I have one more chromosome than you. So what? | Karen Gaffney | TEDxPortland

[@juliahales8899]

My name is Julia Hales I am 37 years old and i have Down syndrome I just watched your video about Down syndrome. I feel very exited about your talk. I have been doing lots of presentations about Down syndrome at the Butterfly Ball of the Down syndrome Association Perth WA Australia. I would like to gave a talk like you did for Perth WA. You are an inspiration. I would like to be more of a role model to all people with Down syndrome around the wold. Thank you for what you did

[@charissadubin9355]

What would you like people to know about Down Syndrome?

[@isidoramartinez6510]

Julia Hales how do you feel?

[@MrsTrohman666]

And now you have your own documentary on ABC! You should be very proud of yourself!!

[@ISkepticI]

This is impossible this shouldn’t be possible how are you typing right my brother can’t do this you’re a liar!!!!! He can type just not the mental capacity to do this I feel bad for him and this is insulting This is a joke don’t believe have a brother I don’t lol 💀

[@adamlightfoot5897]

Is there different stages to down syndrome like the cognitive function abilities or can only certain people with Ds function with a regular IQ?

[@gregorysimm1]

No limits! So inspiring as the proud father of a 21 year old daughter with Down Syndrome who has a job in open employment, dances with the amazing Merry Makers Australia and has a wonderful outlook on life.

[@Xindi86]

♡

[@hannaatkinson6804]

Hi Karen, My name is Hanna Atkinson and I am almost 21 years old you and me have one thing in common and that is we both do public speaking and I have Down Syndrome as well. I am not afraid of impacting people who dose and dose not have a disability. You captivated us by showing our talents to the world. I will share my public speaking video to you. With The best regards, Hanna Atkinson.

[@hannaatkinson6804]

Hanna Atkinson Here is the link to my speech in High School and in Colorado and my Scholarship interview as John Lynch Foundation: Hannah Atkinson - KZbin with the fameous Jhon Lynch Hanna Atkinson's 2014 Commencement

[@johnnyhigh4676]

@@hannaatkinson6804 You guys are amazing!

[@caterinamorris5925]

Bless you, dear. You are an amazing woman. Don't ever let anyone tell you otherwise!

[@DreamlessSleepwalker]

>dose and dose not >You captivated us by showing our talents to the world. ???

[@czernm20]

@@DreamlessSleepwalker please, dont ruin peapol dreams.

[@alexandraburris2876]

Amazing video. I wish everyone would watch this. I just want to add one thing: As a Disabled person myself, I want to emphasize that whether or not our lives are worth living does not hinge on what we can do. Plenty of Disabled people will never be able to go to college, have a job, etc. Our lives are all worthwhile regardless. :)

[@livingmybelovedlife8447]

What a well spoken young woman and so brave!

[@bridgetsnedden7069]

A very powerful speech, incredibly moving and inspirational. Thank you.

[@CallCurtFirst]

Fearless young woman and a powerful speaker. You go girl !

[@nathanmcgrady3417]

Definitally not a girl, and defo not young

[@CallCurtFirst]

@@nathanmcgrady3417 - bored are you? I guess little boys like you with nothing to do go around nit picking comments... FACT she's 42 = young woman. FACT "you go girl" is universal rally cry to any age woman. Read more little boy and learn.

[@michaelmayhem1805]

She is a better speaker than most politicians! So glad I came across this talk. Very enlightening and inspirational!

[@pedazodetorpedo]

The part where she talks about chromosomes took me back to a high school biology lesson where one boy said that surely people with Down's syndrome ought to be superhuman "because they have more" than the rest of us.

[@AliRaza-sn8fy]

my son has down syndrome. 3 years old.what a lovely and jolly son.i love him more than my life his smile is priceless.

[@globaldsfamily3688]

Hi Ali. Our daughter is 2 years old and she too, is an amazing. She is spunky, kind and the light of our lives. We would not change for the world!!!!

[@notalie230]

@Karen Reed Aren't you just a joy to be around... Have your parents never taught you that "if you have nothing good to say, then don't say anything"? Or if your parents didn't, did your peers or society ever teach you that? Some people just lack basic manners or choose to "forget" them, which is sad to see.

[@prestigiousenterprise2234]

They're strong

[@SageGarlandSingerSongwriter]

@Karen Reed not everyone goes u college, gets married, and starts a family. Not everyone even wants to. But yes, some people with Down Syndrome do go to college. Yes, people with Down Syndrome fall in love. Yes, people with Down Syndrome can get married. Yes, people with Down Syndrome are often capable of starting families, (though sometimes stopped by bigots). And the best part is, whatever she chooses to do, she'll stay a spunky girl all the way through.

