Shining Stars
MARS — Two area children will appear among the bright lights of Broadway on Sept. 15 as part of the National Down syndrome Society's annual Times Square video presentation.
Photographs of Dolly Searle, the daughter of Kelly and Justin Searle of Valencia, and Liam Settlemire, the son of Stefanie and Grant Settlemire of Mars, will be among 500 photographs that will appear in the video, which will be shown in the heart of Times Square.
The featured photographs highlight children, teens and adults with Down syndrome, in an effort to remind the world about the contributions and milestones of people with Down syndrome.
These collective images promote the value, acceptance and inclusion of people with Down syndrome.
The photos of Dolly and Liam were selected from more than 2,400 entries in the NDSS worldwide call for photos. Almost 500 photographs will appear in the video.
Dolly and her father, Justin, are pictured in an ice cream and coffee shop. She enjoys going there and eating ice cream with her family, her father said.
“My wife dabbles in photography a little bit,” said Justin Searle.
“This is the third year in a row we submitted a photo that we hoped would be selected,” he said.
Liam is pictured at the Mars History and Landmark Society Train Station, said his mother, Stefanie Settlemire.
She said this will be the second time Liam will be featured in the video. His photo also was featured in the 2016 video presentation.
She said, Dolly and Liam know each other and may be entering kindergarten together in the coming school year.
“I'm a mom of four, including a 4-year-old son who has Down syndrome, who lives in Mars,” she said.
“Once our son was diagnosed with Down syndrome after birth, I became very active in the Down syndrome community. I'm a blogger who writes frequently about life with Down syndrome, which is fairly typical, and I volunteer daily for the Down syndrome Diagnosis Network,” she said.
“The Times Square video presentation kicks off Down syndrome Awareness Month in October,” said Settlemire.
The video presentation will be followed by the 24th Annual Flagship Buddy Walk in New York City.
This year, Buddy Walk events will be held in more than 275 cities across the country, as well as select international locations, in and around October with more than 325,000 people participating around the globe.
Justin Searle said his family is uncertain if they will be able to attend the Buddy Walk.
“My oldest son (Dylan) is in basic training, and we are waiting to hear when the graduation ceremony is,” he said, adding the Searles might be going to Oklahoma to attend the Army ceremony.
“Dolly doesn't talk a lot. She uses few words,” Searle said. “There's a lot of delays with Down syndrome. Dolly's small in stature; she looks like a three-year-old.
“But there's no limits on what she might accomplish,” he said.
“Down syndrome is a disability. She's always going to talk funny. But people with Down syndrome enrich your life,” Searle said.
Settlemire said, “There are so many misconceptions regarding Down syndrome, and Down syndrome is made out to be a terrible thing.“The truth is, it didn't change our lives much at all. We are just like any other family, and our son is just like any other child his age,” she said.“There's a reason that the Down syndrome community focuses on the term “more alike than different.” My son is happy and healthy, he is loved very much by those near and far, and he is very capable.“He loves unconditionally, and is teaching the world that Down syndrome is nothing to fear,” Settlemire said. “He's completely healthy and he keeps us running.”Right now both Dolly's and Liam's parents are trying to decide what will be best for their children in the upcoming school year.Justin Searle said, “We're in the middle of deciding on kindergarten for Dolly.“We planned on her starting kindergarten with her peers at Mars. We have to decide if she will be in with other children in a full-inclusion class or be placed in a special-needs class,” he said.Settlemire said, “We want a full-inclusion class with an aide. The school is pushing for a segregated class.”Even this disagreement she said is better than the options a person with Down syndrome had even as recently as 30 years ago, when the practice was to institutionalize them.The National Down syndrome Society is the leading human rights organization for all individuals with Down syndrome.It provides state-of-the-art, comprehensive programming to all individuals with Down syndrome and their families with four main areas of programming which include: the National Advocacy & Policy Center, the Inclusive Health and Sports Programs, including the National Buddy Walk Program, Community Outreach and Resources and Public Awareness.NDSS envisions a world in which all people with Down syndrome have the opportunity to enhance their quality of life, realize their life aspirations and become valued members of welcoming communities.For more information, visit www.ndss.org.For information about the NDSS Buddy Walk Program, visit www.buddywalk.org or call 800-221-4602.
