My name is Harshi and I am 19 years old. I am happy and funny with cheeky smiles and I like socialising with everyone.
Oh…and I have Down’s syndrome, but that does not stop me from wanting to achieve the same things as everyone else. I just need some support to be included in different ways.
What does support mean to me?
Support can simply mean including me. I have examples of being included within my community, the Oshwal Jain community. I am regularly included in the community’s sports competitions, have been asked to volunteer at their major events as well as independently serve food to everyone during our community gatherings. This is because I am given the opportunity to be included in doing the same thing as everybody else.
What I would like support with?
It helps me when people are patient with me when my speech is difficult for them to understand. I would like to feel included, not isolated in different places like at work or in the community. Focus on what I CAN DO and not what I cannot do.
In the future, I would like to get a paid job to work with pre-school children, teaching them signing (through Makaton Sign Language), read to them, sing nursery rhymes to them, teach them new skills. I hope I get the support that would enable me to achieve this dream.