Nathan Barker may have his photo in Times Square in New York City next weekend, but on Saturday, he was more interested in dancing in his West Deer living room with siblings Benjamin and Corrine.
"He's such a ham," joked his grandfather, Lenny "Pap" Fish, of Level Green.
Nathan, 6, is one of eight Pittsburgh-area children whose pictures will be featured on a video kick-off for National Down Syndrome Awareness Month. They're among 266 photos chosen from 2,500 entries, to celebrate children with Down syndrome successfully being part of the community.
"In Nathan's lifetime, it would be my dream for this not to be a big deal anymore," said Nathan's mom, TerriAnne Barker.
People have misconceptions about what it's like to raise a child with Down syndrome. It produces more blessings than hardships, she said.
Nathan's photo in the video shows him with his grandparents after he was ringbearer in the wedding of TerriAnne's cousin in May.
"He's just like any other kid," she said. "He just has an extra chromosome."
Julia Kaluzny, 17, of Cranberry will get to see herself on the Times Square screen when the Bishop Canevin High School junior visits New York City. The photo shows her in a pink dress with her prom date.
"I am very excited about the video screen," Kaluzny said. "It is one of the biggest in the world."
She said she wants to shop in Chinatown and to see the set of the NBC's "Today" show in Rockefeller Center.
Kaluzny was diagnosed with Down syndrome at birth, said her mother, Kim Kaluzny.
"It was frightening," her mother said. "I did not know what her future would bring. I did not even know if she could attend school."
But Kaluzny plans to attend Duquesne University, and she volunteers at West Penn Hospital.
"Julia can do just about every task. It does take her longer," said her mother, who attributes her daughter's success to early intervention.
"She competes with all the other kids, has had jobs, dances and plays sports. Thirty years ago, someone like her would have been put in an institution," Kim Kaluzny said.
Doctors indeed once suggested institutionalizing children with Down syndrome, said Dr. Kishore Vellody, director of the Down Syndrome Center at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC.
Now, people with Down syndrome have proven there are no limits to their capabilities. Educators see that children with disabilities not only thrive in regular classrooms, but enrich the experience for other students, Vellody said.
"If a kid has a passion, there is no reason they shouldn't be on the school swim team or the soccer team," Vellody said.
Parents are the main advocates for children with Down syndrome and are the driving force for inclusion in the community, he said.
"Parents say, 'I'm not taking second-best for my child,' " he said.
Nancy Murray, president of the Arc of Greater Pittsburgh, an advocacy and family support organization, said the Pittsburghers shown in the video are serving as ambassadors for the city.
"It reminds every family that all kids are capable and our kids are just like other kids," she said. "We can't for one minute stop advocating for inclusion in schools, work opportunities, to live in the community."
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