Patiently, Beautifully Wrapping Presents
Gift wrapping has never been an easy task for Penny. Typically, she’s been relegated to the background of the wrapping extravaganza in our household—handing over supplies to her siblings or…
Photo by Cloe Poisson
From Conditional Love to Unconditional Growth
I sometimes beat myself up as a parent. In all honesty, I also beat myself up as a human, but on the parenting front, I think about how I let…
Culture’s Good-Life Mirage
How do we decide who has a life worth living? I thought about this question as I listened to bioethicist Rosemarie Garland-Thomson, PhD, tell me about a group of friends.…
Love for the Yankees | Penny in Her Own Words
Every night, before she goes to bed, Penny walks into our bedroom for an evening ritual with Peter. No matter what time of year it is, they chant for their…
Penny’s First Year of College Three Weeks In
After three weeks of college, here’s how Penny thinks it’s going (scroll down for her video)! How was your first week of college?!? The first week of college was both…
Changing the Social Imagination (one photo at a time)
The images that I saw of people with Down syndrome when our daughter Penny was born 18 years ago were largely black and white, grainy, medical images. They shaped an…
Our Story: Down Syndrome, Identity, and Love
I was scared when I found out our oldest daughter, Penny, had Down syndrome. My husband Peter and I were 28 years old, and we weren’t prepared to welcome a…
Penny Is Off to College!
Penny is off to college! She started her first year at Post University. I recorded a video with some of her thoughts over on Instagram. You can watch below. …
Universal Design Matters to All of Us
The cool thing about universal design is that you don’t even notice it. I’ve been attending Hope Heals Camp at Camp McDowell in Nauvoo, Alabama for four summers now.1 I’ve heard people say that it…
Happy 16th Birthday, William
William turned 16 last week. We ordered Indian food and ate ice cream cake and sang a song in his honor. The chorus (set to Taylor Swift’s Getaway Car) might…
