The following text may have been generated by Optical Character Recognition, with varying degrees of accuracy. Reader beware!

www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Thursday, March 19, 2015 | 6 Spotlight "Connected to your Community" The right to be by Adelle Purdham Special to the Beaver A Adele Purdham and her daughter Elyse share a special moment. | photo by Brad McFarlane Photography World Down Syndrome Day Halton's public and Catholic school students are invited to show the Halton Down Syndrome Association (HDSA) how they celebrate World Down Syndrome Day on March 21. Schools can enter the association's contest, which closes April 30, for a chance to win cash prizes to put towards resources. For more information, visit www.haltondownsyndrome. com. According to the association's website the HDSA facilitates social events, play dates, and information seminars to bring families together and form a sense of community among its members. s I registered my eldest toddler for Kindergarten, I thought about how her little sister is going to follow in her footsteps in one short year. My daughter Elyse, barely two years old, will be registered for full-day kindergarten come next January. Her November birthday will make her one of the youngest in the class. Like many parents, I'm feeling the usual bag of mixed emotions about seeing my girls off to school: proud to see them growing up, but sad to see them go on without me. Then there are feelings I'm grappling with that not every parent has to face. You see, Elyse has Down syndrome. She has a third copy of the twenty- rst chromosome in each cell of her body, instead of the typical two. I never asked to have a baby with Down syndrome, but nevertheless, at my twenty-week ultrasound, there she was, growing inside me, and that was not going to change. In retrospect, I could not have picked a better kid myself; though admittedly at the time we found out Elyse would be born with Down syndrome, my husband and I quietly grieved the loss of the typical child we were expecting. Before she was born, Elyse's life was precious to us; a realization that came into full force when she faced surgery at one day old ­ her life hanging in the balance. She pulled through miraculously, and has ourished ever since. I have since wondered how the world would be different if people only knew that life is far too short and beautiful to get hung up over an extra chromosome. Thanks to advances in medicine, education, and human rights, Elyse's future has never looked so bright. She has regularly scheduled check-ups to keep her healthy, and the surgery she underwent as a newborn would not even have been conceivable a century ago. She will be attending school alongside her sister. She takes swimming lessons, attends preschool, and goes to story time at the library with other kids. And why shouldn't she? For all of this progress, I am grateful. But as I celebrate how far we have come, I dare not forget the bleak history of how those with disabilities were treated in the past. Only fty years ago, babies with Down syndrome were commonly institutionalized, and removed from their families at birth. Not all parents complied, and thankfully many paved the way for our treatment, understanding and consideration towards those with different abilities today. But not all babies were so lucky. Many were lost when the prescribed treatment for their `care' was to literally do nothing; these babies starved to death. As I write these words, I know nothing I ever say or do will bring those children back. There is no way to show the parents who lost their child the joy they would have brought into their lives; no way to teach the society of the time that every life has value, and that when we include those considered to have disabilities ­ true inclusion ­ we are all better for it. There is no way to reveal their child's gifts, strengths, and abilities all hidden inside their tiny being, waiting to be nurtured. That was just the way things were. No one can go back and tell those parents, medical professionals, and society at large that we are all much more alike than we are different. But I can tell you. Together, we can continue to learn from the past, and grow from our mistakes. As I stepped through those school doors, with both my daughters by my side, I was reminded of how far we have come as a society. I was reminded of how much times have changed for children with different abilities because of parents and advocates who knew they should change ­ despite what everyone else was telling them. Knowledge is powerful. Education is essential. What we don't know can hurt us, and those around us. So educate yourself, your children, and your children's children, and share with them this message: "We are all much more alike than we are different." A person of different abilities is a person rst. We all have feelings, and each one of us can and will make a difference in the life of another. On World Down Syndrome Day, March 21, I will be celebrating the many people with Down syndrome who live and work in Halton, who attend schools, programs, volunteer, and inspire others to be the best they can be. I invite you to acknowledge their accomplishments, their achievements and perseverance. Together, we'll honour their right to be. ··· Adelle Purdham is the Vice-Chair of the Halton Down Syndrome Association. NEIL OLIVER Vice ­President and Group Publisher DAVID HARVEY Regional General Manager JILL DAVIS Halton Region Editor in Chief Volume 53 | Number 22 447 Speers Road, Oakville ON (905) 845-3824 Oakville Beaver is a member of the Ontario Press Council. The council is located at 80 Gould St., Suite 206, Toronto, Ont., M5B 2M7. Phone (416) 340-1981. Advertising is accepted on the condition that, in the event of a typographical error, that portion of advertising space occupied by the erroneous item, together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged for, but the balance of the advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. The publisher reserves the right to categorize advertisements or decline. Editorial and advertising content of the Oakville Beaver is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited. Editorial Department: (905) 632-0588 Advertising Department (905) 845-3824 Classi ed Advertising: (905) 632-4444 Circulation: 5300 Harvester Rd., Burlington (905) 631-6095 DANIEL BAIRD Director of Advertising ANGELA BLACKBURN Managing Editor