WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:05.662 align:middle line:90% 00:00:05.662 --> 00:00:08.230 align:middle line:84% - I'm a bit like Jay-Z with my hats. 00:00:08.230 --> 00:00:10.280 align:middle line:90% - Who's your favourite rapper? 00:00:10.280 --> 00:00:10.780 align:middle line:90% - Pitbull. 00:00:10.780 --> 00:00:17.070 align:middle line:90% 00:00:17.070 --> 00:00:18.588 align:middle line:90% That's one of my favourites. 00:00:18.588 --> 00:00:24.940 align:middle line:90% 00:00:24.940 --> 00:00:26.680 align:middle line:90% So that's my first camera. 00:00:26.680 --> 00:00:28.860 align:middle line:90% So I'm going to change that. 00:00:28.860 --> 00:00:33.950 align:middle line:84% Just to show you my biggest lens ever. 00:00:33.950 --> 00:00:37.740 align:middle line:90% So that is my monster. 00:00:37.740 --> 00:00:40.110 align:middle line:90% When I got it, I thought, yes! 00:00:40.110 --> 00:00:41.360 align:middle line:90% I wanted a big lens like this. 00:00:41.360 --> 00:00:43.820 align:middle line:90% This is for water or birds. 00:00:43.820 --> 00:00:46.044 align:middle line:90% My photos are important to me. 00:00:46.044 --> 00:00:46.710 align:middle line:90% They're my life. 00:00:46.710 --> 00:00:51.490 align:middle line:90% 00:00:51.490 --> 00:00:54.160 align:middle line:84% - My name is Wendy O'Carroll, and I 00:00:54.160 --> 00:00:55.870 align:middle line:84% am the lady who was fortunate enough 00:00:55.870 --> 00:00:59.140 align:middle line:84% to be mother to Oliver Hellowell, a young man 00:00:59.140 --> 00:01:00.880 align:middle line:84% with Down's Syndrome, who just happens 00:01:00.880 --> 00:01:04.430 align:middle line:90% to be an amazing photographer. 00:01:04.430 --> 00:01:07.440 align:middle line:84% - My dad was my first ever photographer I ever worked 00:01:07.440 --> 00:01:13.960 align:middle line:84% with, and he was my first that I ever fell in love with. 00:01:13.960 --> 00:01:16.840 align:middle line:84% - He wanted to be like Mike, and he wanted to take pictures too. 00:01:16.840 --> 00:01:19.482 align:middle line:84% He started with a bridge camera, but very quickly 00:01:19.482 --> 00:01:21.940 align:middle line:84% was not happy with that because there's Mike walking around 00:01:21.940 --> 00:01:24.220 align:middle line:84% with his massive, great, heavy camera with a huge lens on it, 00:01:24.220 --> 00:01:25.600 align:middle line:84% and Oliver's thinking, well, I don't want this. 00:01:25.600 --> 00:01:26.560 align:middle line:90% I want that. 00:01:26.560 --> 00:01:27.560 align:middle line:90% I want what he's got. 00:01:27.560 --> 00:01:32.320 align:middle line:84% - Now my pictures are better than any of Dad's stuff. 00:01:32.320 --> 00:01:36.020 align:middle line:84% He might laugh at this when he sees it. 00:01:36.020 --> 00:01:39.290 align:middle line:84% - We discovered very quickly that he had an "eye". 00:01:39.290 --> 00:01:42.190 align:middle line:84% - So I wanted to get water fast flowing, 00:01:42.190 --> 00:01:44.910 align:middle line:90% and the water was crisp. 00:01:44.910 --> 00:01:48.200 align:middle line:90% It was like a carpet of silk. 00:01:48.200 --> 00:01:51.290 align:middle line:90% The reds are vibrant in it. 00:01:51.290 --> 00:01:53.260 align:middle line:90% That's what people love. 00:01:53.260 --> 00:01:56.420 align:middle line:90% 00:01:56.420 --> 00:01:58.520 align:middle line:84% - Oliver having Down's Syndrome definitely has 00:01:58.520 --> 00:02:01.040 align:middle line:84% a significant effect on his photography. 00:02:01.040 --> 00:02:06.230 align:middle line:84% He takes in and brings to people's attention beauty 00:02:06.230 --> 00:02:10.520 align:middle line:84% that we are not noticing and have no idea is there. 