From Delaware County Daily Times in Pennsylvania:SPRINGFIELD, Pa. — Having little or no contact with a special-needs person before, a child spots someone with Down syndrome in the mall and tugs at mom’s shirt.“Mom, what is wrong with that kid?”
That is the kind of scenario Springfield native Brian Beale hopes his children’s book, based on his 10-year-old son with Down syndrome, “Colin Gets a Chance,” can prevent.
“This is a children’s book to open the lines of communication between parents and teachers and children on a sensitive subject people shy away from talking about,” said Beale, a lifelong Springfield resident.
“They can read the book together and talk about it after, do you know anybody like this? Have you seen anybody like this?”
“Colin Gets a Chance” is about a young boy with Down syndrome who is on a baseball team, but is always left sitting on the bench. During the biggest game of the year, with the score tied, his teammates ask the coach to give Colin a chance to step up to bat.
“It’s about the impact kids have on acceptance and inclusion of the other kids who may not get a chance,” Beale said.
Beale and his wife, Mary, found out Colin had Down syndrome 45 minutes after he was born.
“We were shocked. We didn’t expect that. He is our first child and we had dreams of building a family and having a white picket fence and the whole nine yards, and this curveball came and took us in another direction,” Beale said.
Beale said the couple immediately became activists for disabilities, establishing a charity golf outing to support special-needs organizations, such as the Special Olympics.
In the 10 years of the Lil’ Bealsy golf outing, Beale said the event has raised about $175,000.
“I always wanted to do more to raise awareness of Down syndrome,” he said.Beale spent about two years working on “Colin Gets a Chance.” His dream was to have Down syndrome children draw for his book, rather than hire a professional, so he contacted local Down syndrome organizations asking for submissions for the illustrations. All of the illustrations were drawn by children with Down syndrome between the ages of 2 and 24, including one illustration from his son, who had a little help from his sister.
Beale said he was often overwhelmed when he would receive the illustrations in the mail.
“Some were just amazing … it was interesting to see how they interpreted the page,” Beale said.
Beale and his wife have two other children, 7-year-old Samantha and 2-year-old Chrissy.
“They’re always around Colin and they accept him. Other kids who don’t know him, they react totally different. Many of them don’t know what Down syndrome is. That’s why I put it in a children’s book with something they can relate to, like baseball,” Beale said.
His book was published by Author House and is available online at amazon.com and BarnesandNobles.com, and is also sold in some independent bookstores.
Beale, who has an English degree and is a corporate recruiter for a mortgage company, said he plans on writing more children’s books and possibly developing a Colin series on acceptance and inclusion of special-needs children.
“It’s been really exciting to have the book published and sell the book, but even more, it’s been rewarding to see the reaction from kids and try to make a difference one kid at time. That’s what the book is about,” Beale said.
