THREAD:
My sister works with a man with Down Syndrome once a week. He likes photography, and she has been teaching him. They try something different every week - portraits, landscapes, wildlife, sports. He has an amazing eye & amazing skill.
I have been fortunate to meet him. He>

2/ is funny, outgoing, and has an insight into the world that is warm & wonderful. His life hasn't been easy. He has shared some stories about his loneliness & being shunned or judged because of his "disability."
That tears at my heart.
Here is a man, who has the kind of skill>

3/ that he could profit from his photography, but too often, people just see him as disabled. He gets frustrated by it. The other day, he said "I'm just like others. I love my country just as much as everyone else." He just wants to be treated like anyone else. He DESERVES to be>

4/ treated just like anyone else.
I can't tell you how much knowing him has made my life better. He is such a joy. He is so perceptive. He notices EVERYTHING.
I'm not even quite sure why I am typing this thread, except I wish people could see him for his heart, for his >

5/ abilities, for his successes, instead of just seeing him as "disabled." He has been on my mind today, & somehow I wish I could do a better job to show him what a difference he makes to the lives of those who know him.