The Rory Series 2/7: Juli/Mom

(The Rory Series 2/7: Juli/Mom)

"Sending a child to a high school with 4500+ people can make any mother feel nervous. Sending my daughter with Down syndrome to a high school with 4500+ kids was like my nerves were on steroids. But the thing about my daughter Rory is that she is fearless and she will try anything at least once. Rory was set up to attend 50% of her classes in a general education setting and 50% in a special education setting and she would be navigating her campus without the help of an aid. At first, the school told us she wouldn’t be able to do it. So you know what we did? We worked all summer on campus learning the school layout. Rory learned where her classes were, where the cafeteria was, how to get to the main office and the nearest bathrooms. She walked around that campus until she knew it like the back of her hand. And on the first day of school and every day after she proved that she could maneuver the campus on her own. She would go to school events, being dropped off and picked up like all the other high school students. But that’s not all. Rory lived out a full and fabulous high school experience. She tried out for cheer and made the team all four years. She went to summer cheer camps in Palm Springs all on her own. She rode the bus with all the other cheerleaders to varsity games. She tried out and was accepted in the Link Crew, a campus leadership group, which she has done for two years. Also on the list of her high school experiences: she attended every school dance with her favorite dance buddy, Ives, from a rival high school. She was voted 2021 HOCO Queen. She did all these things like a typical high schooler, with no aid. Did she make mistakes? Yes! But so did my typical son when he went through high school. She learned from those mistakes and made better choices. She is fearless and confident. She brings light to me every day, and truly inspires me."

#TheLuckyFew #ThisIsDownSyndrome