As I pulled into the grocery store parking lot, a city bus with a huge advertisement caught my eye. Across the side of the bus was an image of a young adult with Down syndrome and the message: "We Are More Alike Than Different." A warm smile spread across my face as I thought about our son, Dylan, who himself has Down syndrome.

This slogan, "We Are More Alike Than Different," resonated deeply with me. It echoed the very sentiment I had been advocating to teachers, community members, our family, and most importantly, to our son, Dylan. The core message was clear - let's talk about Dylan's commonalities with others, not his differences.

When someone at an IEP meeting highlighted something Dylan couldn't do, I would eagerly counter with a testament to his capabilities. If kids at the park laughed at Dylan, I'd gently remind them, "You know, Dylan loves Nintendo games just like you."

My life's mission evolved into highlighting Dylan's abilities and similarities with others. This became the cornerstone of our advocacy for him. 

Our family had candid discussions about Dylan's questions - why his tongue was so big, why some kids laughed when he read aloud, why he had an extra chromosome. We didn't shy away from discussing Down syndrome, debunking myths, challenging low expectations associated with low IQ scores.

AND, I made a mistake. I consistently told Dylan that despite his Down syndrome, he could be anything he wanted. What I could have been telling him was that he could achieve anything he set his mind to, and his disability was part of his unique contribution to the world.

I wish I could say that I understood the concept of Disability Pride when Dylan was younger, but I didn't. I struggled to see how individuals with cognitive disabilities could view their disability with pride. 

In my efforts to stress how Dylan was more alike than different, I downplayed his disability. I missed opportunities to foster his sense of disability pride.

I first had to shift my perspective. I stopped devaluing Dylan's Down syndrome by solely focusing on his similarities with others. I appreciated the unique opportunities we had to witness Dylan's growth and encouraged his own sense of disability pride.

So, I ask you this - what can you do today to sow the seeds of disability pride in your child or further cultivate the ones already planted?

 

Let's challenge the status quo and celebrate every unique contribution our children bring to the world!