Good for her! Hopefully Wanda Holloway will leave her alone.
Bless her, and the classmates who think so much of her.
This has become so common here in Utah that it lost its charm for me several years ago–it’s almost as if the kids in the school will be considered mean-spirited if they don’t find someone with a disability to be their prom or homecoming queen or king.
Susan
If you watch the video again you may see what
the people of her town recognized and you missed–that she is very
beautiful and that they love her. This was personal.
I didn’t miss anything, Jim.
Susan
I think you did. The presumption that this award was
given to make a statement about disability
or to show the good intentions
of people is unwarranted. On its face the award
flowed from the young woman’s personal
beauty and the great love people
feel for her. That’s what you missed.
Jim, this has happened many times here in Utah over the past few years. Every time there is a news report and students talk about the person. There is genuine feeling and love. It’s just that it’s happened SO many times that it almost seems to be expected.
Susan
It looks very patronising to me.
God love the girl but she is there for one reason.
Very dodgy..
D. 
Perhaps, and the presumption that that is what happened
this time is still unwarranted.
Unwarrented my ass..
I know two children with Downs - through their parents - and as lovely and affecionete they are they are not ever going out into the big wide world alone.
Is the local football jock going to take that girl to the Prom..
By making her the Queen they have filled her head with false expectations and hopes.
To my way of thinking that is at best foolish and at worse cruel.
Slan,
D.
Let me take you seriously.
Suppose in Utah the winners of such awards are often young
black women–this is happening in communities with few
minorities. Suppose we think that these women are
winning because they are black and the people want
to show they mean well. Of course it’s possible that’s true;
on the other hand maybe in many of these cases
you have a lovely and esteemed black woman.
Now suppose we learn that in a town in another state
a good distance away the homecoming queen
is black. Seeing her on TV she seems lovely and
is obviously held in high esteem.
I submit that the presumption is unwarranted that
she was chosen, not because she was beautiful
and beloved, but because she was black and the people
wanted to make a statement that they are good people.
Claims like ‘She’s there for just one reason–she’s black!’ are dogmatic
and beg the question. Claims like ‘Unwarranted, my
duodenum!’ have insufficient content to evaluate.
The case of the Down Syndrome Homecoming
Queen in Texas is no different.
You then point out that you know two such children who
will never be on their own in the world. Fine, but that in
no way supports the claim that this girl was given
the award because people wanted to make a statement.
You say the local football jock won’t take this girl
to the prom. Suppose he won’t.
Still not clear why this supports the
idea that she was made homecoming queen so that
people could prove they are good people, not because
she fit what they were looking for, someone beautiful
whom they love and esteem.
So you’ve given me nothing except ‘She’s there for just
one reason!’ which begs the question and ‘Unwarranted, my duodenum.’
Nothing here that would persuade a reasonable person,
so far.
I would resist the idea that we should exclude
disabled people from being considered for such
awards, on the ground that it isn’t in their interest to
win them because it will fill their minds with false expectations
and hopes. Of course you may know this argument
was given to exclude racial minorities during segregation.
Also I have had a lot to do with Down Syndrome children
and I believe in good homes, as this girl plainly
has, the kids are realistic about their hopes and
expectations. A lot of these kids are very happy
with what they’ve got, especially warm and loving
relations with friends and family (which may have
helped this girl win). They really do know they
are different–what matters is whether they feel
loved and accepted.
Finally I wouldn’t write off too quickly her hopes
and expectations. She wants to study drama.
Not so silly. There have been Down Syndrome
actors on TV.
We are only 40 years from individuals with disabilities being denied education services at all. We are only 20 years from individuals with disabilities being permitted to attend their local school rather than special segrated schools. We are now at the point where a charming individual with disabilities can be the homecoming queen and even this is getting old for some people. Maybe in 20 more years, individuals with disabilities will be included in all aspects of life and not be considered special anymore.
Dear Jim,
Most of the Black women I know are very beautiful and in posession of fully functioning brains whereas the two Downs Syndrome kids I know are very beautiful but without fully functioning brains. Those children need looking after for reasons that should be obvious to anybody with a fully functioning brain.