[@jewelciappio]

If I ever have a daughter with Down’s syndrome I would be so proud if she turned out to be anything like this lady. She has more compassion and reasoning skills than most non downs people I know.

[@adelasoyejoshua154]

What if she didn't turn out like this? Everyone deserves to be loved for who they are, and whatever they turn out to be, whether average or exceptional

[@retepshiels]

May the Lord continue to bless you and use you to inspire all of us. I look after a community for people with Intellectual Disabilities and I can say with great confidence every life matters ... they bring colour into our grey lives each day ... :)

[@arthurhumphries2639]

EVERYbody has value, has something to offer. Karen validates that; i.e. helps us look beyond the surface to the heart and mind. God bless.

[@natalyshiakalli5701]

Hello Miss Karen Gaffney, my name is Nataly Shiakalli Iam 26 years old and I leave in Cyprus. Iam so happy watched this video due to the fact, you give an excellent message all over the world explaining the meaning of Syndrome down you are clearly explained the skills, in a BIG WORD you people of syndrome down you do understand everything, you can do everything, you listen to everything, you hear, you learn you go to school you are special people with different successes...you can participate to everywhere...schools,universities, programs,competitions and win!!! because you worth again for me you are special special people you smile you say I can everything! We people could understand and come to the same situation like them because can happen to everyone this...we support..encourage...understand and learn more and more of the skills of those people due to everyone's has different gifts...talents...characters and social skills...Thank you very much with respect!

[@geoffreywitte3784]

Absolutely wonderfully inspiring and so deeply helpful and encouraging. Love and gratitude.....my grandson has down sindrom...he is loved very much...and absolutely not only do all lives matter...we are responsible for human life because we have...life....

[@tadeov1546]

Wow she is so smart im so proud of her

[@shafgoogle2697]

👍🏻

[@cccharlotte_3]

Shallow God shes still smarter than you

[@Spacekid_Productions]

@@shallowgod5539 Nope the highest recorded iq of someone with Down syndrome was 83 there r many types of Down syndrome some a lot worse than others, a severe Down syndrome would be around 60 but I’d say she has 70-80

[@SolaceProject]

Thanks Karen, you are an inspiration to me and my 1 month old daughter.

[@carolinecardwell2163]

Inspiring woman with truly inspirational message! This story is deeply moving and makes me cry every time!

[@cynthiaward5725]

We have a beautiful, vibrant 2 year old granddaughter who was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. Brighton Noelle is our bright light and a tremendous joy in our lives. Our family has been forever changed. Thank you Karen and you are certainly correct: All lives matter. Blessings

[@pnw-elle]

We have a foster baby with down syndrome and while at OHSU, we met Karen. She is an awesome beautiful lady.

[@eileenervin7473]

This speech is moving! She's a great motivator!

[@yourfriendyuni]

She is so engaged with her audience. Better than most public speakers!

[@janepalos6281]

Your story is amazing indeed! God bless your endeavor!

[@WolffBachner]

An amazing , brave woman and a credit to the human species. Bless her.

[@downinfrontpls]

Karen, thank you so much. What a role model you are.

[@lisahenig2833]

My nephew and niece are expecting a new child who will have Downs. You have provided us with reassurance and additional excitement over the impending birth. THANK YOU, KAREN!!!

[@PatGoltz]

I have a nephew with Down Syndrome. His language development was superior for a "normal" child. Don't call him the R word. The learning style of people with Down syndrome is different. We don't provide for it. It is our fault. My nephew is a wonderful human being, someone whose birth healed many things in his family. I hope someday he will live in the same city as I so I can spend significant time with him. When he was born, I was jealous my sister got to have him and not me. She refused to allow any tests because she wouldn't ever have an abortion anyway, and I have a wonderful family member as a result. This is a wonderful talk, and I shall share it widely. I would like to learn about the escapes from Alcatraz. Intriguing. Thank you for making this video.

[@fuelai831]

You sound like you have a wonderful family, I'm glad your nephew has a great support system and is surrounded by people who will love him unconditionally.

[@JMeGiggles]

This was beautiful. Well done Karen!!!

[@Austrianjiujitsu]

That is a cause worth marching for.

[@PennyGreenDHG]

Karen, as brilliant and eloquent as ever. So proud to know you and call you friend! Rocking that extra chromosome.

[@davidpawsey5449]

You are amazing and inspiring!!! Thank you!

