Karen Gaffney, Down syndrome self-advocate, speaks to students from nine middle schools

From the Wilkes-Barre (PA) Times-Leader:

Fresh from the success of swimming 9 miles across Lake Tahoe, athlete Karen Gaffney told students gathered at Misericordia University in Pennsylvania that she is determined to challenge public preconceptions and change attitudes about people with disabilities.

“One of the biggest challenges I faced when I was your age was having a friend,” she said. “I walk different from you, I talk different from you. I look different from you.

“Some of your classmates may have unexplained difficulties,” she told the crowd, “but I know that, just like me, they want to learn.” She recounted how it took her numerous efforts to grasp what came easily to others in school, but always found she could master lessons with persistence, ultimately graduating high school and earning an associate’s degree.

While determination overcame her learning disadvantages, overcoming the attitudes of others was harder.

“I’d rather look up and see a friendly smile than look up and see others turn away,” she said. “But I think it’s OK to be different, because the difference is only outside. We are all people first. We all want to feel like we belong.”

This entry was posted on Saturday, October 27th, 2007 at 5:20 am and is filed under Down syndrome, exercise/sports, personal stories, public attitudes. 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.