CoorDown’s “Assume I Can” campaign is calling to end the biases inflicted on people with Down syndrome.

CoorDown’s “Assume I Can” campaign is calling to end the biases inflicted on people with Down syndrome. The ad is encouraging everyone to believe in and trust people with Down syndrome so that they can feel empowered and reach accomplishments others may deem unexpected. As per sociologist Robert K. Merton’s theory, if someone assumes something (like a limitation) so many times to such an extent, the expectations likely become the result. For example, the ad shows how when teachers make the assumption that people with Down Syndrome cannot learn topics like Shakespeare, they don’t try to teach it, taking away the possibility of learning. Making restrictive assumptions about disabilities can be detrimental, but the campaign emphasizes that abandoning negative assumptions is the only way to create space for new opportunities. (Ad Age)