In the first week of our “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” course we talk about two of the main brands featuring superstars from the WWE: SmackDown and Raw. Superstars are assigned to one of the brands and appear on television shows on Monday (Raw) or Tuesday (SmackDown) nights.
Draft day – when the managers of each brand take turns choosing members – is a BIG deal in many households with people who have Down syndrome (including mine.)
Photo credit: National Association for Down Syndrome (NADS)
Doctor Dennis McGuire, PhD, Director of Psychosocial services at the Adult Down Syndrome Center of Lutheran General Hospital in Park Ridge, Illinois wrote an essay that is now famous in our community.
In “If People With Down Syndrome Ruled the World,” Dr. McGuire talks about The Center, and then describes a fictitious world where the imagination and creativity he’s found in his patients became the norm rather than the exception.
In a section titled “What About Self-Expression?” he lists some of his clients’ favorite television habits:
Classic TV hits would be very BIG and take up at least half the TV schedules.
“I Love Lucy,” “Happy Days,” “The Three Stooges,” etc. would be very BIG.
Wrestling would be very Big.
“Life Goes On” would also be very Big and replayed regularly
Our personal experience concurs with those observations and led to the creation of one of our first courses for self-advocates: “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble,” and eight week course about everything WWE (World Wrestling Entertainment), including Monday Night Raw.
The “Mouth of the South” – Jimmy Hart is one of the people we talk about in week 8 of the “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” course when we look at “Managers, Valets, and Tag Teams.”
Hart was known as a manager of champions, including Hulk Hogan and The Heart Foundation.
In week 2 of the “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” course we explore the World Wrestling Entertainment Hall of Fame.
We talk about the different ways you can be inducted into the Hall, and look at some of the best know members.
The Warrior Award is given to someone who has “exhibited unwavering strength and perseverance, and who lives life with the courage and compassion that embodies the indomitable spirit of the Ultimate Warrior” (James Brian Hellwig) who died of a heart attack three days after being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in New Orleans four years ago.
This year, the award will be presented by Warrior’s widow to 15-year-old Jarrius “JJ” Robertson, double liver transplant survivor and longtime WWE fan.
Our “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” course is an eight-week journey into World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE).
In week 6 we talk about CFO$, “an American songwriting and production duo consisting of John Paul Alicastro and Michael Conrad Lauri. They are primarily known for creating entrance music and program themes for WWE.” (Wikipedia)
The Road We’ve Shared has launched a new project. New online courses for adults who have Down syndrome are designed to support socialization and learning in adulthood.
Two online courses are set to begin October 1st in coordination with the beginning of National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. Stephanie Holland, founder of The Road We’ve Shared (The online community for parents and caregivers of adults with Down syndrome), and “The Road” Scholars online learning modules, has created courses that she believes will appeal to a large audience of adults with Down syndrome. She bases this on her own experience.Continue reading Life After High School – New Online Courses for Adults with Down Syndrome→
I turned 50 this week. Along with that milestone came what I imagine are the typical feelings that people feel when marking a half-century. I felt nostalgic for the time that has passed and wondered how I could have possibly gotten this far without accomplishing so many of my goals. I felt somewhat daunted by the ever decreasing amount of time I have left. I made lists of goals and counted my blessings. It wasn’t about cake and ice cream. It’s serious business this golden jubilee. Continue reading Aging with Down syndrome→
The online community by and for parents and caregivers of adults who have Down syndrome