She Has Down Syndrome But Swam the English Channel and She’s the First to Receive an Honorary Doctorate

By Int'l. Life Institute, Dublin, Ireland

Life News

On Saturday, a leading advocate for people with Down Syndrome, Karen Gaffney, will address a massive rally in Dublin city centre.

A long distance swimmer who relay swam the English Channel, and an impressive and witty public speaker, Ms Gaffney is the first living person with Down Syndrome to receive an honorary doctorate.

She has captured global attention, not only for her personal achievements but for her work on inclusion for people with Down Syndrome and her challenge to a culture where babies with Down Syndrome are increasingly aborted before birth. Her message to the world is that All Lives Matter, and she challenges the trend which is eliminating people with Down Syndrome before they are born.

“Imagine that here we are reversing the damage caused by institutions, removing barriers to education, making inroads into a full and inclusive life for people like me, and still we have those who say we shouldn’t even be born at all,” Ms Gaffney told an audience at a Ted Talk in Portland.

She says that people with Down Syndrome were now achieving success as “musicians and artists, golfers, models, public speakers, and good employees making a contribution to society” but that the race was on to find newer, faster ways to diagnose the condition before birth and that those pregnancies were all-too-often terminated.

“I believe that Down Syndrome is a life worth saying ‘yes’ to. It is a life worth saving. Every life has value, every life matters, regardless of how many chromosomes you have,” she says.

Life News continues

Woman with Down Syndrome Becomes a Business Owner

By Karis Burton Brown
Live Action News

At a time when France is taking major steps to stomp down the humanity of people with Down syndrome, Collette Divitto is showing true beauty to the world. Collette has Down syndrome, but that hasn’t prevented her from becoming a homegrown success story. At the age of 26, Collette has already accomplished more than many do in a lifetime.

When Collette was rejected by potential employers after she applied for jobs, she came up with an even better idea: why not start her own business? Already, Collettey’s Cookies is a local sensation — accepting online delivery orders, gaining a spot on the shelves at Golden Goose Market, baking with “secret” recipes like any successful food enterprise, and advocating for individuals with disabilities. Collette herself is learning further business skills as a fellow with the Institute for Community Inclusion.

CBS Boston shared Collette with the world, telling her story just before Thanksgiving, 2016.

Collette’s mom nearly beams with pride as she discusses the entrepreneurship of her Millennial daughter, who, she explains, has found a way to walk through new doors when the typical ones are shut in her face. (And there’s certainly something to be said for Collette, who is a member of a generation generally accused of laziness and poor work ethic.)

According to her mother, Collette doesn’t see Collettey’s Cookies as a way to personal riches or personal success. Instead, her desire is to reach the world beyond herself. CBS Boston reports: 

“She’s never accepted her disability,” her mom said. “She’s kind of stepped into this role of trying to inspire and motivate other people.”

Collette Divitto's story continues