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" Beckett is pretty amazing, all three of my children are. His extra chromosome may make doing some things hard for him, but Down syndrome is not what defines him."
~ Tamara Taggart
# NOTSPECIALNEEDS I no longer say Beckett has‘ special needs’. It’ s important to listen to disabled people,“ special needs” didn’ t come from the disability community, everyday I learn something new and that is a good thing. Disabled individuals get to decide the terminology they are okay with, I now know it is always okay to say‘ disabled’.
SOCIAL ISOLATION I have definitely felt isolated at different times over the years but I think a lot of it had to do with my own confidence. I was so scared when we were told Beckett had Down syndrome, I went to some‘ mommy groups’ when my son was very small but I always felt all the eyes on my baby and it made me feel uncomfortable. It was a tough time to navigate but once Beckett went to school I realized that he is a social butterfly, lots of friends and we have a ton of support through friends and family.
FAMILY DYNAMICS Beckett and my daughter Zoë are only 13 months apart in age, it’ s always been like having twins with them! They hit all their milestones together and it was so much fun, Zoë is very protective of her brother, they have an unbreakable bond. A few years ago, Beckett left our house and walked to a very busy street, it was extremely traumatic for our family, especially Zoë. That experience changed all of us. As a family
we are teaching each other all the time, my daughter Poppy is always reminding me that Beckett is a teenager now and I need to start treating him like one!
MISCONCEPTIONS It’ s really annoying when I hear things like, oh‘ downs kids are so happy” or“ downs kids are so affectionate”. First, don’ t say“ downs kid” – UGH. Also, my child is happy and loving because that’ s who he is as a person, not because of his extra chromosome. My child is not an object, he is a well-rounded individual who is just like everyone else, the stereotypes society attaches to Down syndrome are exhausting and disheartening.