Karen Gaffney tells the story about a former teacher who one day reached out for her help.
The teacher was late in her pregnancy and her unborn child had been diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Her doctor wanted her to think about terminating the pregnancy, but she wasn't having it, because she knew about Down Syndrome from a completely different perspective - her former student.
That story, which Gaffney told during a Tedx talk, sums up the work that she has been doing around inclusion of people with disabilities. The message is simple - all lives matter.
Gaffney, a disability rights advocate, will talk about “Chromosome 21 in the 21st Century” at 5 p.m. Friday at Emory University’s Rollins School of Public Health in the Claudia Nance Rollins Building, P-level auditorium, 1518 Clifton Rd.
The free program is sponsored by Emory's Aquinas Center of Theology.
People with Down Syndrome are graduating from high school and going to work. Still there are hurdles to overcome including inclusion in schools, the workplace and community. At the same time, she spreads the word about the accomplishments of people with Down Syndrome.
Oh, and the former teacher’s baby? She goes to school, speaks German and English and is a swimmer, like Gaffney.
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