No silent nights for this choir group
December 9th, 2007
By columnist Dennis McCarthy in the Los Angeles Daily News:
The ARC Hand Bell Choir - 20 Down syndrome adults in their 30s and 40s - are the hottest holiday concert ticket in town, playing to SRO crowds.
They’re booked for 22 performances in 24 days - from local senior groups, churches and nonprofit organizations to high-powered downtown law firms and Ventura Boulevard real estate offices.
The choir director tells audiences that she resisted in 1967 when doctors told her to institutionalize her daughter with Down syndrome. Her daughter, 40-year-old Susie Shallert, then waves from the choir.
The choir director had made her point. No one should be written off and put away. With enough love, patience and education, anything was possible. Just look and listen.
This entry was posted
on Sunday, December 9th, 2007 at 8:53 am and is filed under Down syndrome, arts/music, institutionalization, public attitudes.
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