They expect their love to transcend limitations.

From the Nashville Tennesseean:

Bernadette Resha, 28, is a high school graduate, an acomplished artist and a paid spokeswoman for Easter Seals and Special Olympics.

On Nov. 11, she will do something else that experts a generation ago would not have thought possible: she is getting married to a man who also has Down syndrome.*

Advocates say marriage is rare between two people with Down syndrome but becoming more common because of longer life spans made possible by medical advancements. Newer laws ensure their right to education and employment, which have made independence possible.

… Advocates say that Bernadette Resha and Putman are part of the first generation of children with Down syndrome who have had opportunities to be educated and employed. Instead of living out their lives in an institution, they have been included in public schools. Their individualized education plans typically include employment training and instruction on how to live independently.

In the early 1990s, the Americans with Disabilities Act required that accommodations be made in the workplace when possible, and prohibited discrimination …. In addition, medical advances have dramatically increased the life expectancy of people with Down syndrome.

Editor’s note: As recently as 1971, marriage between people with intellectual disabilities was illegal in 24 states. See earlier post here.

This entry was posted on Thursday, October 11th, 2007 at 8:07 am and is filed under Down syndrome, early intervention, medicine, personal stories, quality of life. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.  Email This Post