Sweet Success Across Abilities

image by Jesse Scheve for Missouri State University

Tagging along to campus visits during the college decision process taught me a lot about my own non-negotiables. For example, it drove me crazy to visit colleges that didn’t recycle anything. Not so much because recycling saves the planet, but because it causes us to reflect just a tiny bit more on what we throw away. So in my book, a college that disregarded such a minor opportunity to build a better civilization was an immediate no.

Likewise, I loved colleges that emphasized their inclusion of students with a range of abilities. My years working in the child development space taught me so much about young people’s potential. In fact, one of my all-time favorite projects was a curriculum called Interactions Across Abilities for parents of children with special needs.

My predilections didn’t weigh in to my sons’ college decisions, but I was nonetheless pleased that one of them chose Missouri State University. In addition to a recycling program, it has an initiaitive called Bear Power (which stands for Promoting Opportunities for Work, Education, and Resilience) that is designed for students with disabilities.

Because I donate to one of my son’s on-campus organizations, I receive the alumni magazine, and I was thrilled to see MO State graduate Adam DeBacker featured in a long profile. Adam has Down syndrome, but he enrolled as a regular student rather than choosing the Bear Power route. He is the first person with Down syndrome to graduate from the university, and one of only 24 people worldwide to achieve that milestone.

Not only has he built a career in stagecraft and audio recording, he also has his own truffle-making company, which he started at age 10.

In a world where national-level influencers have massive “Mean Kids”-themed parties, I am proud to be tangentially associated with places where people are learning to be accepting, kind, and respectful.