Brad Hennefer has made believers out of those who have watched him play basketball

From Sports Illustrated, a major feature with video about the young man who is believed to be the only high school varsity basketball player in the nation with Down syndrome.

… above all else, Hennefer, also an excellent golfer, is a joy to be around. His presence has affected teammates, classmates, family, friends and opposing teams and their coaches, who have an understanding that when Hennefer enters the game, they let him shoot.

… The Hennefers found out Brad had Down syndrome the day he was born. They opted to take a different approach, however, than some parents with handicapped children.

“We knew instantly we wouldn’t treat Brad any differently than his older brother [Bob Jr.],” said Nancy, Brad’s mother. “But it hasn’t been easy, from the outside. We’ve spent the last 19 years breaking down barriers. Brad was the first enrolled in a private preschool, and that was a struggle. But when we started in the Cherry Hill School District, where they normally didn’t start children with Down syndrome in mainstream classes, they placed them in segregated classes. It took a lot of negotiating and convincing to get Brad into the mainstream. But I do have to say, the Cherry Hill School District has been great with Brad. We’re happy things worked out the way they did.”

The Hennefers themselves also prepared Brad. Much of his educational foundation came from home, because the Hennefers didn’t want to force Brad on the school system and expect the system to educate and care for him. “That had to start with us, in our home,” Nancy said.

Earlier posts start here.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, February 19th, 2008 at 9:45 pm and is filed under Down syndrome, exercise/sports. 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