Strong Voices

Shelby is the youngest of the five Porowini kids and his arrival upended their family life. But being told he was beautiful made all the difference.

Lisa Holten didn’t imagine that her daughter Sarah would, or could, become an artist. Lisa was caught up in the grind of managing day-to-day services. Like many families dealing with disability funding, she had become focused on services – what was there and what wasn’t there.

Sarah Holten-Warren is under attack from the degenerative neurological condition Rett syndrome and is fighting back using her eyes and her art to communicate.

Sarah, 27, a Māori mixed-media artist, was one of five artists in the Studio One Toi Tū Creative Studio Residency last year.

These days Nick Dow steers clear of recruiters. Their ‘tick-box’ approach defeats his attempts to get a job.

There was a cruel divide in Ollie and Ted Morris’s family. To be born a boy was to be born with an intellectual disability.

The cause of the disability that affected each of their four sons and none of their five daughters remains a mystery after nearly 90 years.

Maureen, 83, has campaigned for more than 60 years for her eldest daughter, who was born with Down syndrome and autism, and for others with intellectual disabilities.

For the past 30 years Frances’ short life has been remembered by Wellington Down Syndrome Association’s Frances Clarke Memorial Awards recognising outstanding achievements.