Rowman & Littlefield Publisher Speech for More Alike Than Different

Hello everyone.  Thank you Jake for your introduction and for inviting me to speak at your sales conference.  I am honored to be here and excited to share with you all a few thoughts and facts that will make you my biggest fans.

My hope is that you will find my book:  "More Alike than Different: My Life with Down syndrome" to be a MUST read for all people with and without a disability connection.

My godmother has been asking me for many years: "when will you write your book"? I am very thankful for her motivation and for so many who believed in me and had expectations of me.  I was born in Madison Wisconsin in 1977 when both of my parents were graduate students at the University. 

I belong to the first generation of Down syndrome individuals to break free from the institutions that had previously plagued our potential and acceptance. Individuals with Down syndrome were not seen as capable of learning and having a life like everyone else. They were not expected to live beyond the age of 25.  I am 42 years old and in good health.  All of those are myths that my life experience has dispelled and I want to share those facts and how my life in many ways is more alike than different. 

All through my life I have focused on breaking down barriers and opening up opportunities for people with disabilities.  I hope that the next generation of individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities “can live long and prosper” quoting Star Trek Science officer Spock.  He teaches us that the things that make us different are the same things that make us awesome.  I am a Star Trek Fan and love science fiction. 

I dare to dream about changing the way people think of us, opening doors for people of ALL abilities to  shine and overcome challenges, in communities, in schools,  in sports, in the workplace, and at all levels of our society.  If we dream, we can imagine a world that greets people who are different with respect and inclusive actions. 

People tell kids they can be anything they want to be.  When I was growing up, I wanted to be a person who didn’t have Down syndrome.  I used to ask my mother: “When will I get rid of this Down Syndrome thing?”  She would say: “It is something that stays with you all your life but it does not stop you from having dreams and being successful”.  

At first it was hard to accept the fact that I have Down syndrome, but I discovered that I am not alone.  I know that I have a disability just like many others in this world.

I did not ask to have a disability, I was born with it.  Having Down syndrome does not define me as a person.  People with disabilities do not want pity.  We want to be accepted for who we are and given an opportunity to succeed like anyone else.

So, I am not a university professor and researcher like my mom. I’m not a physicist and rocket scientist like my dad. I am an inspirational public speaker who happens to have Down syndrome and just submitted my memoirs manuscript to Rowman Publisher. 

You may be wondering how good is my writing ability.  Well, I got help.  Together with my mom, my brother and a writer friend, we were able to create 10 interesting chapters.  

The content is based on my life experiences with family, in the neighborhood, at school, in sports (especially Special Olympics), in the workplace and pursuing my dreams to influence policy and becoming an advocate for people with disabilities, especially Down syndrome. 

With this book, I want to show how by focusing on abilities, our life becomes richer.  Embracing abilities makes it possible for everyone to surprise themselves and their communities.

The titles of the 10 chapters are:  The Myth of Limits, Family Determination, Imagining Possibilities, Becoming a Champion, Opening Doors, From the Playing Field to Testifying on Capitol Hill, Daring to Dream, Employment, A Research Participant, and The Power of Inclusion and Community,

I would like to invite you to take me seriously and help me have millions read my book and be inspired to believe in their abilities and pursue their dreams. 

I need you to take my stories and sell it in every town, on every street, and let the people know, that we, those with disabilities, have dreams, that we have rights, that we have lives that matter and we can be fun too.  Give us a presence in the media.  Include us.  I have a story to tell and I need your support.  Become my fans.

Please help me dispel the myths, misconceptions and prejudice.  I hope that you will find the book to be compelling and worth your sales efforts.  My story will motivate readers to become more accepting of those with different abilities, those who often are marginalized in our society and forgotten as sons and daughters of families regardless of ethnic, religious, and socio-economic background. 

I have surprised my family and they are amazed by the progress I have made in the past 42 years of my life.  I don’t think that when I was born in Madison Wisconsin, my parents imagined me as an advocate for people with intellectual disabilities. 

I don’t think that they expected me to serve on Capitol Hill as a Joseph P Kennedy Jr. Public Policy Fellow, first person with intellectual disabilities to be selected to serve in this position. 

I don’t think they expected me to testify at the Senate in Washington DC; competing in Special Olympics, meeting celebrities, traveling the world, speaking for World Down syndrome Day at the United Nations and having a competitive job; friends, hobbies, and a life like others. 

When I turned 40, two years ago, I wondered what the future will look like. While we have made some progress in the acceptance of people with intellectual disabilities and our quality of life has greatly improved; there is more work to be done.

My success and ability to make my dreams come true and have an inclusive life like yours was possible thanks to the support of the people who believed in me. They took me seriously. My family and those supporting me saw the Possibilities and took the time to help me learn and be successful. 

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share my thoughts and a little of my story with you.  I am available if you have questions and want to chat. 

Heartfelt thanks for being here and taking my message of hope and unity to the world. 

The one thing I would like you to walk away with after reading this book is also inspired by “Star Trek.” I want you to believe that that no matter who you are, you can “boldly go where no one has gone before.”