photographed people aged from 9 months to 60 years.
One of the reason I did this project was because of this radio interview I heard about the ethical questions we face now, that we can choose who gets to live and who doesn’t. The aim with prenatal diagnosis is to detect birth defects such as Down syndrome and more. Where are we headed? Will people choose not to keep an embryo with Down syndrome? I had a lovely aunt Begga with Down syndrome. It is very difficult for me to think about the elimination of Down syndrome and her at the same time.
The title of the project comes from a article I read which Halldóra Jónsdóttir, a 24 year old woman with Down syndrome, wrote. I contacted her and asked if she wanted to be part of the program. She said yes and she’s one of the people featured in the project, as well as her article. In the article she goes through her thoughts on these ethical questions. She said, “I have Down syndrome but FIRST AND FOREMOST I am Halldóra. I do a million things that other people do. My life is meaningful and good because I choose to be positive and see the good things in life”.
More info: siggaella.com
RELATED:
I did this project because of this radio interview I heard … that we can choose who gets to live and who doesn’t
Prenatal diagnosis can detect birth defects such as Down syndrome. Where are we headed?
Will people choose not to keep an embryo with Down syndrome?
I had a lovely aunt Begga with Down syndrome
It is very difficult for me to think about the elimination of Down syndrome and her at the same time
I am not against prenatal diagnosis but I think we need to stop and think what’s next
It’s necessary to open the discussion and educate people more about Down syndrome. It’s not a disease or a flaw
Parents of children with Down syndrome wouldn’t exchange them for anything in the world
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What do you think ?
Hanna 9 years ago
They are all lovely people, but the girl in picture 6 should consider modelling. She's beautiful
wolvesrcool 9 years ago
yeah she should ,as well as the person in picture 9. beautiful people
Load More Replies...
TracyWisneski 9 years ago
Such a beautiful photo essay with beautiful people! Thank you for sharing! On the subject of diagnostic testing: I don't think it will eliminate Down Syndrome as you expressed. I have faith that the right parents will welcome these children into the world.
pissgörangunnarsson 9 years ago
Our society requires that we all contribute to it in a way which people with Downs syndrome will never be able to fully do - hence it is a flaw. I've had the pleasure to meet a couple of people with downs and I agree they are really lovely people, but we should not neglect the fact that it is a flaw. I've had the opportunity to meet people with downs and though I agree that they are lovely people - it is clear that the syndrome is a flaw in daily life, if society is to work the way it does today. Being politically correct and saying the things people want to hear, out of empathy, doesn't really help anyone else but yourself, and is thus very egocentric imo. There is a bigger picture here.
SarahDawkins 9 years ago
This depends what you mean by a contribution to society. Some people contribute academia, and yes, people with Downs may not be able to do this, but others contribute arguably more important things such as showing people how to be joyful in adversity, or triumph against the odds. And maybe these things are just as important. Who are you to say that it is a flaw? We need variety in society, and maybe some of us don't want it to work as it does today. Society can certainly be improved, and I think people with Downs syndrome immeasurably improve it.
Load More Replies...
Jessica Yamato 8 years ago
Here's the hard truth about Down's syndrome and my experience. My brother who was born with downs has a hole in this heart, chronic seizures, ADHD, and a long list of other health issues because of downs. He was literally born with missing genes that his body needed to make his organs correctly. Sure I love him, but I would've liked him to be born without all the suffering he has to endure. He's 13 now, still in diapers because he wets himself in the middle of the night because of the seizures. The medical bill for my parents is through the roof. He has to go to speech therapy, sometimes he'll reverts to a 3 year old mind set and flings feces everywhere... I love him but to hold your brother while he shakes and defecates himself is a sad thing.
Xenthia 9 years ago
Some of the statements here are so ignorant it makes me sad. Yes, Down's Syndrome IS a flaw. Yes, people with these kids WOULD want them to be normal. DS being eliminated IS a good thing. Who are you kidding? People with DS are sweet and lovely, but that has nothing to do with facts.
Jessica Yamato 8 years ago
Here's the hard truth about Down's syndrome and my experience. My brother who was born with downs has a hole in this heart, chronic seizures, ADHD, and a long list of other health issues because of downs. He was literally born with missing genes that his body needed to make his organs correctly. Sure I love him, but I would've liked him to be born without all the suffering he has to endure. He's 13 now, still in diapers because he wets himself in the middle of the night because of the seizures. The medical bill for my parents is through the roof. He has to go to speech therapy, sometimes he'll reverts to a 3 year old mind set and flings feces everywhere... I love him but to hold your brother while he shakes and defecates himself is a sad thing.