00:02:10.520 --> 00:02:15.290 align:middle line:84% - This is me, my world, my view, and that's 00:02:15.290 --> 00:02:18.930 align:middle line:90% my inspiration of doing it. 00:02:18.930 --> 00:02:22.200 align:middle line:84% - When I had just given birth to Oliver, 00:02:22.200 --> 00:02:24.614 align:middle line:84% initially the midwife who was delivering him 00:02:24.614 --> 00:02:25.780 align:middle line:90% thought everything was fine. 00:02:25.780 --> 00:02:26.738 align:middle line:90% There wasn't a problem. 00:02:26.738 --> 00:02:29.310 align:middle line:84% And eventually, somebody announced 00:02:29.310 --> 00:02:34.140 align:middle line:84% that they felt 95% certain that my baby had Down's Syndrome. 00:02:34.140 --> 00:02:36.540 align:middle line:90% And I was absolutely devastated. 00:02:36.540 --> 00:02:38.880 align:middle line:84% I thought my whole world had ended. 00:02:38.880 --> 00:02:41.310 align:middle line:84% I envisaged somebody who wouldn't 00:02:41.310 --> 00:02:44.130 align:middle line:84% be able to live a full and enjoyable life. 00:02:44.130 --> 00:02:45.150 align:middle line:90% But I adored him. 00:02:45.150 --> 00:02:47.811 align:middle line:84% He was my baby right from the start. 00:02:47.811 --> 00:02:50.310 align:middle line:84% We realised he was going to have to have open heart surgery, 00:02:50.310 --> 00:02:51.300 align:middle line:90% which is quite common. 00:02:51.300 --> 00:02:54.480 align:middle line:84% Up to 40%, 45% of children with Down's Syndrome 00:02:54.480 --> 00:02:56.460 align:middle line:90% are born with a cardiac defect. 00:02:56.460 --> 00:03:00.510 align:middle line:84% I was terrified that I would lose him. 00:03:00.510 --> 00:03:03.300 align:middle line:84% While I was in hospital, I saw other children 00:03:03.300 --> 00:03:04.420 align:middle line:90% who were very poorly. 00:03:04.420 --> 00:03:08.070 align:middle line:84% In the intensive care ward, there was some children with 00:03:08.070 --> 00:03:09.720 align:middle line:84% leukaemia, who were dying of leukaemia, 00:03:09.720 --> 00:03:11.095 align:middle line:84% and who weren't going to be going 00:03:11.095 --> 00:03:11.810 align:middle line:90% home. 00:03:11.810 --> 00:03:14.970 align:middle line:84% And I thought, how dare you have felt so sorry for yourself 00:03:14.970 --> 00:03:17.820 align:middle line:84% when actually you are going to take your boy home 00:03:17.820 --> 00:03:19.659 align:middle line:84% and love him and have a life with him. 00:03:19.659 --> 00:03:22.200 align:middle line:84% And there's people here who will never take their child home. 00:03:22.200 --> 00:03:24.534 align:middle line:84% How dare you feel so sorry for yourself? 00:03:24.534 --> 00:03:25.950 align:middle line:84% And it was at that point, I think, 00:03:25.950 --> 00:03:29.100 align:middle line:84% that I determined that, not only was he going to survive, 00:03:29.100 --> 00:03:32.500 align:middle line:90% but he was going to be amazing. 00:03:32.500 --> 00:03:33.500 align:middle line:90% And it turned out he is! 00:03:33.500 --> 00:03:39.540 align:middle line:90% 00:03:39.540 --> 00:03:42.190 align:middle line:84% I set out to learn a lot about Down's Syndrome. 00:03:42.190 --> 00:03:45.730 align:middle line:84% I didn't want to just have this stereotypical image in my head, 00:03:45.730 --> 00:03:49.240 align:middle line:84% which I began to realise quite quickly that was incorrect. 00:03:49.240 --> 00:03:54.640 align:middle line:84% Because the range of ability and personality 00:03:54.640 --> 00:03:56.140 align:middle line:84% amongst people with Down's Syndrome 00:03:56.140 --> 00:04:00.340 align:middle line:84% is just as vast as the range of ability and personality 00:04:00.340 --> 00:04:03.100 align:middle line:90% within the ordinary population. 00:04:03.100 --> 00:04:08.890 align:middle line:84% - That was my first award, and then we got my red kite one. 00:04:08.890 --> 00:04:11.340 align:middle line:84% - I always use the word "ordinary", never "normal", 00:04:11.340 --> 00:04:15.280 align:middle line:84% because who on earth knows what normal is anyway? 