A parents open letter to their school regarding Down syndrome Awareness Month

We all can use the letter below as teaching opportunity within the community as the situation calls for!

Happy fall safari parents
I am reaching out to all of you in celebration of Down Syndrome Awareness Month. As you know, our daughter and your child’s classmate, Kennedy, has an extra chromosome and was officially diagnosed with Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome) the day after she was born. Communication about T21 is extremely important to Reshell and I as we are big advocates for our daughter. October is not the only time to educate and I hope that you take any opportunity that presents itself to educate yourselves and others about Down Syndrome. If your kids ask questions about Kennedy or other kids with T21 please try to answer them appropriately and if you need answers, well you know who to reach out to. Some of the kids ask why Kennedy doesn’t talk like them or keep up with their play all the time. I simply tell them that it takes Kennedy a little bit longer to learn things but she will catch up. And wouldn’t you know it, the kids are very happy with this answer. They are also eager to help and be more patient with Kennedy and other kids that may need a little push. As a family, we appreciate the supportive and inclusive environment that Frazer creates. As parents, we appreciate the fact that you CHOSE this environment for your kids to learn in. I spoke to a co-worker the other day whose typical kids attended Frazer years ago. He told me how well adjusted his kids were and especially when they encountered a peer who appeared to have some special “Abilities,” from minor delays to profound disabilities, his kids never batted an eye and included every kid in their circle. This is such encouragement since next year we move away from the comfort of the inclusive Frazer community and into the scary world of “real school.” I guess every parent worries to some extent about what is going to happen with their kids, but for us, it’s really frightening because we most likely will not be surrounded by great parents like you all. One of the only things I can do as an advocate for my awesome kid is to arm you with positive information and maybe through your conversations with your friends and family, we can keep misconceptions about kids with T21 to a minimum and maybe one day I won’t have to worry about someone using the “R” word. Thank you again for reading and being a part of something life changing here at Frazer. Our experience here has been exceptional. Feel free to reach out via email or in person if you have any comments or questions.
Karla