SOME FACES OF DOWN SYNDROME


CHRIS BURKE IN “LIFE GOES ON” (1989-1993)


On the first network show to feature a major character with Down syndrome, Chris “Corky” Thatcher was an 18-year-old in a typical middle-class family who faced challenges of attending a mainstream high school. In later seasons, Corky had a job as a movie usher and a girlfriend (then wife), also with Down syndrome. Burke earned


a Golden Globe nomination and went on to serve as a Goodwill Ambassador for National Down Syndrome Society (NDSS). Today at age 52, he lives in Delaware County and hopes to someday work on the other side of the camera.


Watch Chris Burke in scenes from "Life Goes On" HERE


LAUREN POTTER IN “GLEE” (2009-2015) Potter appeared in 56 episodes as Becky Johnson, one of the McKinley High “Cheerios” and henchperson to Jane Lynch’s Sue Sylvester. Becky’s brassy personality and zippy one-liners gave a different image of people with DS, corresponding to the show’s focus on inclusion of all types of people. “Glee” also featured a story about Sue’s sister Jean, who also had Down syndrome and was played


by Robin Trocki. Potter was nominated for a Screen Actors Guild award and honored with the SAG/AFTRA Harold Russell Award at the 2012 Media Access Awards. In 2011, President Obama appointed Potter to a special Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities.


Watch Lauren Potter discuss her work on “Glee” HERE


Brewer was featured in four seasons of AHS: in “Murder House” she played Adelaide (“Addy”), a young woman with Down syndrome tormented by her villainous mother Constance (Jessica Lange); then a clairvoyant witch in “Coven”; a living ventriloquist doll on “Freak Show,” and as Hedda on “Cult.” Brewer was featured in a major article in Entertainment Weekly about Actors with Down syndrome, and in 2015, she became the first model with Down syndrome to appear in New York’s Fashion Week as part of Carrie Hammer’s “Role Models Not Runway Models” campaign. Brewer continues to work as an advocate and activist for people with Down syndrome.


See Jamie Brewer discuss modeling and her work in the entertainment industry HERE


“BORN THIS WAY” (2015-PRESENT) A&E’s Emmy-winning, unscripted reality show follows seven friends with DS in their 20s and 30s, living in Los Angeles, pursuing jobs and dreams, and interacting with family and romantic partners. The cast members have different levels of abilities and distinct personalities. Their parents are also featured, talking openly about the experiences of raising a child with Down syndrome. Noting that the show was created by the producers of MTV’s “The Real World”, Hollywood Reporter remarked that “by treating the cast in much the same way they would treat any reality-show participants, the producers avoid any kind of condescending or patronizing tone.”


See the cast of “Born This Way” HERE AMY AND THE ORPHANS UPSTAGE GUIDE 15


JAMIE BREWER IN “AMERICAN HORROR STORY” (2011-2015)


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