00:04:15.280 --> 00:04:17.230 align:middle line:84% I think even today the stereotype 00:04:17.230 --> 00:04:22.120 align:middle line:84% is still people with Down's Syndrome will not be very able. 00:04:22.120 --> 00:04:24.910 align:middle line:84% I remember a student asking me about a young man with Down's 00:04:24.910 --> 00:04:27.550 align:middle line:84% Syndrome who used to just sort of stand there 00:04:27.550 --> 00:04:28.570 align:middle line:90% while they were talking. 00:04:28.570 --> 00:04:30.867 align:middle line:84% And he said, "It makes us feel a bit awkward. 00:04:30.867 --> 00:04:32.200 align:middle line:90% We don't really know what he's-- 00:04:32.200 --> 00:04:33.320 align:middle line:90% perhaps he's not happy. 00:04:33.320 --> 00:04:35.687 align:middle line:84% Perhaps he's not enjoying himself with us." 00:04:35.687 --> 00:04:38.020 align:middle line:84% And I said, "The thing is, he's actually really enjoying 00:04:38.020 --> 00:04:40.360 align:middle line:84% just being there with you and listening 00:04:40.360 --> 00:04:41.680 align:middle line:90% to what you're saying." 00:04:41.680 --> 00:04:43.750 align:middle line:84% When you say to your friend with Down's Syndrome, 00:04:43.750 --> 00:04:46.180 align:middle line:84% "Hi, how was your weekend?", first, he's 00:04:46.180 --> 00:04:48.490 align:middle line:84% got to remember all the things that he did 00:04:48.490 --> 00:04:50.260 align:middle line:84% and that happened at the weekend. 00:04:50.260 --> 00:04:53.800 align:middle line:84% Then he's got to work out which of those you might 00:04:53.800 --> 00:04:56.590 align:middle line:90% think are cool or interesting. 00:04:56.590 --> 00:04:58.690 align:middle line:84% Then he's got to work out exactly 00:04:58.690 --> 00:05:02.290 align:middle line:84% which words he needs to use to explain that to you, 00:05:02.290 --> 00:05:05.230 align:middle line:84% put them in the right order, and try and make it grammatically 00:05:05.230 --> 00:05:05.826 align:middle line:90% correct. 00:05:05.826 --> 00:05:08.200 align:middle line:84% And then he's got to make sure that he speaks those words 00:05:08.200 --> 00:05:11.440 align:middle line:84% as clearly as he possibly can so that you 00:05:11.440 --> 00:05:12.970 align:middle line:90% understand what he's saying. 00:05:12.970 --> 00:05:17.806 align:middle line:84% I said, "You do all that in an instant, in a lightning bolt!" 00:05:17.806 --> 00:05:19.430 align:middle line:84% He has to think about all those things. 00:05:19.430 --> 00:05:24.190 align:middle line:84% So actually, it's much easier for him to go, "Yeah, fine." 00:05:24.190 --> 00:05:27.970 align:middle line:84% So the way you can help him is by breaking down your question 00:05:27.970 --> 00:05:30.760 align:middle line:84% and you could start by saying, "Hi, 00:05:30.760 --> 00:05:32.080 align:middle line:90% where were you this weekend?" 00:05:32.080 --> 00:05:34.660 align:middle line:84% And he can say; "And did you go out?" 00:05:34.660 --> 00:05:36.850 align:middle line:84% And then he can-- so by breaking it down 00:05:36.850 --> 00:05:40.420 align:middle line:84% into smaller sections if you like, that helps him 00:05:40.420 --> 00:05:43.410 align:middle line:84% contribute and pass that information across to you. 00:05:43.410 --> 00:05:46.480 align:middle line:90% 00:05:46.480 --> 00:05:48.940 align:middle line:84% People with Down's Syndrome I do feel 00:05:48.940 --> 00:05:51.820 align:middle line:90% have an intrinsic strength. 00:05:51.820 --> 00:05:53.950 align:middle line:84% People have referred to as having an innocence that 00:05:53.950 --> 00:05:54.560 align:middle line:90% lasts forever. 