Presentation tears down disability stereotypes

Nola Riley was unable to move in her hospital bed after giving birth. Exhaustion was the last thing from her mind – she was paralyzed by the fear that something was wrong with her daughter, whom she hadn’t seen once since the ordeal.

“These babies are so ugly at birth.” That’s what the doctor said about Nola’s newborn, Catherine, who was born with Down syndrome.

Living Now

Catherine is now 32 years old. She is a teacher’s aid at Hazelton Area Elementary School. She loves to read and write poetry. She regularly takes kickboxing classes at her local gym. And yes, she does have Down syndrome, but she doesn’t want anyone to feel sorry for her.

That was the message Catherine wanted to tell students during a presentation titled, “Realistically Speaking: Growing Up with Down Syndrome” on Tuesday, Nov. 18 in the Catherine McGowan Room of the Mary Kintz Bevevino Library. Catherine, her mother Nola, and her sister Molly Riley-Cygan spoke about the challenges growing up with the disability from three different perspectives – mother, sister, and a person with Down syndrome.

Even though Catherine was the only person at Hazelton Area, her alma mater, with Down syndrome, she never felt it was a liability.

“It never bothered me,” she said. “I never had trouble fitting in. Sometimes people would stare, but my real friends accepted me.”

Catherine was able to graduate at age 18 because of a unique program offered to her at school called Koppy Klatch. This program required Catherine to learn how to use a copy machine and gave her the confidence to enter the workforce after graduation.

Though Catherine still has some trouble with speech and money managing skills, she is still very independent.

“Can’t is not in my vocabulary,” she said.

Catherine’s sister, Molly, also wanted the audience to know that Catherine is just like any other sister. “[Catherine] can be a pain in the butt,” she said. “It’s okay to say that even though she has a disability.” Molly said that handling Catherine’s situation with “kid gloves,” or with special care, could cause Catherine a great disservice.

Teaching Students

The presentation was also helpful for education students, since all three speakers were in the education field. The program, in conjunction with American Education Week, was sponsored by MU’s Teacher Education Department.

Some of Catherine’s “Teaching Tidbits” include: demand respect from students, do not lower standards, treat students with respect, never allow or accept excuses, and always encourage students to pursue their dreams.

Molly also had some advice for teachers-in-training.

“Do not allow ‘Dizzy’ into your school,” she said. “Dizzy,” she explained, is a special education student that is recognized for his or her differences, and will never fit in with other students because inappropriate behavior has been rewarded. Teachers should treat people as people, not as their disability, said Molly.

Nola, Catherine, and Molly have been keynote speakers at many presentations in the northeast. They have made presentations at East Penn School District, East Stroudsburg University, Montgomery County MHMR, Montgomery County Intermediate Unit, Eastern Pennsylvania Down Syndrome Center and DeSales University.