‘Don’t focus on the differences, focus on the strengths’

Jay Plosz’s “go for it” attitude helps him reach his goals and inspires others to do the same.

The young man with Down syndrome inspired his father, Greg, to pursue graduate work in the field of special education.

“I had never intended to be a graduate student, but as our journey with our son progressed, I realized that I needed to know more,” Plosz said Saturday during a break at the Saskatchewan Association for Community Living (SACL) conference in Regina.

“I started doing a lot of reading about best practices and things that were successful for folks who had different learning styles. I eventually ended up in a graduate program and chose a topic for my thesis that challenged my support team a bit because I was very demonstrative that I believed in inclusion. This was 15 years ago and at that time inclusion was not always accepted.”

Inclusion is slowly becoming more prevalent.

“Children with different abilities are with classmates and I think that’s a real win-win situation,” Plosz said. “It can be such a positive thing for everyone. Jay influenced many of his former classmates and a number of them have gone on to be involved as specialed teachers or teaching assistants.”

Jay taught his parents to help him, but not do things for him.

“Things like mastering going up the stairs,” Plosz said. “He’d work at it and work at it. Sometimes he’d fall asleep on the stair, but he’s always set goals for himself and pushed himself ... A lot of times he achieved things that other people didn’t think he could do. We stopped deciding that he could or couldn’t do things and if he indicated that he wanted to try something, we went for it. In his words, it’s ‘Go for it.’ ”

Jay no longer resides with his parents. Instead the 36-year-old lives in a condo with a friend and supportive roommates. He is employed by Stantec Architecture and Interior Design in Regina where he works independently at a variety of tasks.

“He does office filing, which we weren’t sure that Jay could do, but their system is by numbers and Jay has always had an interest in numbers and the lady who used to do it is ecstatic because she did not enjoy it,” Plosz said. “She’s remarked that she’s never seen him make an error.”

Jay’s proud dad is a passionate advocate for people with special needs.

“They want to have friends, they want to belong, they want to do something meaningful,” Plosz said. “Don’t focus on the differences, focus on the strengths.”

The retired teacher hosts a radio program on CJTR called Greet Your Neighbour, which features guests talking about living with a disability.

“It’s important to understand that all these people who have challenges just need a little bit of help sometimes to be included in the community,” Plosz said. “Jay continues to influence those who know him. It’s rewarding to watch. He’s a very quiet fellow, but he influences people.

“Jay’s successes relate to a supportive family and a supportive community — it’s not something that’s done in isolation. All of the people that he comes in contact with help in some way.”

As president of SACL, Gloria Mahussier travels a lot around Saskatchewan. Accompanying Mahussier is her 25-year-old son Travis, who has an intellectual disability.

The Prince Albert resident has been involved with SACL since 1996.

“We’re an advocacy organization trying to support individuals that have intellectual disabilities,” Mahussier said. “We advocate for inclusion. As a parent, the greatest challenge is acceptance in the community. This conference’s theme is Taking the Initiative. During the day, we will hear from parents and self advocates who have taken the initiative to break down the barriers so they can be included.

“The barriers of parents finding a home for their child, of individuals finding employment, transitioning from high school into community life.”

Mahussier believes all individuals should be welcome in their community.

“Depending on where SACL has created awareness, those communities are more welcoming,” she said. “The SACL staff are just amazing in how they promote inclusion and help families.”