Cover Story

SHELL!, Li F

-1----

AN DOR FM AN St,- fr

''rerlIrrrrrfrie-----aar'rMs the blessings of a bar mitzvah
this; abbat, his voice wilitriumph over the haunting
his mother heard w 5 en he was a baby.
wo
as told Danny woul< never talk," says Linda
ith Down syndrome.
•
of her son
She re embers a rtrse looking at her premature infant,
rn b Cesarean s tion in Friedman's 29th week of preg-
I were you, I would pull the plug,'"
y..-1 She said,
Fr d an remem rs. "She told me, 'He's imperfect and we
a perfect orld.'"
live
T en and theie, it became Friedman's challenge to
change the wo d until it fit Danny.
Those who, ow the mother and son marvel not only at
Danny's accE plishments, such as his March 24 bar mitz-
vah at Con egation B'nai Moshe, but at his mother, who,
as Danny ole custodial parent, made sure the world
always m e a place for her son.
Todayfanny talks up a storm. He studies math and
re din n school, is the star of his class music review and,
wit each new achievement, continues to be a collector of
never-ending dreams.

Seeking The Best

3/23
2001

14

"When Danny was born, I didn't know much about Down syn-
drome," Friedman says of the genetic condition that most often
causes some level of cognitive disability, as it has in Danny.
On a constant search for the best course for Danny, she tried
different schools, even if she had to move to help her son.
When a speech therapist told me, 'Teach him sign lan-
guage — he'll never talk,' we were out of there," she says.
"When I heard about a great speech therapist in West
Bloomfield schools, we moved there to be near her."
The family includes sister Nina Rosenblum, now 20.
Danny spent his early childhood in mother-child gym, drama
and music classes. 1 knew if he could sing, he could talk," says
Friedman, who got him intaa music program in Birmingham.
It was there that Friedman met music therapist Laura
ReVelle Schwartz.
Schwartz now meets with Danny in her Farmington Hills
home and is working with him on a medley of four show
tunes, with some arm-movement choreography, he'll per-

K R S TY's

form for guests at his bar mitzvah party.
"His mother wanted him to do a little showcase of his
love of life and music," Schwartz says.
"Danny is on all the time," says Jackie Klugman, musical
theater director at Orchard Lake Middle School in West
Bloomfield, where Danny is a sixth-grader. "He is an amaz-
ing, wonderful role model.
"When the kids were shy about auditioning the first day,
Danny came up and sang, 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow,'
and then the other kids auditioned, too.
"His courage and presence on the stage rubs off on the
other children. Danny brings out the best in everybody,"
Klugman says.

Love Of Learning

When Danny first started school, he was in classes with
general education kids. "After first grade, though, nobody
knew what to do with Danny," Friedman says.
Her answer was, "You put him in a regular classroom and
get him a `para-pro' (special education paraprofessional) full
time," Friedman says. "I wanted him included with the other
children and I was willing to fight for that, for Danny."
At Doherty Elementary School in West Bloomfield,
Friedman offered to accompany her son to class if a para-
pro wasn't available.
Danny was put in a classroom with general education
students, but for reading he learned with para-pro Robin
DeMaagd. Friedman attributes much of his learning to her;
she and Danny remain close.
The school also purchased the Edmark Reading Program,
an interactive learning system with components for kids
with special needs. It is how Danny learned to read by sight.
"My kid loves school. He loves kids and he loves learn-
ing," Friedman proclaims, in the animated, excitable man-
ner she often uses when talking about Danny.
"Every day, I worked with him in addition to school. It's
our schedule."

Fitting In Fine

Friedman sees change as both an obstacle and a challenge.

DREAM on page 16