Sunday, July 6, 2008

self advocacy

here's another site that i'm sure i've told most of my friends about. it's the national down syndrome congress site. my favorite part of this site is the self advocacy section. i love the idea that maya is a self advocate. because she is interacting with so many people she is making a big difference.

a while ago many people with down syndrome were stuffed away in institutions. now they are immersed in the society. it just makes me so happy when i see people out and about. of course now i probably notice it more and more because of maya.

the other day i went to the bagel shop to grab us some breakfast. it's well known that this place, on the weekends, is the stopping point for cyclist. on any given sunday you can see groups of cyclist eating their bagels and drinking some coffee, before they get back on their cycles to continue. i've seen many there with their spandex outfits and bandanna hats. one sunday a couple of weekends ago, i was walking out the door when i saw a young man with down syndrome with a group of cyclists. he was dressed as everyone else was, in his spandex outfit, sunglasses on his head. he looked like he was just one of the guys. i can't tell you how this made me so happy. it really touched my heart. a friend of mine went there a few weeks later and saw the same fellow. he said he saw him getting on a tandem bike with another man. they rode away from the bagel place just as my friend was exiting. now my friend also notices these events and shares the same excitement and joy.

the below page has little snippets of the self advocate council. the people listed here are super inspiring.

self advocate council

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