Load More Replies...
LynneFindley 9 years ago
With genetic engineering people ask when will we be able to create super soldiers or super intelligent people, but the fact is we need more people who are really great at loving. What's the gene for that? Because....you have to notice when you know people with this syndrome that no matter how they were raised, they are super good at loving. So....? Is there a gene for that? Btw.... it is up to every woman to decide what she and her family can handle. When you say "people" you really mean women. Both. You can be for both. :)
JudithHumphrys 9 years ago
Simply beautiful, and I am sure many of these people have hidden talents.
HannahMcBurnie 9 years ago
Am I the only one that has noticed number six is a man? But yes they are all beautiful
Gone “TòNTóN” DeLyon 2 years ago
Bonjour, je viens de tomber sur ce très bel article et ses photos, un peu tard, très beau 🙏 Serait-il possible d'avoir un lien pour celui qui vous a fait commencer ce travail, celui de Halldóra Jónsdóttir !? Merci et bonne continuation.
MysticalMan 8 years ago
Thank you for contributing to the ongoing awareness of the variety of human beings.
TarienHuman 8 years ago
All of them are beautiful. And to reach 60! Wow that is quite an achievement for a person with Down's Syndrome, when you take into account the heart problems associated with it. My grandfather's brother had Down's Syndrome and we loved his a lot. He lived to be 45.
KateGogishvili 8 years ago
I would never exchange my child for anything under any circumstances.
BobTolworthy 9 years ago
Downs people I have met (including our daughter) have more sympathy & love than the general population but have problems fitting in to a materialistic society.
KweenKyote 9 years ago
Once upon a time people with Down's syndrome were revered as being able to see into the other worlds, they were Mystics and shamans. Now some folks consider it a defect. I heard something once and it keeps coming to mind with all these ethical debates... "It isn't nice to try and fool Mother Nature"
TiffanyJackson 9 years ago
I love this! We have a little girl, Izzie, with Down syndrome. Definitely wouldn't change her for the world! In fact, we would adopt children with Down syndrome if we gad more space!
stephaniejarstad 9 years ago
I love this project!! I was in the best buddies club in college and paired with the sweetest buddy with down syndrome. One of the happiest people I will ever know!! And the CUTEST babies. I can't imagine the world without them.
thenebbishroute 9 years ago
Anyone have more information on Halldóra Jónsdóttir? All of my searches yield results about the photography series.
AhnPearlAlfonso 9 years ago
they are all beautiful..an early detection of DS is curable or so i've seen on posters at the hospital
EarnestWilliams 9 years ago
They are wonderful people, but DS is a disease and a flaw. Pretending it's not is ignorant. I'm Deaf, it's a flaw, and that's okay.
TigeressLambie 9 years ago
I think the idea is to stop people killing off most of people with down syndrome while still in the womb. Imagine people could detect deafness before your birth and you would be killed just because of this "flaw". Would that not be awful? This is how it is with alarming percentage of people with Down syndrome.
Load More Replies...
SusanDayman-johns 9 years ago
We are different from having Down syndrome but we are still the same like ordandary people
HilaryMcLean 9 years ago
I love love love these portraits, but I sure wish they included some people of color.
MaureenHeartwood 9 years ago
Iceland doesn't have a lot of people of colour, and of course those with DS would be a small fraction of a small fraction of the population. Might have been difficult to find someone who fit both categories and was willing and able to come to the studio and be photographed.
Load More Replies... HilaryMcLean 9 years ago
I love love love these portraits, but I sure wish they included people of color too.
AhlamElAmrani 9 years ago
ils sont tellement plus beaux que tous les gens laids dans leurs âmes
DianaPanhuijzen 9 years ago
People are people, we "all" have our own disability's, pfysical or mental, everyone is equal for me...
KristinaNader 9 years ago
Amazing I don't see On half of the pic Any abnormality, God bless them all.
SofiaMirzoeva 9 years ago
I don't think having Down syndrome should separate you from others. There is a man with Down syndrome who owns a restaurant.
sbentley 9 years ago
lemonhead- I'd hide my face too if my heart and soul were as black as your's transfer to the world. Ugly is as Ugly does-Gd luck out there
Load More Replies...
