We are excited to share that
321foundation was recently included in an article published in the Delaware News Journal and Delaware Online focusing on how people with Down syndrome are living more fulfilling lives without limits.
By Kelly Bothum from the Delaware News Journal / Delaware Online:
Like many girls her age, 7-year-old Kayla Kosmalski is rarely at a loss for words.
So when she meets someone for the first time, she's got plenty to say. She might talk about what she's learning in her second-grade class at Cedar Lane Elementary School near Middletown. She might show off a new move learned in her hip-hop class or strum a few chords on her guitar.
Or she might tell you that she was born with Down syndrome, a genetic condition that occurs when a person is born with a full or partial extra copy of chromosome 21.
Years ago, that diagnosis could have meant a life with diluted expectations, little social interaction and limited educational opportunities.
But that's not been the case for Kayla, who learns in a classroom that includes those with disabilities as well as those without them. She takes dance classes and swim lessons with typically abled peers and friends who see Kayla – her sunny personality, radiant good looks and loving heart – rather than an extra chromosome.
It's the kind of life Kayla's parents, Rick and Amy Kosmalski, have worked hard to give their daughter. And it's what pushes them to advocate on behalf of other families raising children with disabilities. The Kosmalskis, along with eight other families, recently formed the
321foundation, a nonprofit organization whose mission is to advocate for people with Down syndrome and their loved ones.