Canadian woman with Down syndrome creates anti-bullying film

From The Guelph Mercury in Canada:

GUELPH, Canada — Elizabeth Niimi (pictured) remembers the day 23 years ago when a doctor told her that her daughter Julia (pictured), who was born with Down syndrome, would someday be “potty trained.”

Elizabeth now laughs at the example the doctor used to help ease her concerns about having a baby with Down syndrome. Having seen what Julia has, can and will accomplish in life, the moment seems absurd in retrospect.

Saturday, mom stood proudly by as Julia, 24, signed copies of her movie "Walking in my Shoes: The Effects of Being Bullied" at the Staples store on Stone Road. It is her story, and that of others who have grown up struggling with developmental disabilities and the teasing and bullying that can lead to.

“It’s a great way to get my message across because you can’t find your voice sometimes, but I found my voice at the end of making this movie,” Julia said in the lobby of the Staples where she volunteers.

“It addresses the bullying in the past that happened and the good things that happen in the end. It’s positive, but there can be some not-so-nice things.”

The movie took nine months to make, with almost all the proceeds going to Families For A Secure Future, an organization that supports families dealing with developmental disabilities.

“The movie’s about how to stop bullying from happening as well as educating people to make positive changes,” Julia said.

Julia’s mom said the bullying went both ways. As Julia got older, she responded to bullying by, at times, being one herself.

“She doesn’t like to talk about that at all, but she touches on it in the movie,” Elizabeth said. “She retaliated, I guess. She had to work through it: to be a victim, then to make others a victim, is not the way. She learned to deal with it in other ways.”

Julia has never let her Down syndrome from holding her back.

With a mom who was a firm believer in integrating her daughter into regular social and educational situations rather than segregating her, Julia attended regular school classes, even earning credits.

She volunteers, works, wrote a book on her experiences called The Journey Of Living With A Disability and was recently named one of Guelph’s Women With Distinction.

Her goal is to become an advocate for those with developmental challenges. Most would say she already is.

“She has been very determined in many ways,” Elizabeth said. “For people that can’t talk for themselves, she wants to talk for them.

“People with Down syndrome have great abilities and we all have disabilities,” Julia’s mom said. “With support, a lot of people with severe disabilities can make such changes in the world, and all for the better.”