Adjust Your Original Dream
Dylan: I want to go to college like my brother and sister did!
Me: Well, I don’t know Dylan if we can find a college that will let people with Down syndrome go to it.
That was the beginning of a conversation my son, Dylan and I had in 2005. It was 2 years before he would graduate from high school and he heard his friends talking about colleges they wanted to go to.
Fast forward to the spring of 2007 and Dylan was accepted to audit classes at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Boy, was he excited! I remember driving him to his first college class and he rolled down the car window and was yelling out the window, “I got in! I got in!” It’s a time I will always remember. You know those feelings of pride and joy when your child achieves a dream – that’s what I was experiencing.
Dylan was the first student with Down syndrome to audit classes at the university. There was no “program”, which I was thankful for. There was no predetermined list of classes he had to take. As long as he got the professor’s permission, which were the audit rules for anyone, he could take any class he wanted.
He loved the variety of classes he took: Forensic Science, Intro to Rock & Roll music, Ancient History, Weight Training, a class in the Women Studies department (he figured he’d meet lots of women), Theater, 3D Art, and many more. He learned a lot of content in those classes with accommodations and modifications and as any college aged student he grew so much in a multitude of ways!
But, Dylan tells his story best. He is such an engaging speaker and with honesty and humor tells his story of inclusive education from Pre-School thru college. If you’re looking for a self-advocate speaker that will rock your audience, contact him at dylanthaner@gmail.com
In this week’s TIPspiration I want to encourage you to adjust your original dream for your child with disabilities. I want you to realize there are so many opportunities for children with disability labels than there were just a few years ago.
Don’t settle for what has always been expected of our kids (not much). College, interesting jobs, entrepreneurial opportunities, renting a house with roommates while having only needed supports, all of this and much more is possible for our children.
Adjust your original dream – adjust your dreams for your child upward! You’ve got to do this because no one else is going to do it for you.
We need to take actions according to what we believe is possible for our children. What we believe is true becomes true.
Let Dylan help you and your child be excited about your child’s life! Drop Dylan an email at dylanthaner@gmail.com and get on his speaking schedule.
All my best to you,
Charmaine
