Photo credit: Becca Cruz
Party at Hope Heals Camp
One of the most fun—and utterly nerve-wracking—parts of Hope Heals Camp this year was writing and performing a song with Penny for the Talent Show. She’s been up on that…
How Delta Helped Make Penny’s First Solo Flight Possible
Penny flew solo for the first time on Saturday. Everything worked out easily and well. I was definitely teary as I watched her board the plane. She was definitely not!…
Childhood photo of Brian Trapp with his twin brother Danny
“That Was Not a House of Sadness”: How Disability Shapes Families Through Love and Relationship
I still remember the early days after Penny’s Down syndrome diagnosis, when I wondered what kind of life we were entering. Would our home become a place defined by fear…
Delta Surprises Penny Before Her First Solo Flight
Independence doesn’t mean doing everything alone. It means having the support you need to take the next step. Penny, our daughter with Down syndrome, prepared for her first solo flight…
More Than a Summer Job: Employment for People with Down Syndrome
I never expected to walk into an ice cream shop and see Penny, our daughter who has Down syndrome, sitting behind the register, putting in orders. But there she was—on…
Image by Ant Armada from Pexels
Advice for Penny’s First Solo Flight: A Network of Care in the Skies
Our daughter Penny is 20 years old and has Down syndrome. I cannot believe the outpouring of support, encouragement, and advice we received from far and wide—including multiple Delta executives…
2015
Penny in Fourth Grade: What Inclusion Teaches Us About Disability, Education, and Belonging
When she was in fourth grade, Penny was supposed to do a project on a “big question.” She decided to learn about Down syndrome. Later, after she made her presentation,…
2024
Taking the Next Step: Preparing for Penny’s First Solo Flight
I just got off the phone with Delta Airlines. I explained that Penny—our 20-year-old daughter with Down syndrome—will be flying on her own for the first time this summer. We…
Telling Our Story of Down Syndrome
I mentioned last week that I have been thinking about a response to the controversy over YouTuber Jesse Ridgway’s announcement that his wife chose to terminate her pregnancy due to a…
What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To: June 2026
Books, essays, podcast episodes, and more that I think are worth your time, plus recent cultural news that I’m paying attention to in the month of June… {Get my favorites…
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