My Life – A Story and Thoughts on Communication
My name is Peter Rowe and I am an artist, an author, a poet, and importantly a person with Down syndrome.
I say importantly because I am proud of who I am. This was not always the case for me. When I was younger, I had a different perspective on life. It’s funny how our experiences shape us isn’t it? When I was young I found it hard to accept that people saw me as different. I’ll let you in on a secret – even though I just was little, and even though I had people trying to protect me, I still knew I was not quite the same.
First off, can I challenge you to think outside the square? Think of being in a body that makes people sometimes think you’re dumb, a body that doesn’t let you speak, and a body that gives people certain opinions about the personality you should have. Do these things add up to indicating happiness? If it wasn’t for a couple of things, my life would not be what it is today. What are those things, I almost hear you all thinking at once.