A Home Grows in Westbury

There are a number of projects that are at the beginning stages of expansion, some are basic ideas while others are more concrete.  A project that I’ve been currently working on for a few weeks now is that of a young couple in their mid-twenties that live (vivaciously), but with Down Syndrome (DS).  DS has always intrigued many people and most of us can only barely come to understand it.  That ignorance and mischievous curiosity often deter people from engaging with people with DS.  They are mislead by the surrounding hype that those living with DS are habitually inept and unmanageable.  The truth of the matter is just the opposite.  There’s not a single bad bone in their body, and knows what it takes to put a smile on someone’s face.  It’s interesting to note that what I’ve found in these past few weeks is that a lot of these characteristics that make up these individuals are ones to be admired, not shied away from or disregarded.  The talents, compassion, kindness, hurt, happiness, and rules that consist of the rest of the world are the same for them, albeit in not exactly the same ways.  Nowadays, people are afraid of what they don’t understand, when what they should be doing is seeking to understand what they fear and why they fear it.  Only then can you begin to be honest with yourself.  The following photos are a sample of the growing life of this young couple.  It’s a work in progress, as much of everything we do is.

John Milano

http://www.johnnymilano.com