THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Monday, October 16, 1995 TAG: 9510140050
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E3 EDITION: FINAL
COLUMN: The Gateway
SOURCE: BY MARIE JOYCE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines
JIM WHEATON received a modem as a computer gift for Father's Day 1993. Two weeks later his daughter Annie was born with Down syndrome.
The Father's Day gift proved its value in the months and years to come. On line, Wheaton was able to tap a well of information about the condition, and reach out to a whole world of people with similar concerns.
Now Wheaton is trying to do the same for others by writing a World Wide Web page for the Tidewater Down Syndrome Association. The page, which debuted this month in honor of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, is intended to be a permanent source of information for family and friends of people with Down Syndrome.
Down syndrome is a genetic condition caused by an extra chromosome in the genetic material in a person's cells. It causes varying degrees of mental retardation and, in some cases, health problems like heart disease.
The Tidewater association geared the page not only for parents, but also for family, friends, teachers and others who might have contact with person with the condition, said Wheaton, a lawyer who lives in Chesapeake.
``I believe that when a child with Down syndrome is born, many people outside the immediate family want information, but either don't want to ask or don't know how,'' said Wheaton.
``The group looks this as a way to get a lot of information out.''
The page contains information on the association, including the newsletter and a list of upcoming events. It also contains links to those of other sources, where visitors can find information ranging from the technical to the inspirational.
There are other online sources as well, says Wheaton. There is a very active Usenet news group. Some parents make use of ``live'' conversations on Internet Relay Chat.
In fact, the Internet is a storehouse of information and contacts for lots of disabilities, he said.
But Internet explorers should take care, warns Wheaton. ``The Internet can be the receptacle for outdated or erroneous information. For example, there is a page in Singapore that supposedly describes Down syndrome, but contains a lot of outdated and scary information.''
Wheaton first went on line when he found a lot of library information to be outdated. Parents he found through America Online and Prodigy helped him, at times it was convenient for him, supplementing the support he already was getting from the Tidewater Down Syndrome Association.
Wheaton got Internet access last year, he began using the Usenet discussion group. There he found answers to questions on school, speech, development and other topics.
``The newsgroup is like having a parents' group of hundreds of members, some of whom have almost certainly shared the experience you might be having from day to day. . . . The list of topics discussed. . . is amazing.''
Most members are from the United States. But the group also draws people from other places, including Britain, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Chile, Japan, Singapore, Italy, Germany and Iceland.
``The Internet activities. . . have enabled Laurie (his wife) and me to broaden our viewpoint and put our experiences with Annie in perspective.''jwheaton/tsdahome.html MEMO: The Tidewater Down Syndrome Association's home page can be found at:
http://www.infi.net/(tilde)
by CNB