Mattel unveils its first Barbie doll with Down syndrome
WASHINGTON — Toy company Mattel revealed its first Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome on Tuesday.
Mattel collaborated with the National Down Syndrome Society to create the Barbie and “ensure the doll accurately represents a person with Down syndrome,” the company said.
Design features of the new Barbie were made under guidance from NDSS, Mattel said. In addition to portraying some physical characteristics of a person with Down syndrome, the Barbie’s clothing and accessories carry special meaning.
The blue and yellow on the doll’s dress, accompanied by butterflies, represent symbols and colors associated with Down syndrome awareness. And the three chevrons on the Barbie’s necklace represent how people with Down syndrome have three copies of their 21st chromosome, Mattel said.
In addition, the Barbie wears ankle foot orthotics, which some children with Down syndrome use.
Mattel’s first Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome. Mattel’s first Barbie doll representing a person with Down syndrome.Mattel, Inc. via AP “This means so much for our community, who for the first time, can play with a Barbie doll that looks like them,” NDSS President and CEO Kandi Pickard said in a statement. “This Barbie serves as a reminder that we should never underestimate the power of representation.”
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Down syndrome is the “most common chromosomal condition” diagnosed in the U.S. today. About 6,000 babies are born across the country each year with Down syndrome, the CDC said.
Barbie’s new doll representing a person with Down syndrome is part of Mattel’s 2023 Fashionistas line, which is aimed at increasing diversity and inclusivity. Previous dolls that have been introduced to the Fashionistas line include a Ken doll with a prosthetic leg, a Barbie with hearing aids and dolls with a skin condition called vitiligo.
“We are proud to introduce a Barbie doll with Down syndrome to better reflect the world around us and further our commitment to celebrating inclusion through play,” Lisa McKnight, executive vice president and global head of Barbie and Dolls at Mattel, said in a statement.
April 26, 2023, 9:01 AM EDT / Source: Associated Press
hipcilTALKS Why High School is different from College by Jesse Schwartzman.
Welcome to another hip talk. This time this hip talk is going to be why High School is different from college. So, when you’re in high school you’re usually in a classroom. In college, usually if you’re in a larger college you may be in an auditorium, it’s very important that you get to the front. So, you can hear everything and see everything if you’re in the middle or towards the end you may not be able to see everything. There may be laptops or different cell phones and the glare might be in your way of your concentration and you may not to be able to hear something if you’re in the back. So, it’s very important that you go to the front so you can hear and see everything.
When you don’t understand something it’s on you to take that initiative to go to the professor and tell them that you don’t understand something. If you don’t understand A or B you probably don’t understand C so and that could trickle down for the entire class so very important that you understand if you don’t understand, go to the office hours.
It is very very important also when I was in college, I found it very important to form a study group and to make friends so you can test them they can test you. Something that’s also very very important is it’s up to you on how to learn the material. Some people learn it by reading the material over and over again but the material may be over hundreds of pages or 100 pages each day each week so what’s helped me is usually read the material once and then highlight the important parts and then when you read it the second time or the third time and so on and so forth you find out the important parts.
So, the importance what’s a great thing is if you have a partner or have your study group they may find something important that you have and you could test each other on it. What’s great thing is when I went to school some time ago all the textbooks were actually leather-bound textbooks. They were printed out; a lot of the textbooks now may be online so its even easier you can copy and tape paste the textbooks and make it into notes and you can even print it out or keep it on your own technology. Things have definitely changed made things greater so but it’s really up to you on how you’re going to understand the material.
So also an important thing is when you’re in college you are going to make mistakes, things aren’t going to go your way hundred percent of the time. It’s just unfortunate it’s important that you know that but the key thing is when you make the mistake or when if you make a mistake it’s important that you learn from it or eventually learn from it so you don’t keep making the same mistake over and over. You could waste time and all that other stuff you don’t really want that. So that’s something important to know.
Also when a professor sets a deadline they really do mean that deadline and the reason why it’s there is to help you. When you are in the real world you get a job your boss, he or she may have a particular set deadline or time if they want something to get done. What I usually do is I get it done as soon as possible that way before they’re even expecting it. This helps in college so that when you have deadlines you got to reach it. You got to make it do it as quickly as possible. Do it as efficiently and done as possible and when you’re done it’s good to give yourself that reward that accomplishment that you got it done and now there is something else that will be done.
In high school teachers may have a curve. You may feel like you’re graded differently things are graded differently just because of how your school or high school works in college usually everyone in the class gets get graded the same and that’s something that it may be adjustment you can buckle in and have
that and be ready for it. Just because you have an accommodation to have more time to get the assignment done which is a possibility or have more time on a test doesn’t mean that makes your professor easily grade things. Your grade is the same as everybody else is. So, that’s important and the accommodation that you’re given should be exact as it stated.
So the other thing is finally it’s important to definitely plan out your schedule plan everything out if you find in your first semester that you can handle five classes and you’re literally just making it doesn’t really make sense to take that six classes. If you took five classes and you couldn’t handle it maybe drop down to four. So you’ll learn experience you’ll definitely learn different things but if you’re doing it you feel like you’re doing too much and things are too much, definitely know when to gauge it. That’s definitely your responsibility on how many classes to take.
Just based on what you can handle something that’s helped me is to definitely plan out your schedule. Plan everything out what is unfortunate but it is the way it is. All your professors will probably schedule most of your assignments at the same time. It’s not like they talk and coordinate with each other that’s just how it is. It’s just how the calendar works. Everyone may have a midterm you may have the midterms all at the same time. Be prepared have that schedule down to week to week month to month with adjustments. If you can it’s important to really try that time management and to really stick to a Plan. You can give it the old college try and definitely see if it works out for you. This has been another hip talk as usual if you have any questions or comments or talk about other topics we can discuss definitely reach out to me at Jschwartzman@hipcil.org. Once again, that’s Jschwartzman@hipcil.org. This has been great I hope you found this very helpful and we’ll definitely do another hip talk soon.
