March 26, 2008 - Fighting stereotype an uphill battle
Original source: The Gazette
Six young adults with Down Syndrome will travel to Peru, live in a village and climb to Machu Picchu. The trip is intended to show that people with the condition can contribute to a community
IRWIN BLOCK, The Gazette
At the end of May, six young adults will be flying to Peru to live in a village, study Spanish and climb to Machu Picchu.
What makes this excursion special is that all six have Down Syndrome and it’s planned as much more than an educational trip, says Gregory McKenna, father of Shawn, 20.
“The goal is to show what people with trisomy 21 - the scientific term for Down Syndrome - can do if they have the chance,” the senior McKenna, an inspector for the Canada Border Services Agency, said yesterday.
Jean-Franois Hup (left) and Shawn McKenna are two of six young adults who are hoping to change how the public perceives people with Down Syndrome.
JOHN KENNEY THE GAZETTE
(Trisomy 21 is the presence of one extra copy of a chromosome, usually chromosome 21, which causes developmental problems.)
These four men and two women, age 18 to 30, all had the advantage of coming from families who sought the best resources available to develop their children’s potential to the fullest.
However, their parents and teachers want to show that many can lead useful adult lives beyond subsisting on welfare payments, McKenna, a Valleyfield resident, explained.
“They may not be able to be professionals, but there are lots of things they can do to contribute to society,” said Jean Hupé of Laval, an administrator, father of Jean-François Hupé, 30.
Two of the young adults chosen for the trip, for example, are accomplished athletes. Mélanie Giroux was a gold and silver-medal swimmer at the 2007 edition of the Special Olympics World Summer Games in Shanghai, while Shawn McKenna is a multiple sports medallist in provincial and national sports events.
An additional aspect is that no parents will be coming along, a condition set by trip organizer Jean-François Martin, who teaches special education at CEGEP du Vieux Montréal and is the father of Karl, who also has Down Syndrome.
Martin is also president of the Regroupement pour la Trisomie 21, an association of 400 families, one of whose members has Down Syndrome.
“We hope to change the vision that people may have of Down Syndrome,” Martin said.
A film that is being made of the project for broadcast on Canal D will show that people with Down Syndrome “can have goals, can achieve goals and can provide something to the community,” Martin said.
In the village, the visitors will help with agricultural tasks and assist in building a library there.
Six of his CEGEP students in their third year of special education will be using the 12-day excursion as a training experience.
About 14 young people applied and were then evaluated and selected for the trip by the CEGEP students.
The applicants hiked at Mont St. Hilaire and went on a few weekend trips to assess how they function in a group.
“The organizers wanted to avoid any surprises,” McKenna said.
The initial budget is about $55,000 and the cost is being borne by parents and some donations.
The project is getting a boost from singer Jean-Marie Lapointe and his singer-father, Senator Jean Lapointe, who are presenting their comedy show Faces à Farces as a fundraising benefit to aid the project.
Faces à Farces is on April 12 at 9 p.m. at Maison Théâtre, 245 Ontario St. E. Tickets, including a tax-deductible donation, are available at $100 or the regular price of $35 at admission.com
iblock@thegazette.canwest.com