http://goo.gl/W2wfjr
Throughout the World Down Syndrome Day event, people with Down syndrome discussed how being included in their families, schools, and communities helped them build rich and fulfilling lives. Aleksandar Matovski, a high school senior from Macedonia, described how being included throughout primary and secondary school led him to develop deep interests in poetry, music, and karate. French disability rights activist Antoine Fontenit discussed how being included as a young person helped him learn the skills necessary to hold a job, live independently, and participate in the political life of his community. New Jersey teenager AnnaRose Rubright spoke of how lifelong inclusion in her school and community has both helped prepare her to attend college and a work full-time. Equally important, she noted how inclusion allowed her to form a group of close friends with whom to share the joys and struggles of everyday life.
A number of the speakers remarked how they and other people with Down syndrome have the same aspirations as everyone else. They want opportunities to learn, to work, to live independently, to make positive contributions to their community, to love and be loved.
The speakers at World Down Syndrome Day also spoke out about the challenges of exclusion. Speakers noted that their greatest challenges in achieving their goals are never chromosomal. Their greatest barriers stem from the ignorance, fear, and prejudice of non-disabled people.