People with Down syndrome in the media

Student with Down Syndrome told she would never talk gives first public speaking address to hundreds

Emilie Ng, The Catholic Leader, 16 March 2016
Olivia Hargroder is a self-confessed “chatterbox”, but she was never expected to learn to speak.
Born with Down Syndrome, the 16-year-old underwent major heart surgery and was not expected to live ... Almost 16 years after the doctor’s original prognosis, Olivia took centre stage at at her first speaking engagement at a national education conference last week “to teach the teachers” about how to treat children with Down Syndrome.

Model with Down syndrome launches design label at New York Fashion Week
Patricia Reaney, Reuters, 13 February 2017
... The Australian-born model challenged fashion industry norms with her first catwalk appearance in 2015 and is credited with changing perceptions about people with Down syndrome. She hopes to do the same with her new label, 21 Reasons Why by Madeline Stuart ...

Kitchener yoga instructor with Down syndrome pursues her dreamsValerie Hill, Waterloo regional Record, 16 February 2017
If anyone can bust stereotypes about people with Down syndrome, it's Karen Lord.

The feisty 38-year-old lives in her own apartment, has a new boyfriend, works a couple of part-time jobs in the service industry and she has travelled to England on her own to visit a friend ...

Down syndrome won't keep me down: four friends open own pizza business!Zayaan Schroeder, Parent 24, 17 February 2017
In Argentina, four friends Mauri, Leandro, Franco and Mateo were just a little tired of the social and work-related discrimination that came along with having Down's syndrome ...

Runner hopes to be first woman with Down syndrome to finish Austin Marathon
Amanda Brandels, kxan.com, 15 February 2017
This weekend the Austin Marathon will test the strength and endurance of thousands of athletes. One of those runners is 26-year-old Kayleigh Williamson, who hopes to set a record of her own for the city. She has Down syndrome and was inspired to run long distances because of her mother. Williamson trains at RunLab Austin, working with specialists on her stability and technique ...

• First person with Down syndrome finishes local half marathon, Ryan Korsgard, Click2Houston, 20 February 2017

Pauline Garcia makes her own way

David Roza, The Elsworth American, 18 February 2017

Every Monday and Wednesday since 2015, 21-year-old Pauline Garcia has worked at the Down East Family YMCA’s Early Learning Center, where she looks after preschoolers as a teacher’s assistant.

She reads books to the kids, sets up stations where they can play, helps them put their winter clothes on and keeps them focused when the teacher is talking. Keeping an eye on 15 to 18 small children is an exhausting task for anybody, but Garcia has to work with an extra challenge. She has Down syndrome, which can make it harder for her to stay focused during an eight-hour work day ...