AWESOME PIECE- HYPERLINKS

  

This is Mia Peterson. She is featured in this text and is a strong, brave woman who has worked very hard to prove that having down syndrome is not an excuse to be unsuccessful. In this video, she speaks about articles she has written. She speaks about her success in life and how she has never let her disability stop her from doing anything.

     In the chapter "Citizenship in School: Reconceptualizing Down Syndrome" from Schooling Children with Down Syndrome by Christopher Kliewer, some very interesting points are brought up. This piece starts off strong with a quote from Mia Peterson, a woman with down syndrome who has exceeded others' expectations of her. Mia says, "I started to notice that I didn't like the classes I was taking called special education. I had to go through special ed. almost all my life. I wanted to take other classes that interested me. I have never felt so mad. I wanted to cry" (Peterson, 1994, p. 6). This quote is very powerful. There are different levels of severity with down syndrome and Mia is high functioning. She proves that anything is possible. She had proved many people wrong by going back to school and doing what she wants and knows is achievable. Just because she has down syndrome does not mean she is incapable of living a normal life.
                                      
     I absolutely love this video. It explains what down syndrome is, how babies develop slower when they have down syndrome, and most importantly how these children can grow up to have successful lives. I learned that children with down syndrome can communicate with sign language. The children in this video show that they can be "normal" by being placed in regular education classrooms, making friends, and playing sports. I became aware of Special Olympics in the partners program at my high school and this video mentions it as well. It allows children to feel important and able to do whatever they want. These children do not let their disability hold them back.

COMMENTS: This was my favorite text to read. I am very passionate about children with disabilities since I have worked with them before. I am so proud to have read Mia Peterson's story. She is incredibly powerful and strong. Not only does she speak on important issues of down syndrome, she tells her own personal story. I loved the videos I put in this blog because they prove that anything is possible even if you do have a disability. Things will be more difficult but these children can still live "normal" lives.