Down syndrome is one of the most common chromosomal disorders and is associated with physical and mental growth delays. Despite the disabilities characteristic to this genetic anomaly, people with this type of condition do have the same basic necessities as usual citizens: they need “to eat, drink, breathe and sleep – to be nurtured, loved, educated and sheltered – to move, communicate, contribute and work – and to share, love and live.”
Even though they may require an extra assistance, this shouldn’t make us believe they need special treatment and have ‘special needs,’ should it?
Just in time for World Down Syndrome Day, which takes place on March 21, the Italian national organization for people with Down syndrome (or DS), CoorDown, launched the #NotSpecialNeeds campaign, in order to raise awareness that the necessities of people with this kind of disease aren’t much different compared to basic requirements of normal ‘healthy’ people.
The initiative is supported by the notspecialneeds.com platform, which provides relevant information about the real needs of those suffering because of this disorder.
In collaboration with advertising agency Publicis New York, the Italian organization released a video also supporting the cause, which funnily points out some different scenarios of what the phrase ‘special needs’ may sound like to actual people with DS. From eating a dinosaur egg, to an armor suit walk, being massaged by a cat, or awakened by a movie star, these types of uncommon measures would be considered by them as special treatment.
In fact, the 2-minute-long video, directed by Wayne McClammy of Hungry Man, actually recreates these absurd activities to emphasize what Down syndrome people really want: access to education, friends, jobs and other basic human needs.
The film called “Not Special Needs” was produced with the help of Down Syndrome International and also with the contribution of Fondation Jerome Lejeune (France), Down Syndrome Australia and Down’s Syndrome Association (UK).
The video is available on the official CoorDown’s YouTube channel, accompanied by the hashtags #NotSpecialNeeds and #wdsd17.
Last year, the non-profit Canadian Down Syndrome Society in partnership with FCB Canada launched the “Down Syndrome Answers” campaign. The initiative’s purpose was to help people overcome the fears regarding this condition, by offering answers to some common questions related to the way people with this disease live with and by aiming to dissipate the misconceptions regarding the disability.
The #NotSpecialNeeds short video features Lauren Potter, an actress with Down syndrome who played the role of Becky Jackson in Glee; the actor known for Orson’s Last Dance, Jared Kozak; actress Ranjani Reyes; and actor John McGinley, renowned for his Dr. Perry Cox role from the TV series Scrubs. Also, the video features the two friends Sam Suchmann and Mattie Zufelt, both of whom have this disorder, and are known for the production of the “Spring Break Zombie Massacre” movie.
Credits:
Client: CoorDown
Agency: Publicis New York
Chief Creative Officer: Andy Bird
Executive Creative Directors: Luca Pannese, Luca Lorenzini
Copywriter: David Green
Art Director: Jen Wang
Senior Integrated Producer: Jakub Popadiuk
Lead AD Tech Developer: Scott Jones
Interactive Developer: Dara Mao
Group Account Director: Kathryn Harvey
Account Director: Jakub Popadiuk, Shari Letterman
Chief Production Officer: Lisa Bifulco
Production Company: Hungryman Productions
Director: Wayne Mcclammy
Executive Producer: Kevin Byrne, Leslie Dilullo
Managing Partner: Kevin Byrne
Puppet and Puppeteering: Legacy Effects, Legacy Effects
Editorial Company: Rock Paper Scissors
Ep: Rana Martin, Eve Kornblum
Editor: Christjan Jordan
AE: Pieter Viljoen
Producer: Dani DuHadway
Vfx: SHED, Paul O’Shea, Miles Essmiller, Phil Man