It’s time to ring out the 2019 and welcome 2020 by posting our top blogs from 2019. I’m going to share my top five as chosen by you, my readers.
Number one jumped to the top of my all-time most read blog when it was picked up by The Mighty and Yahoo Parenting and some other outlets. Yep, my response to the Today Show‘s piece on Shawn Johnson’s prenatal diagnosis testing caused quite a stir. Here’s a link to the blog itself – Today Show Miss: Now You Know the Rest of the Story.
While I love that you all loved and it stirred needed conversation, the Today Show did not hear us. They did no follow up. So how about let’s try it again. Will you join me and reach out to the Today Show? “So Today and Savannah Guthrie, I’m asking you as a faithful viewer and as mom to Rachel, to please do a follow-up story and tell us the rest of the story. You see, it’s not that we in the Down syndrome community begrudge Shawn and her husband for their feelings. It’s that as we watched, we waited like we were listening for Paul Harvey to say “Now you know the rest of the story” piece that never came.” People deserve to know the rest of that story.
Number two is no surprise to me – Employment: The Promise of a More Inclusive Tomorrow. This blog was actually a guest blog by a friend who had visited the Olive Garden where Rachel was working. With the unemployment rate for people with intellectual disabilities running about 70%, jobs are on the minds of families. Of the family’s trip to Olive Garden and seeing Rachel and the Olive Garden in action, my friend Joy says, ” As I left Olive Garden, my heart was full and my worry a little less. I felt optimistic and hopeful for the possible employment opportunities for Ella.”
The third most read blog did surprise me a little. It was one I did for my own catharsis in response something that happened to me. A “Borderline” Disability comes in at number three and makes me a little sad. I wrote this as a response to inappropriate and hurtful comments directed at Rachel because she has a visible disability. “None of us has time for this kind of thinking, action, and discrimination. We’re too busy living life, changing perceptions, and in general just doing the best we can.” We all have our wounds, but it is my deeply held belief that we do not have room for the type of pettiness within the disability community that creates inner-strife We must be united in our efforts to change the landscape.
Several of you told me that when you read the title of this blog, fear stabbed your heart. Coming in at number four Life Lessons with Rachel: Stranded at College. Titles are meant to tempt you.
“If I had been born in 1969 instead of 1999, I would not have been allowed to go to school with my friends. Before 1975, a person like me with Down syndrome did not have the right to a public education. Today, I will tell you why Inclusion Matters.” Inclusion Matters by Rachel is her final speech in her public speaking class from college. She made an A on the speech and an A in the class. My take away about her final speech? “If just those students who were in her public speaking class learned something about the importance of including people with disabilities, then this semester was a success.” We all know that it goes way beyond that though.
I am thankful that so many of you enjoy following Rachel’s journey. I started blogging primarily to share some of our stories. I believe we can all learn so much from one another. I don’t have all the answers, but I can share how we have navigated life and hope that others navigation will be a little less burdensome because of us. You all have truly embraced her college experience. Just a quick listing of the next five most read blogs and it’s no surprise, with one exception, they are about Rachel and her college experience.
Rachel Responds with the Rest of the Story
Rachel’s Reflections: First Semester of College
Rachel Living Her College Dream
Finally, my favorite picture of the year.
