| I had the opportunity to listen to a fantastic interview today that really motivated me. Joe Ruggiero is a great storyteller with the ability to inspire others! And this coming from someone who uses old sheets as slip covers (lol! Joe would understand). His nuggets of inspiration woven through the fascinating story of how he navigated and helped integrate the two worlds of design and media was more than I bargained for! I thought I was there just to help out on the technical end... what I came away with was the courage to try to start putting into words what's been rumbling around in my head for years. THANKS JOE! |
What is My Vision?
People who have Down syndrome are living longer than they were before. Not long ago parents were told that the average life span was 25, now it’s double that and more. There are so few stories about adults who have Down syndrome in the public conscience, in mainstream media, that those who don’t have personal experience tend to generalize base on what they’ve been exposed to. We saw it happen with regards to autism when the movie “Rain Man” was released. Some people thought they understood “Autism” because they watched Dustin Hoffman’s portrayal of one person who was on the spectrum. It also happened when “Life Goes On” first came out on television. Everyone thought that Corky was a “typical” person who had Down syndrome. While both of these examples portrayed basically positive images of the two syndromes, any one piece of art, or one story can not, and should not define an entire segment of the population.
The public perception is limited by exposure to real people and their stories. I hope to bring more stories to life by creating a space to share. I want to enable parents and adults who have Down syndrome to give their own personal perspective on what living in our changing society has been like for them. Sharing with each other and the world we can all learn, not only about Down syndrome specifically, but also about how we treat each other and what we can do to make the world a better place for everyone.
I envision each story as a unique piece of precious glass in a mosaic that is only beginning to come into focus.
The public perception is limited by exposure to real people and their stories. I hope to bring more stories to life by creating a space to share. I want to enable parents and adults who have Down syndrome to give their own personal perspective on what living in our changing society has been like for them. Sharing with each other and the world we can all learn, not only about Down syndrome specifically, but also about how we treat each other and what we can do to make the world a better place for everyone.
I envision each story as a unique piece of precious glass in a mosaic that is only beginning to come into focus.
I encourage everyone to listen to Joe, hear his story, get inspired, and create a beautiful/functional home to boot! Now that's VALUE! :D His 2-hour interview with Gail Zahtz is available for download - you owe it to yourself to listen! |