I wish I had Down syndrome

Jess Waters from West Melton in Canterbury provides a very personal reflection on growing up with a sister with Down syndrome and the recent controversy around Shortland Street’s depiction of the disability.

Jess Waters with her sister Rochelle.

When I was growing up, I always wished I had Down syndrome. As a sister of a young adult with Down syndrome, it has been extremely frustrating to hear of Shortland Street’s ignorant and insensitive storyline around Down syndrome in recent weeks. Their portrayal of the disability could not have been more wrong. My sister Rochelle and myself are very close in age and I have seen first-hand just how great her life is. She brings joy everywhere she goes and people love her. She gets all the attention and is offered amazing opportunities, which is why I often wished that I had Down syndrome myself. More importantly, my sister brings positivity to negative situations and doesn’t judge people. Rochelle has got it good. She works part time in a bakery, she is learning to become a dance teacher, she is part of a mixed ability dance group, she is the chairperson of the Special Olympics Athletes committee, where she also trains as a swimmer, and she is on the Canterbury Down Syndrome Association Committee. She is very much like anyone else her age, has a boyfriend, loves spending time with her friends and watching movies, she can cook and clean, loves to