Do you know anyone who has:
interviewed over 600 people for a Happiness Film Project that has over 3 million views had an official superhero drawn and named after them spoken to the UN or to Congress spoken to Parliament in London acted on an Emmy winning TV show won a broadcasting Emmy earned The Diana Award (named after Princess Diana — the highest accolade a young adult can earn for their humanitarian work) become an international and print model in NYC/ Paris/ Dubai and more made an award-winning short film acted in a George Takei play (Sulu from Star Trek) had their poetry praised by Pete Townshend of The Who been in People Magazine three times entered a Miss USA pageant written a children’s book officially counted over 75,000 hugs started a successful business and/or non-profit and/or become a globally known self-advocate — all while in their 20s or 30s?
What would you say if I told you all of these amazing young adults have Down syndrome? As the mom of a young adult who has Down syndrome and autism, I say, “Yes! It’s about time!” People with disabilities, their families, educational professionals, employers, and society as a whole need this fresh breath of air that truly represents massive change. That is the only way we, as a cohesive unit of humanity, can move forward into this century and beyond.
Every March is Developmental Disabilities Awareness Month. Because my Born Fabulous Podcast celebrates accomplished young adults with intellectual disabilities, I started sharing special features of successful young adults I know with Down syndrome on social media. What started out as a simple thing to do quickly became more involved. As I reached out to self-advocates and their support teams for more information and
people
CEO
Progressive
princess Diana
George Takei
Pete Townshend
