Cherie Blair visits Downs syndrome center

MOSCOW, Oct. 4 (UPI) -- Cherie Blair, on a visit to a Moscow center for children with Down syndrome Tuesday, said Russian attitudes toward people with the condition had improved.

At the Early Intervention Center the wife of the British prime minister said she discussed the development and social adaptation of children with Down syndrome with their parents and the center's staff, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Blair said that Russians' attitude toward people with Down syndrome and assistance to them had improved since her last visit to the center two years ago.

The Early Intervention Center was opened in 1998 by the Russian-British charity Downside Up. The center currently helps 550 families of children with Down syndrome from Moscow and other Russian regions.

The British first lady is on a four-day visit sponsored by the British Council to promote its "reading is cool" message, the British Web site Mirror.co.uk reported Tuesday.