I just cannot get my head around the idea that they should be promoted up to being beauty queens or whatever when they plainly are going to have huge difficulties being there.
I fully believe in the idea of involving these children in everyday society, and the ones I know are already fully integrated but there are limits in what they can, through no fault of their own, participate in.
To take the average young girls dream of being a beauty queen and foist it upon the shoulders of a Downs child - who would have the same dream, of course - is tantamount to cruelty because it patronises the child and gives her the false belief that she is equal with the others. She ain’t.
I’m a old fashioned kinda guy who believes in protecting the innocence of children. Downs children carry their innocence to the grave, it is their only truth. To take that away by suggesting that they are the same as anybody else is wrong in my world.
And as far as television and the movies go, well ..there has always been a token (insert your favourite minority here).
Slan,
D.
The self-righteous thing to do at this juncture is to play infantile word-games with what you have said and point out that those people are not trying to make the DS kids think they are the “same” as other kids, but rather that they are “equal” to other kids.
Pre-emptive strike. Now the chest-thumpers and hair-pullers will have to come up with another line. 
djm
At the moment, I’m not quite sure which I want to comment about:
- The belief that being crowned Queen comes with some major set of rights and responsibilities. Other than wearing and keeping a crown, I’m at a loss.
- I know quite a few folks who have developmental disabilities who would rock at being crowned Queen.
Could anyone please tell me what part of being Queen is impossible for a person with developmental disabilities? Even the Queen of England doesn’t have much more to say or do other than wave, wear a goofy ass hat, and say hello to people.
What I see this saying to the young woman
is that she is beautiful, both inwardly and outwardly,
and her being Down Syndrome is no impediment
to her being esteemed and cherished by the
people of her community.
I don’t see how this is destroying her innocence,
nor do I understand why Down Syndrome people are supposed to
carry their innocence to the grave. Nor do I understand
why being homecoming queen is supposed to
fill her head with unrealistic expectations.
In my experience what most people with DS want
most is to be loved and accepted. She probably
just got enough for a life time.
She does wish to be an actress, and it’s not impossible
that she would succeed though it’s unlikely. Few people
do, able or disabled. That’s life.
It occurs to me that you aren’t aware that there are
degrees of cognitive deficiency here. You may be
thinking she is a good deal less intelligent than she is.
Here by the way, from wiki, a list of notables Down Syndrome people,
some of whom have carried motion pictures. There
is a rock singer too. I wouldn’t
be so quick to dismiss this as ‘tokenism,’ some of these
people appear to have been pretty good. You may wish
to call a moratorium on the presumption that such people
win prizes only because others want to feel good about themselves:
Notable individuals
- Stephane Ginnsz, actor (Duo)—In 1996 was first actor with Down syndrome in the lead part of a motion picture.[61]
- Max Lewis, actor (Notes on a Scandal).[62]
- Joey Moss, Edmonton Oilers locker room attendant.[63]
- Isabella Pujols, adopted daughter of St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols and inspiration for the Pujols Family Foundation.[64]
- Paula Sage Scottish film actress and Special Olympics netball athlete.[65] Her role in the 2003 film AfterLife[66] brought her a BAFTA Scotland award for best first time performance and Best Actress in the Bratislava International Film Festival, 2004.[67] Afterlife won the Audience Award at The Edinburgh Film Festival 2003. It also won Sage a role as Donna McCabe in BBC Scotland’s River City soap.[68]
- Judith Scott, artist.[69]
- Johnny Stallings, son of former University of Alabama head football coach Gene Stallings and subject of the book Another Season: A Coach’s Story of Raising an Exceptional Son. (ISBN 0767902556).[70]
- Miguel Tomasin, singer with Argentinian avant-rock band Reynols.[71]
- Chris Burke, American actor who portrayed “Corky Thatcher” on the television series Life Goes On and “Taylor” on Touched By An Angel.
- Edward Barbanell, played Billy in 2005’s The Ringer.
- Karen Gaffney, Swimmer, Inclusion Activist, Motivational Speaker and President of The Karen Gaffney Foundation.[72]
I guess this says it all:
Oh my God.