Down to the Economy

Societies value intelligence, and most are developed according to a very specific kind of intelligence that values technical and instrumental capabilities. However, this has not necessarily led us to desirable societies, as large swaths of the population experience injustice and insecurity. In search of a different and more equitable future, this project imagines a society based on a different kind of intelligence. We have been working with members of the Down Syndrome community to hear their thoughts on a variety of socio-economic issues, ranging from housing shortage to the destruction of the rainforest. What we learned is that we are not so different from each other, but rather those with Down Syndrome hold more distilled versions of many social values. However, where we differ vastly is our experience of the world. 

As society at large perceives people with Down Syndrome as weak and incapable, their lives are often sheltered with almost every detail provided for. They are aware of how they are perceived, and that they are not free. The Down Syndrome community provides a glimpse into a world where social welfare reduces us to bare life rather than supporting our development. Taking in some of the ideas and experiences from the Down Syndrome community, we have begun sketching the elements of an economy in which we consider how we can all be equal members of society and enact self-determination.