Day 26: Did You Know? When You Know, You Know.
People who get to know someone who has Down Syndrome often develop a strong capacity for love and acceptance for people who are different. We definitely need more of that in the world.
I’ve grown up knowing kids and adults with disabilities and have ended up in a career based around advising people about the legal and human rights of individuals with disabilities.
I love my job and the best bit is getting to know and help a diverse range of people at a time in their life when they are usually in crisis. Throughout my career I’ve experienced some really heart wrenching moments of sadness and many moments of joy with some brilliant people, many of whom have a learning disability, or mental disorder.
I firmly believe that my life experiences to date meant that Frida’s diagnosis was not something I was ever troubled by. To me, this shows the positive impact of knowing people who are not all the same as you. Not only can getting to know someone be fun (as is developing friendships!), but if that relationship ends up having a positive ripple effect, such as changing your understanding of disability, that’s only a good thing for inclusion and equality, right?