By Dr. Bill Bauer
Tengo síndrome de Down y está bien
Por el Dr. Bill Bauer
Hello! My name is Jacob, and I have Down Syndrome.
¡Hola! Me llamo Jacob y tengo síndrome de Down.
Everyone is born with 23 pairs of chromosomes (46 total)
Todas las personas nacen con 23 pares de cromosomas (46 en total).
I was born with an extra chromosome in my 21st set of chromosomes (47 total).
Nací con un cromosoma extra en mi par número 21 de cromosomas (47 en total).
This kind of makes me special!
¡Eso me hace especial!
All of us with Down syndrome are different. But some of us have common features.
Todas las personas con síndrome de Down somos diferentes.
Pero algunas compartimos características en común.
Some of us must get surgery for our heart because it doesn’t work like it should.
Algunas personas necesitamos una cirugía en el corazón porque no funciona como debería.
Some of my friends have a short neck, small ears, a line across the palm of our hand,
a small pinky finger, and eyes shaped like almonds that slant up.
Algunos de mis amigos tienen el cuello corto, orejas pequeñas, una línea en la palma de la
mano, el dedo meñique pequeño y ojos con forma de almendra que se inclinan hacia arriba.
As soon as I was born, people came to my house to help
my family learn about me. I had lots of therapies to help me.
Cuando nací, vinieron personas a mi casa para ayudar a mi familia
a aprender sobre mí. Tuve muchas terapias para ayudarme.
My family was always with me when I had therapy.
Mi familia siempre estuvo conmigo cuando tenía terapia.
I went to a preschool where some people were like me,
and some were not. But all of them are my friends!
Fui a un preescolar donde algunos niños eran como yo
y otros no. ¡Pero todos eran mis amigos!
Now I get to go to a regular school where I see my friends and work and play beside them.
Ahora voy a una escuela regular donde veo a mis amigos y aprendo y juego junto a ellos.
When I am at school, sometimes I get special help from different teachers.
Cuando estoy en la escuela, a veces recibo ayuda especial de diferentes maestros.
I love to swim and play with my cars.
Me encanta nadar y jugar con mis carritos.
My favorite time is when I get to see my cousins and play with them.
Mi momento favorito es cuando puedo ver a mis primos y jugar con ellos.
I love going to school and riding in the bus with my friends.
Me encanta ir a la escuela y viajar en el autobús con mis amigos.
When I get older, I want to live by myself or with my friends,
get a job, and visit with my friends and family.
Cuando sea mayor, quiero vivir solo o con mis amigos,
tener un trabajo y visitar a mis amigos y a mi familia.
I like people who believe in me and accept me for who I am and can accept my differences.
My name is Jacob. I have Down syndrome. And it’s OKAY!
Me gustan las personas que creen en mí y me aceptan tal como soy y aceptan mis diferencias.
Me llamo Jacob. Tengo síndrome de Down. ¡Y está bien!
The End | El Fin
About the Author
Dr. William M. (Bill) Bauer is a licensed clinical counselor in the rural Mid-Ohio Valley area who was a former classroom teacher, principal, and college professor. He has worked with children and adults with disabilities all of his life and hopes that this book brings an understanding to children with disabilities, their teachers, and their classmates. Dr. Bauer was born with a severe hearing impairment.
“I have had the pleasure of working with Dr. Bauer in the professional education and mental health fields
for over two decades, and this book series is his latest outstanding work to help young people
understand and accept differences. Each title focuses on a uniqueness and assures us that “it is OKAY!”
– Dr. Stephanie Starcher, Public School Superintendent
“Being different is OK! Every effort to erase stigma surrounding our differences is important. The earlier
we start, the better chance we have at preventing stigma from even occurring. I had the honor of meeting
Dr. Bill Bauer when I was in college, and it is no surprise his work as a mental health advocate would
transpire into this series of books. I’m thankful for his commitment to celebrating our differences.”
– Nick Gehlfuss, MFA, Actor, film and television. Currently, Dr. Halstead, Chicago Med.
“This book series by Dr. William Bauer – my good friend Bill – fills a niche in children’s literature that embraces
diversity and self-esteem. This series is not only important, but extremely fun. As founder of Orphans International,
I look forward to reading these stories to children of all faiths and abilities around the world. This book is
indeed a living testament to Bill’s own son. The world is a better place because of Bill Bauer! #GrantSpeed”
– Jim Luce, Founder, Orphans International Worldwide
Aloha kakou. E komo mai. Hello and welcome.
In our Pre-K classroom, you’ll find many things you would expect: a schedule, a calendar, a globe, toys, puzzles, art supplies, books, learning canters. You may be surprised, however, to discover our Diversity Center. Here, you will see posters of children of all nationalities and with all types of disabilities. You will find dolls that I altered to represent these unique children.
We have a doll with glasses, a doll with a hearing aid, a doll on crutches, a doll with one arm, and a doll in a wheelchair. We have books written in different languages: Hawaiian, Spanish, French, Japanese, Chinese, English, Braille. We have books written about all sorts of families from all over the world.
Our prize possessions, however, are our books written by Dr. Bauer.
My students choose to visit the Diversity Center so they can cuddle up with one of our dolls and Dr. Bauer’s books. They have so many questions about the children in the books… leading to countless discussions and even more questions. When we have story time outdoors, students request that we sit together and read one of these books.
I truly believe that “Anakala (Uncle) Bill’s Books,” as we fondly call them, have been instrumental in teaching us about compassion, caring, and empathy towards all human beings. What a beautiful gift to our classroom! What a beautiful gift to our keiki (children)! What a beautiful gift to our future! “Anakala Bill” knows the meaning of ALOHA (love, peace, compassion, affection) and has shared that with us all.
Mahalo nui loa (thank you very much) for making such a difference in our lives! – Kumu Michelle and Pre-K students, Volcano, Hawai’i
More Stories in the ‘And It’s Okay‘ Series
Series I
- Attention Deficit Disorder
- Autism
- Cerebral Palsy
- Epilepsy
- Hearing Loss
- Learning Disability
- Muscular Dystrophy
- Spina Bifida
- Stoma
- Vision Loss
Series II
- Asthma
- Congenital Heart Defect
- Crohn’s Disease
- Cystic Fibrosis
- Down Syndrome
- Family Cancer Journey
- Juvenile Diabetes – DONE
- Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
- Sickle Cell Disease
- Spina Bifida – DONE
Series III
- Amputee
- Cleft Palate
- Depression – DONE
- Fragile X Syndrome
- HIV & AIDS
- My Fragile Bones
(Osteogenesis Imperfecta) - Severe Allergies
- Tourette’s Syndrome
- Trauma (PTSD)
- Wheelchair User /
I Use a Wheelchair
Series IV
- I’m Adopted
- I’m In Foster Care
- I’m Not A U.S. Citizen
- My Dad’s In A Wheelchair
- My Dad’s In Prison
- My English Isn’t Perfect Yet
- My Family Is Moving
- My Mom’s In Prison
- My Parents Are Divorced
- My Parents Are Getting Divorced
Series Language Policy:
All Stewardship Report children’s titles are published in English, with Spanish included as the secondary language where appropriate. Additional languages may be published as separate editions.