A world without Down’s syndrome? Online resistance on Twitter: #worldwithoutdowns and #justaboutcoping

Burch, Leah (2017) A world without Down’s syndrome? Online resistance on Twitter: #worldwithoutdowns and #justaboutcoping. Disability & Society, 32 (7). pp. 1085-1089. ISSN 0968-7599

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Abstract

Presented by actress and comedian Sally Phillips, A World Without Down’s Syndrome has brought important ethical debates regarding prenatal screening into the public domain. By talking to people with Down’s syndrome, family members, and professionals, Sally has presented a nuanced and thorough examination of the type of world we are living in. Following the documentary, Twitter users have continued to engage with debates and have created a resilient platform for challenging public attitudes. This paper explores the ways in which Twitter hashtags have provided a space for such important and long overdue conversations. While it would not be possible to provide a full overview of the topical conversations that the two hashtags have provoked, I aim to focus on some of the most prominent topics. The following, then, will explore the potential of alternative narratives that resist, and disrupt, normative notions of the human using the hashtags #worldwithoutdowns and #justaboutcoping.

Item Type:	Article
Additional Information and Comments:	This is an Accepted Manuscript of an article published by Taylor & Francis Disability Studies on May 6th, 2017 available online: doi:10.1080/20550340.2017.1330453
Faculty / Department:	Faculty of Education and Social Sciences > School of Social Sciences
Depositing User:	Leah Burch
Date Deposited:	02 Oct 2020 12:16
Last Modified:	02 Oct 2020 12:16
URI:	https://hira.hope.ac.uk/id/eprint/3156

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