[@yukiharuhadeishi1029]

Beautiful! :) I love her wonderful, positive and inspiring messages! She is fantastic, fabulous!

[@billhooper8430]

I cried from the beggining to the end of this video. Greetings from Brazil.

[@MeriahNichols]

please! PLEASE! Caption this so that it is accessible! The 'cc' feature here garbles Karen's words

[@kelkulz]

+Meriah Nichols Did it get fixed?

[@tasha5045]

+Meriah look above !! An awesome person captioned it :)

[@tasha5045]

Whoops, he beat me to it! Yay!

[@katharinedavis4947]

I can understand most of it . My hearing is imperfect. K

[@johnsmith_treeler9031]

I think it's fixed now

[@chasitymodo2307]

Very inspiring video Karen. Thank you so much for sharing. Adults, like yourself, blessed with Ds are paving the roads for our babies that are also blessed with Ds. Thank you!

[@joshualowery2922]

Thank you for this great speech miss. I had a friend named Jerry that had Down syndrome..one of the greatest most pure people you could ever want to meet, and loved by anyone who had the privilege to meet him. He passed away a few years ago, but I know he would have loved this!

[@nandinii.]

This made my day! So inspiring

[@coreykuefler-terweeme7268]

I love your speech Karen. Well done!

[@patriciapoole2571]

Thank you Dr Gaffney, this is an amazing, inspiring talk.

[@SilkenScribbles]

She is sooooo inspiring!!! Beautiful, simply beautiful!

[@erichbrough6097]

Thank you, Dr. Gaffney, for kicking all our behinds and teaching us by your fierce, humane eloquence to see the brilliant humanity of our friends that rock the extra chromosome! You rock, period!

[@martycoomber7897]

I'm so happy for her..very impressed!💖

[@debohararusckowski]

What a powerful video! It may be a bit long, but well worth the watch!

[@upliftingvoices]

Thank You Karen for sharing your inspirational thoughts.

[@cbmondello3294]

thank you dr gaffney for your continued contributions

[@brianc1985]

wow such an inspiring speech needs to be translated to many languages as possible!!

[@MeredithGriffith-o2m]

The world is better with YOU in it, too! Keep up the good work!

[@wit1059]

Who's the folk that disliked this? You're really disappointing.

[@Fucknuts4u]

just worry about yourself how about that

[@shillian4770]

they have down syndrome get it, cause its point down?

[@josephwritessongs]

@@Fucknuts4u I guess we found one lol

[@DogGran]

Fucknuts your name fits.

[@ISkepticI]

Yeah I don’t know where the like button is I’m blind

[@marlovilela5430]

Gracias Karen tus palabras me confortan y dan esperanza. Tengo un hijo con Down Syndrome se llama Cristiano y tiene 2 años lo amo con todo mi corazón y me gustaría mucho que algún día haga lo que tu en este video.

[@jillbrummell6294]

You are as very well spoken person. And your speech is indeed inspiring. However not all people with downs are as lucky as yourself and find life much more arduous and challenging and have many cognitive difficulties. The spectrum is vast as all people are unique .

[@livemystic1958]

Wow that was great! Thank you for what you are doing.

[@cynthiahawkins2389]

I suspect Karen Gaffney had parents like Temple Grandin's. They understood that their daughters(with Downs and Autism respectively) were unique and made sure to address - as soon as possible, whatever issues might impact their full development...Karen learned to swim very early on. Which gave her strength, physical stamina and better lung power. Temple's parents played sharing games with her, since autism creates social disconnection in people who struggle with it. The results of course from these enlightened parents? Who I am sure often went against 'the professionals who warned them not to expect too much': Two accomplished women who are living full, contributing lives. In part because their parents defied the tyranny of diagnosis. BTW, A CHILD IS WAITING is a wonderful film, not seen often enough. But in it, one of the characters who has a mentally challenged daughter tells a colleague, "You know, when the doctors first told us about Rose, we were devastated. We thought it was such a tragedy. I mean, we had such plans for her. But you see, Rose doesn't know she is a tragedy. So...the tragedy must be...within us.." In other words the perceptions of society, the workplace, and often the medical profession. THAT is the issue.

[@Feminazi1dc]

she and her voice is so adorable

[@NatandGeorge]

So very well presented! So nice to hear it "from the horse's mouth," instead of from the other end

[@paulverdzekov421]

Really amazing. A great video to change perceptions

[@HayleyGoleniowska]

Thank you Karen.

[@xtraapparel1909]

So inspiring Karen. Thank you!!

[@masairhuntingclubsheikhupu6767]

so proud of u sister ..... amazing .....solute to yours bravery

[@sarakoyano7052]

Beautiful, Karen Gaffney -Thank You!

