Down Syndrome Week, and a message on the importance of seeing the ability, not the disability
Robbie Page is on a roll with his knock-knock jokes. He’s already told about five of them, and his audience — CTV News — is eager for more.
“Yes please, I do want to hear a pizza joke,” I say.
“Never mind, it's too cheesy!" laughs Page in delight.
Page is a natural performer. The 10-year-old, who has Down syndrome, performs stand-up comedy and has been singing in public for the past five years.
"He’s got good timing,” says his mother, Mary Souter.
“Like, he really, really has skill — beyond what anybody could teach him, it’s really just innate,” she says of the Cowichan Bay resident.
What’s no laughing matter, however, are the feats performed by 26-year-old Miranda Yates, who also has Down syndrome and does equestrian vaulting — basically, gymnastics and dance on a moving horse. If you think that sounds hard, consider that she does it with limited vision owing to a degenerative condition that's causing her to go blind.
“I look at her and just laugh, because people underestimate her all the time and then they go, 'woah,'” chuckles her mother, Barb Yates, as Miranda practices her vaulting at a facility out in Metchosin.
She is clearly bonded with her horse, Sam.
“He became my best buddy,” she says happily.
But vaulting is just one of many sports the junior black belt in Kung Fu excels at.
“Rhythmic gymnastics, she does baseball, she’s done basketball, she’s done snowshoeing and swimming and also enjoys kayaking,” says her proud mother.
Yates and Page are two shining examples of the importance of seeing the ability, rather than the disability, when it comes to Down syndrome. That's a message emphasized by the Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society as it marks Canadian Down Syndrome Week.
“(People with Down syndrome) are just living their lives just like we all are. They’re going to school, working and also have interests and have some real talent,” say Erin Mazzoni, the co-president of the Greater Victoria Down Syndrome Society.
Talent, like that possessed by 53-year-old Sue Anthony. A Victoria resident who has Down syndrome, she's an actress who has appeared in multiple movies and TV shows, dating back decades.
She has a message for young Page as he embarks on his own journey as an entertainer.
“Just believe in yourself and go for it,” she says.
Anthony, a graduate of Oak Bay High, lives on her own with some supports.
“It’s more important to believe in yourself and then not worry about what other people think of you,” she says. “I don’t see my self as disabled. I see myself as an adult, and that’s all that matters to me.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
TSB concludes investigation into cause of London, Ont. freight train fire
More than two weeks after a freight train with several railcars ablaze rolled through the heart of the Forest City, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has concluded its investigation.