Describing people with Down Syndrome

I refer to the letter by the PRO of the Down Syndrome Association which was entitled Jobs For Down's Sufferers (March 31). Whatever the merits of the letter in question, I must object most strongly to the heading given by the newspaper, on two counts.

Firstly, people with Down Syndrome are not "Down's". John Langdon Down was the name of the British medical doctor who described the syndrome in 1866. He did not have the condition, and people with Down Syndrome are certainly not his.

Secondly, people with Down Syndrome are not "sufferers". They do not suffer due to their condition; they can suffer due to the handicaps with which society disables them.

Their carers suffer because of the additional burdens they are faced with. But the condition itself creates no pain or suffering. The National Commission for Persons with a Disability (KNPD) some time ago published (http://www.knpd.org/pubs/press/media.pdf) Disability And Its Portrayal In The Media - A Code Of Practice, where it specifically referred to the avoidance of such terminology.

One would hope that newspapers like The Times might succeed in following these guidelines and not use such demeaning descriptions.