Cinderella a modern tale, part two

Not a golden coach with six horses but a social services bus filled with other people all being dropped off at different destinations.By the time everyone else in the bus had been dropped off at various places, it was nearly 9 0’clock. They drove to a dress hire shop and managed to find a ball gown that was an unflattering colour and slightly large, but within the clothing allowance. There was no money left to hire shoes so Cinderella hoped that the tennis shoes she had one which she had decorated herself with fabric paint and glitter wouldnt show under the dress.

Finally Cinderella arrived at the ball. Soon she had forgotten all about her fairy care manager and her assessment and just got on with having a good time. She soon found herself dancing with the prince and was thoroughly enjoying herself when the prince's digital watch gave a loud bleep and she realised it was midnight. She rushed out of the ball room and down the marble staircase . He accidentally stepped on one of her shoe laces which loosened her shoe and off it came. She had no time to go back for it but rushed out of the building where the bus driver was tooting his horn and looking very annoyed. The bus escort said " You should have been here ten minutes ago"

Fortunately there was scarcely any traffic at that time of night and they got to the dress hire shop in time, and then home , but before she could go to bed, her Fairy Caremanager sat down with a checklist and ticked off the goals that Cinderella had achieved in her care plan and rated them on a five-point system of fully achieved, partially achieved, no difference, set back slightly or set back severely. Cinderella finally got into bed but at 3 o clock in the morning she was woken by her ugly sisters returning from the ball demanding their bedtime café lattes , asking her to switch on their electric blankets and ordering her to help them undress. They told her the prince had not danced with them and much preferred to spend the evening with a pretty girl in an ill fitting dress who had dashed off without saying good bye.

Meanwhile the Prince whose only clue to Cinderella’s identity was her left shoe, used every method of publicity and advertising he could to trace her . Cinderella never had time to watch TV or look at a newspaper and nobody had ever bothered to teach her to read, so it was several weeks until she found out by chance from the radio that the Prince was searching for her. She decided not to involve her fairy caremanager and phoned up the prince and agreed to meet him in a café.

Well, cinderella married the prince and they lived happily ever after. However she made it a condition that before he could marry her the law had to be changed so that everybody in the kingdom had to have a care manager and to have their needs assessed before they could do anything and that nobody could earn more than people who were on disability benefits. When this was put into practice it raised a great outcry and care managers in particular objected to having their own care managers telling them what their unmet needs were.

People found that their salaries were reduced alarmingly and demanded that disability benefits should be the same amount as the average merchant banker’s or company director’s salary., and that assessments should be abolished for everyone.

So it was decided that people with learning disabilities, especially those blessed with Downs Syndrome should be equal to everyone else , have the same priviliges and be emplyed as consultants and advisors to the government as they seemed to have lots of good ideas and common sense

THE END

Page last updated on June 23rd,2003.
Copyright © 2001 - Cinderella- a modern fairy tale

Thanks to Karen and Prince William for the use of their photographs

Here are the main UK webpages for Downs Syndrome:

The best UK Downs Syndrome Site (which will also link you to sites in Bristol, Greater Manchester, Lincolnshire, Liverpool and south West Thames)

The Downs Syndrome Association

Downs Syndrome Information Network

This is a list of some English Family Home Pages of children and adults with Downs Syndrome.

And here are some international sites

A very good and comprehensive list of sites

A good resource on Downs Syndrome

Downs Syndrome

Another Downs Syndrome site,

Dr. Lens excellent site on Downs Syndrome health issues

The Down Syndrome Webring

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