DorotaPankowska 9 years ago
Most fetuses with down syndrome already DO get aborted. So do many female fetuses. That's pro-choice culture. Choice, whatever the reason!
JamieAcree 9 years ago
Beautiful, because they are real and unaltered human beings. These are wonderful people.
YvonneCraig 9 years ago
Girl in the turquoise dress with black cardigan could be an actress. She has such a natural appeal for tv character...
LuciaVerdugo 9 years ago
Beautiful!! My nephew has down syndrome and I can't imagine life without him!!
Queenluxa 9 years ago
They are absolutely beautiful, every one of them <3 they can't help looking different from others, and it's nobody's place to judge :)
Load More Replies... Hanna 9 years ago
They are all lovely people, but the girl in picture 6 should consider modelling. She's beautiful
wolvesrcool 9 years ago
yeah she should ,as well as the person in picture 9. beautiful people
Load More Replies... TracyWisneski 9 years ago
Such a beautiful photo essay with beautiful people! Thank you for sharing! On the subject of diagnostic testing: I don't think it will eliminate Down Syndrome as you expressed. I have faith that the right parents will welcome these children into the world.
pissgörangunnarsson 9 years ago
Our society requires that we all contribute to it in a way which people with Downs syndrome will never be able to fully do - hence it is a flaw. I've had the pleasure to meet a couple of people with downs and I agree they are really lovely people, but we should not neglect the fact that it is a flaw. I've had the opportunity to meet people with downs and though I agree that they are lovely people - it is clear that the syndrome is a flaw in daily life, if society is to work the way it does today. Being politically correct and saying the things people want to hear, out of empathy, doesn't really help anyone else but yourself, and is thus very egocentric imo. There is a bigger picture here.
SarahDawkins 9 years ago
This depends what you mean by a contribution to society. Some people contribute academia, and yes, people with Downs may not be able to do this, but others contribute arguably more important things such as showing people how to be joyful in adversity, or triumph against the odds. And maybe these things are just as important. Who are you to say that it is a flaw? We need variety in society, and maybe some of us don't want it to work as it does today. Society can certainly be improved, and I think people with Downs syndrome immeasurably improve it.
Load More Replies... Jessica Yamato 8 years ago
Here's the hard truth about Down's syndrome and my experience. My brother who was born with downs has a hole in this heart, chronic seizures, ADHD, and a long list of other health issues because of downs. He was literally born with missing genes that his body needed to make his organs correctly. Sure I love him, but I would've liked him to be born without all the suffering he has to endure. He's 13 now, still in diapers because he wets himself in the middle of the night because of the seizures. The medical bill for my parents is through the roof. He has to go to speech therapy, sometimes he'll reverts to a 3 year old mind set and flings feces everywhere... I love him but to hold your brother while he shakes and defecates himself is a sad thing.
Xenthia 9 years ago
Some of the statements here are so ignorant it makes me sad. Yes, Down's Syndrome IS a flaw. Yes, people with these kids WOULD want them to be normal. DS being eliminated IS a good thing. Who are you kidding? People with DS are sweet and lovely, but that has nothing to do with facts.
Jessica Yamato 8 years ago
Here's the hard truth about Down's syndrome and my experience. My brother who was born with downs has a hole in this heart, chronic seizures, ADHD, and a long list of other health issues because of downs. He was literally born with missing genes that his body needed to make his organs correctly. Sure I love him, but I would've liked him to be born without all the suffering he has to endure. He's 13 now, still in diapers because he wets himself in the middle of the night because of the seizures. The medical bill for my parents is through the roof. He has to go to speech therapy, sometimes he'll reverts to a 3 year old mind set and flings feces everywhere... I love him but to hold your brother while he shakes and defecates himself is a sad thing.
Load More Replies... LynneFindley 9 years ago
With genetic engineering people ask when will we be able to create super soldiers or super intelligent people, but the fact is we need more people who are really great at loving. What's the gene for that? Because....you have to notice when you know people with this syndrome that no matter how they were raised, they are super good at loving. So....? Is there a gene for that? Btw.... it is up to every woman to decide what she and her family can handle. When you say "people" you really mean women. Both. You can be for both. :)
JudithHumphrys 9 years ago
Simply beautiful, and I am sure many of these people have hidden talents.