[@licimatt5484]

I hit the like button 1min in, the moment she said all lives matter! Brilliant! The world desparately needs to rethink the way we think of disabled peoples' right to life!

[@tbmctbmc5628]

She is super awesome. Very intelligent

[@MeredithGriffith-o2m]

Oh, you are an incredible human being! I applaud you for your courage and truth-speaking. Here's to a world where all people are welcomed into life and accepted with open arms to become the amazing human beings they were created to be!

[@CSAcitizen]

She's amazing and pretty too.

[@yawnwarrior]

Bet you think your cousin is pretty too, Reb

[@rebekahmaccow2926]

What an inspiration

[@lisetteintheclouds7268]

Very well spoken and intelligent. 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽💋👏🏽

[@AB-qi1oh]

ALL LIVES MATTER. WE ARE ALL unique beings with potential and purpose. I wish you nothing but the best Ms Gaffney as you continue to spread this beautiful message God Bless Mia Rose.

[@DogGran]

Who disliked this?! Y’all need professional help. She’s amazing.

[@wes4736]

The thought that eight years have passed, and the very real possibility that this video has saved lives by simply allowing others the ability to be born is genuinely inspiring.

[@naominzaomi1202]

life changing speech , go girl go.

[@abdulkadirkocaoglu]

Very value a context. I am a special education teacher and I proud of

[@MagorzataWWegrzyniak]

Everything is possible

[@jeffreyvaile5664]

Wow what a awesome lady she speaks very well

[@jrzzrj]

What a sweetheart.....I think I'm in love......

[@yvonneellison3711]

Well done Karen what an inspiration to all who have downs.

[@chadfungus]

She is an inspiration to everyone.

[@elizabeth10392]

Brilliant speech 👏👏👌

[@aarchie8470]

Awesome speech. By a smart no nonsense young woman.

[@debbieweybright5074]

Karen Gaffney you rock! Glenn Weybright

[@drillerfromdeeprockgalacti1434]

Rocken an extra chromosome more like

[@annprince5298]

Yes it is the right for a woman to choose but not when they told extremely negative and outsmarted information. That is not giving g a full picture is it lives matter!

[@AutiDiva8]

Outstanding! I hope she runs for Office!!!!!! #SheHasMyVOTE ♡☆♡☆♡ #LuMind 😇😇😇

[@plasticstrawz6901]

Mine too! 💙💛

[@anthonygarza8228]

Wonderful job!

[@ethanelliott6859]

She was the most intelligent person in the entire room.

[@lienbijs1205]

How do you know that?

[@Autumn_Forest_]

I could never abort my child, no matter what difference s/he had.

[@anonmouse2259]

Adversity helps you realize your strengths

[@dee4174]

Great talk! Thank you. X

[@crazyanarchist5809]

ok karen you taught so many people to be brave. Keep on your career.

[@ShellyColours2]

Very inspiring!!! May God Bless and protect the little ones in the womb from abortions. Their lives matter and they are worth saving.

[@Yarshy.]

I love this talk so much

[@A1234561921]

God bless you beautiful angel!!!

[@lauracarrasco7423]

Muy conmovedor ! Una leccion de vida ! Tengo un nieto maravilloso con down syndrome !!! Felicitaciones por tu valentia e inteligencia !

[@DolceVita]

I am so impressed by her - but why shouldn't i be right? My preconceptions about DS are showing!

[@Light-cy1gp]

I have watched so many TedTalks , but i have never heard a speech this good. wow , just wow!, its very captivating, thank u so much.

[@DanielPowell357]

This woman is true perfection, and smarter than I could ever hope to be.

[@nandita9829]

thank you so much

[@lenniebruce]

'All Lives Matter' I really am glad to hear that from a fantastic individual :)

[@jackstreeter9685]

She is remarkably eloquent and well spoken for someone with her disability

[@asithakarunaratne5444]

She doesn't have a disability.

[@asithakarunaratne5444]

@First Name Last Name I meant she is able to do most things than most.

[@mardelcheatham]

Awesome speaker.

[@victoriap2519]

I am just thinking what would happen to them if they are given just to themselves and nature, and not to schools, I guess they would rock the world! ♥️

[@13Wolfie13]

This woman is just so cool 😎

[@timhussey2893]

Well said

[@mariafernandasalazar33]

People with down sindrome can achieve wonderful things as the rest of neurodivergents but if we dont let them they simply will achieve their main goal in life, spread love and empathy in human specie and contribute to the balance of our ecosystem