00:05:54.560 --> 00:05:56.410 align:middle line:84% I wouldn't call it an innocence, but I 00:05:56.410 --> 00:06:00.977 align:middle line:84% think there is a vulnerability about their living for now. 00:06:00.977 --> 00:06:01.689 align:middle line:90% - Come on. 00:06:01.689 --> 00:06:02.260 align:middle line:90% Hurry up. 00:06:02.260 --> 00:06:05.240 align:middle line:84% - Not really carrying an awful lot about yesterday. 00:06:05.240 --> 00:06:07.250 align:middle line:90% - So this is my map. 00:06:07.250 --> 00:06:09.340 align:middle line:84% - Not really caring an awful lot about tomorrow 00:06:09.340 --> 00:06:12.790 align:middle line:84% or in 10 minutes time either really. 00:06:12.790 --> 00:06:16.930 align:middle line:84% I want my sandwich, and I need it now! 00:06:16.930 --> 00:06:19.960 align:middle line:84% And just Oliver's way of looking at life 00:06:19.960 --> 00:06:21.700 align:middle line:90% is much more in the now. 00:06:21.700 --> 00:06:23.770 align:middle line:90% It's much more immediate. 00:06:23.770 --> 00:06:29.710 align:middle line:84% And his priorities and things that are important to him 00:06:29.710 --> 00:06:31.600 align:middle line:84% are not necessarily the things that 00:06:31.600 --> 00:06:36.130 align:middle line:84% are important to you and I. And quite often, we 00:06:36.130 --> 00:06:39.840 align:middle line:90% can learn a lot from that. 00:06:39.840 --> 00:06:42.500 align:middle line:90% - My mum was like a hero so. 00:06:42.500 --> 00:06:47.520 align:middle line:84% She was the inspiration of my life, and they love me. 00:06:47.520 --> 00:06:51.615 align:middle line:84% And I think because I'm more different, 00:06:51.615 --> 00:06:54.990 align:middle line:84% and so that can build up my strength. 00:06:54.990 --> 00:06:56.550 align:middle line:84% - I just wish that there were words 00:06:56.550 --> 00:06:59.580 align:middle line:84% I could use that would help people know the secret that I 00:06:59.580 --> 00:07:01.530 align:middle line:84% know, and that so many of us know, 00:07:01.530 --> 00:07:03.650 align:middle line:84% that actually people with Down's Syndrome 00:07:03.650 --> 00:07:07.479 align:middle line:84% bring something very special to our lives. 00:07:07.479 --> 00:07:08.520 align:middle line:90% And they aren't burdened. 00:07:08.520 --> 00:07:09.390 align:middle line:90% They're not suffering. 00:07:09.390 --> 00:07:10.770 align:middle line:84% The phrase in the news is always, 00:07:10.770 --> 00:07:12.580 align:middle line:90% "suffers from Down's Syndrome". 00:07:12.580 --> 00:07:13.549 align:middle line:90% My son doesn't suffer. 00:07:13.549 --> 00:07:14.340 align:middle line:90% He's having a ball! 00:07:14.340 --> 00:07:18.300 align:middle line:90% 00:07:18.300 --> 00:07:19.920 align:middle line:84% I think it's important that we know 00:07:19.920 --> 00:07:22.320 align:middle line:84% it isn't right to strive for perfection, 00:07:22.320 --> 00:07:25.200 align:middle line:84% and it isn't best to strive for perfection 00:07:25.200 --> 00:07:28.650 align:middle line:84% because value is not necessarily found 00:07:28.650 --> 00:07:31.770 align:middle line:84% in what is perceived to be normal or perfection, 00:07:31.770 --> 00:07:36.390 align:middle line:84% that actually we all learn from our young people 00:07:36.390 --> 00:07:38.070 align:middle line:84% and our people with disabilities. 00:07:38.070 --> 00:07:40.470 align:middle line:84% We learn to be more understanding. 00:07:40.470 --> 00:07:43.380 align:middle line:90% We learn to be more patient. 00:07:43.380 --> 00:07:45.660 align:middle line:84% The principle is that actually we 00:07:45.660 --> 00:07:48.360 align:middle line:84% are all better people for wanting 00:07:48.360 --> 00:07:53.170 align:middle line:84% to involve ourselves and help other people in this world. 00:07:53.170 --> 00:07:56.100 align:middle line:84% And if we lose that, we lose something 00:07:56.100 --> 00:08:00.980 align:middle line:84% that's very basic and valuable and important to us as humans. 00:08:00.980 --> 00:08:04.527 align:middle line:90%