The Road We've Shared

By Stephanie Holland

This month we’ll focus on telling stories about the adults who have Down syndrome that we love.  We’ll also address some of the issues that surround talking in public about our loved ones like:

• What stories should be told – should we only tell the good ones?
• How should they be told – by whom ?
• What about privacy?
• What audience?
• Does it do any good?

A while back, Rion Holcombe’s family posted a video on YouTube that they recorded when Rion found out that he would be attending Clemson University.  The video went “viral” and people all over the world watched and smiled with him!

We were lucky enough to get more of the story from his mom, Susan, last month when she wrote a guest blog for our site.  (The first and hopefully not the last!)

Tonight, she shared with her Facebook community a video that a stranger made, about Rion’s video.

As you can see, Rion’s story had a positive effect on young person who doesn’t know him and she shared it with her friends / followers.

When we tell our stories, we really have no idea what effect, if any, they will have on the world.  Sure, there can be negative consequences if people decide to use them in inappropriate ways, but they can also help.

It’s my belief that if one of my stories can influence how even one person thinks about people who have Down syndrome in a positive way, there is a potential for that change to grow and spread exponentially.

Thanks for sharing Rion and Susan!

We’ll be presenting a session on this very topic on Sunday, March 23rd as part of the 321 eConference hosted by IDSC.   Check out the description of our session and a bunch of others that you can participate in from the comfort of your own home – at a very affordable price!

Finding Support via Social Media: Blogging and Internet Communities
Stephanie Holland
Additional presenters: Karen Gregoire, Mardra Sikora

**Update** –  To access the handouts and slideshow from our presentation click HERE