Defying Expectation
Cheri had fought for this, every step of the way. No one had had high expectations for her. Well, no one but her mother. Girls with Down Syndrome weren’t supposed to achieve big things. They weren’t supposed to go to university, let alone graduate.
The first year had been hard. Really hard. If she had had a physical or psychiatric disability, there would have been more help. But her university had never admitted anyone with an intellectual disability before. There were no supports in place for her. It took her three years to complete the credits.
None of her peers had accepted her either. They didn’t want her in their study groups. In her first semester, it had just been Mom and herself. When she made it through with passing grades, Dad had come on board. Now there were three people on team Cheri. And the university did what it could to support her.
By the time Cheri had finished her first-year courses, the university had found her a mentor. Cheri began meeting more people and enjoying school more. There were still days when she wanted to quit, but her support group—team Cheri, now consisting of her parents, her mentor, and her new friends—helped her stay the course.
And today, after nine years of study, she stood at the podium, valedictorian. Two more students with Down Syndrome were now enrolled at the university. Cheri was part of their mentor group and had been instrumental in changing the support system to include people with intellectual disabilities.
As Cheri looked out over the sea of faces in the auditorium, she saw so many she knew—so many friends. They listened intently as she described her journey and laid out her argument for greater inclusivity. When she finished, the audience rose as one, their applause deafening.
Before writing this story, I decided to do a little research. A quick Google search turned up (among other articles) the story of Rachel High, a woman with Down Syndrome who was the first person with an intellectual disability to graduate university in Australia. Here’s a link to her story.
We’re too quick to discount people with disabilities of any description. I think this is worse for those with an intellectual disability. Lily D. Moore is an actress, model, and activist with Down Syndrome. I love her work. Though I wasn’t thinking about her when I started writing this story, I think she was there, hiding in my subconscious and nudging me along.
(Also, there are very few public domain photographs of people with Down Syndrome. The one I used was the only one I came across that was even remotely suitable for this story. Unfortunately, it is from the White House. No political support or endorsement is implied!)
I love stories like this! They give people hope who dare to dream! Great job!
What a wonderful story! Although it was a physical disability, I had a cousin who contracted polio when he was 4, during the great epidemic. He lived his life as a quadriplegic but accomplished amazing things. He earned his first money as a promoter for electric wheelchairs and that money allowed him to purchase an old building in Vancouver. With government help, he established a home for the newly paralyzed that offered physical and psychological support as well as help with navigating the assistance available to them. This was also successful so he bought a boat and set up tours of the Vancouver harbour for the disabled. And, to top it off, he married a woman from Nicaragua and they set up a school and then a library in a struggling community. Yes, he always needed help... he couldn't even breathe on his own. But he never stopped. His disability showed him where he could help and he just did it. One of my heroes 💕