While I was attending college and majoring in elementary and early childhood education, I had the fateful opportunity to take care of three wonderful children. Little did I know how much this experience would impact my life. When I began working for the family, the three children were under the age of six, the oldest with Down Syndrome. According to the National Down Syndrome Society, one in every 691 babies born in the United States are born with this genetic condition which occurs when an individual has a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21. I learned so much while working for this amazing family. Courtney, the six year old, was a gift to me and showed me daily how capable, funny, and smart she was. We spent the summers in the pool whenever possible. She quickly learned how to dive, do flips, and swim like a little fish. She also knew how to race out of the car and go throughout the house locking the doors with the deadbolt then negotiating with me to let me and her two brothers into the house. Her negotiations usually involved me making the promise of going swimming or get a treat of ice cream or french fries before she would open the doors. She would also negotiate reading stories, seeing the horses, or going to the playground. She was a girl who knew what she wanted!
During this time, I was fulfilling my college graduation requirements by taking a class on students with disabilities. One of the assignments was to interview a parent of a child with special needs and ask a series of questions. Little did I know, my mom saved this paper which I recently ran across while going through some boxes. One of the questions asked how the parents of a child with disabilities felt they were treated by others. Courtney's mom shared the painful story as to how she was told her daughter had Down Syndrome. Shortly after she had given birth to her daughter, her first child, a doctor came in and told her in a matter of fact manner the news. She recalled little compassion and understanding. She was confused and had so many whirling emotions. In my interview, I wrote how these parents said they were suddenly talked to in almost a patronizing and condescending manner. Mind you, Courtney's parents are well educated professional people, and her father is an esteemed cardiologist. Courtney's mom told me, "Here I was grieving the perfect beautiful baby I didn't have, but I fell in love with the one that I did have. If anything, it made me even more protective of her." The parents shared stories of the many IEPs in which things were often discussed as a matter of compliance. The best meetings were ones in which genuine care for Courtney was expressed by her therapists and teachers.
Courtney's parents were her best advocates. They provided her with as many opportunities and options as they could. She also had some wonderful teachers and therapists during her educational career. Thanks to Facebook, I get to regularly catch up with this family . Courtney is now in her thirties. She continues to be capable, funny, and smart. She is an avid horse rider and rides in Class A shows and has many wins under her belt. Her mom shared that recently the family was riding with wranglers in Hawaii. These cowboys were amazed at how capable of a rider Courtney is. Courtney told her mom that she loves riding horses because when she rides, she no longer has Down Syndrome.
Everyone is gifted.
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