1 | Mared's view | disability has never | Ceri, Caryl, Mared, Gwenda, Maria | |||||||
"I'd always known I had | been a big thing. | |||||||||
Down's syndrome but it was at | When I was in | |||||||||
primary school that I first | primary school I | |||||||||
realised there was something | guessed there was | |||||||||
different about me. I'd find it | something a bit | |||||||||
hard to understand what the | different about her. | |||||||||
teacher was saying as she was | My mum explained | |||||||||
talking too quickly. The other | all about Down's | |||||||||
children didn't seem to have this | syndrome. But I | |||||||||
problem, so I had a special | don't really think of | |||||||||
helper. | her in those terms. | |||||||||
2 | "Although I need extra | She's just Mared, | ||||||||
help, I've never felt inferior, and | my friend." | |||||||||
luckily I haven't experienced too | 6 | Gwenda: "I met | ||||||||
much prejudice. Occasionally, I'll | Mared in the first year and I was | having Mared as a friend? | ||||||||
get some unkind remarks, but | a bit nervous at first but that | Maria: "Unlike lots of people, | ||||||||
people like that aren't worth | didn't last long. Getting to know | Mared isn't so bothered about | ||||||||
bothering about. I feel normal, | Mared has just made me realise | outward appearances. | ||||||||
so why should I let people treat | we're all a bit different in our | Sometimes I'll be going on | ||||||||
me badly? | own way." | about how awful I look, and | ||||||||
3 | "Some people might think I | Mared will be like 'So what?'" | ||||||||
should have gone to a special | 7 | Does the fact that Mared has | 10 | Caryl: "Her dry sense of | ||||||
school, but I probably wouldn't | Down's syndrome cause any | humour, definitely. Mared may | ||||||||
have achieved what I have here. | problems? | be a little slower in picking up | ||||||||
I passed exams in eight subjects. | Gwenda: "Sometimes Mared | lessons, but it doesn't mean | ||||||||
Of course, my family and friends | gets taken advantage of. She's | she's not quick-witted. | ||||||||
were really pleased for me, but I | extremely generous. The other | Sometimes we'll be chatting and | ||||||||
couldn't believe what a big deal | day we caught some people | then she'll pick up on something | ||||||||
it would be to others. I've been | getting her to buy them cans of | silly that one of us has said or | ||||||||
in a few newspapers and I've | drink. We tried to explain to her | she'll come out with something | ||||||||
even been on TV! | that sometimes people aren't as | that none of us would dare to | ||||||||
4 | "I don't think I'm that | nice as they should be." | say. We'll all be screaming with | |||||||
special, but it would be nice if | 8 | Maria: "Although Mared gets | laughter." | |||||||
other Down's syndrome people | included in most of our plans, if | 11 | Gwenda: "Mared might be | |||||||
could look at me and go out and | we're going to town at night, she | handicapped, but that doesn't | ||||||||
do the things that they want. The | generally doesn't come. That's | stop her from being a very | ||||||||
best advice I can give to them is | because it's quite new for all of | warm-hearted friend. My mum | ||||||||
to try your best. And if that | us - we've just started properly | died a year ago and I was | ||||||||
doesn't work, just think positive | going out. We'd have to keep an | dreading telling Mared as I didn't | ||||||||
and try something else." | eye on her, in case she drank | know how she'd react. I needn't | ||||||||
something too alcoholic. That's | have worried. When I came into | |||||||||
5 | What do Mared's | the only real disadvantage to | school she put her arms around | |||||||
friends think? | having Mared as a friend - | me and said how sorry she was. | ||||||||
What were your first | having to feel responsible | She was very strong, and really | ||||||||
impressions of Mared? | sometimes." | there for me, just like a good | ||||||||
Ceri: "As I've known Mared | friend should be." | |||||||||
since the age of three, her | 9 | What's the best thing about |