HannahMcBurnie 9 years ago
Am I the only one that has noticed number six is a man? But yes they are all beautiful
Gone “TòNTóN” DeLyon 2 years ago
Bonjour, je viens de tomber sur ce très bel article et ses photos, un peu tard, très beau 🙏 Serait-il possible d'avoir un lien pour celui qui vous a fait commencer ce travail, celui de Halldóra Jónsdóttir !? Merci et bonne continuation.
MysticalMan 8 years ago
Thank you for contributing to the ongoing awareness of the variety of human beings.
TarienHuman 8 years ago
All of them are beautiful. And to reach 60! Wow that is quite an achievement for a person with Down's Syndrome, when you take into account the heart problems associated with it. My grandfather's brother had Down's Syndrome and we loved his a lot. He lived to be 45.
KateGogishvili 8 years ago
I would never exchange my child for anything under any circumstances.
BobTolworthy 9 years ago
Downs people I have met (including our daughter) have more sympathy & love than the general population but have problems fitting in to a materialistic society.
KweenKyote 9 years ago
Once upon a time people with Down's syndrome were revered as being able to see into the other worlds, they were Mystics and shamans. Now some folks consider it a defect. I heard something once and it keeps coming to mind with all these ethical debates... "It isn't nice to try and fool Mother Nature"
TiffanyJackson 9 years ago
I love this! We have a little girl, Izzie, with Down syndrome. Definitely wouldn't change her for the world! In fact, we would adopt children with Down syndrome if we gad more space!
stephaniejarstad 9 years ago
I love this project!! I was in the best buddies club in college and paired with the sweetest buddy with down syndrome. One of the happiest people I will ever know!! And the CUTEST babies. I can't imagine the world without them.
thenebbishroute 9 years ago
Anyone have more information on Halldóra Jónsdóttir? All of my searches yield results about the photography series.
AhnPearlAlfonso 9 years ago
they are all beautiful..an early detection of DS is curable or so i've seen on posters at the hospital
EarnestWilliams 9 years ago
They are wonderful people, but DS is a disease and a flaw. Pretending it's not is ignorant. I'm Deaf, it's a flaw, and that's okay.
TigeressLambie 9 years ago
I think the idea is to stop people killing off most of people with down syndrome while still in the womb. Imagine people could detect deafness before your birth and you would be killed just because of this "flaw". Would that not be awful? This is how it is with alarming percentage of people with Down syndrome.
Load More Replies... SusanDayman-johns 9 years ago
We are different from having Down syndrome but we are still the same like ordandary people
HilaryMcLean 9 years ago
I love love love these portraits, but I sure wish they included some people of color.
MaureenHeartwood 9 years ago
Iceland doesn't have a lot of people of colour, and of course those with DS would be a small fraction of a small fraction of the population. Might have been difficult to find someone who fit both categories and was willing and able to come to the studio and be photographed.
Load More Replies... HilaryMcLean 9 years ago
I love love love these portraits, but I sure wish they included people of color too.
AhlamElAmrani 9 years ago
ils sont tellement plus beaux que tous les gens laids dans leurs âmes
DianaPanhuijzen 9 years ago
People are people, we "all" have our own disability's, pfysical or mental, everyone is equal for me...
KristinaNader 9 years ago
Amazing I don't see On half of the pic Any abnormality, God bless them all.
SofiaMirzoeva 9 years ago
I don't think having Down syndrome should separate you from others. There is a man with Down syndrome who owns a restaurant.
sbentley 9 years ago
lemonhead- I'd hide my face too if my heart and soul were as black as your's transfer to the world. Ugly is as Ugly does-Gd luck out there
Load More Replies... DorotaPankowska 9 years ago
Most fetuses with down syndrome already DO get aborted. So do many female fetuses. That's pro-choice culture. Choice, whatever the reason!
JamieAcree 9 years ago
Beautiful, because they are real and unaltered human beings. These are wonderful people.
YvonneCraig 9 years ago
Girl in the turquoise dress with black cardigan could be an actress. She has such a natural appeal for tv character...
LuciaVerdugo 9 years ago
Beautiful!! My nephew has down syndrome and I can't imagine life without him!!
Queenluxa 9 years ago
They are absolutely beautiful, every one of them <3 they can't help looking different from others, and it's nobody's place to judge :)
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