17. Self Advocacy: Down Syndrome in DC with Kayla McKeon

This week on the Lucky Few Podcast, we have the honor of sitting down with Kayla McKeon, the first registered lobbyist with Down Syndrome! Not only is Kayla active in her church and Special Olympics, she is a Ruby’s Rainbow college scholarship recipient and takes classes each semester! Kayla is living proof that people with Down Syndrome can lead full and productive lives and that’s why she’s one of the best self advocates in DC. After discovering her passion for public speaking at a Special Olympics event in her hometown Syracuse, Kayla began interning with a congressman and soon after found herself lobbying in DC! As an independent 31-year-old woman, Kayla flies to and from the nation’s capital to advocate for herself and her friends with different abilities. Currently, she’s lobbying for the Able to Work act that would allow people with different abilities to save more money without losing their benefits. Kayla’s work in DC also includes ending “Law Syndrome” by increasing the sub-minimum wage given to people with different abilities. When’s she not on a plane or in class, Kayla enjoys driving herself to the nail salon and spending time with her awesome parents. Join us this week to hear all about the extraordinary life of Kayla McKeon, a college student, a licensed driver, a podcast host, a public speaker, a reader, and an exceptional lobbyist. SHOW LINKS Keep up with Kayla! Website: http://kaylamckeon.com/blog/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/mckeonkay/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/kayla.mckeon.7 Podcast: https://soundcloud.com/national-down-syndrome-society-org Watch Kayla lobbying in DC: NBC News Story: https://www.today.com/health/kayla-mckeon-first-d-c-lobbyist-national-down-syndrome-society-t140585 CBS News Story: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/kayla-mckeon-lobbyist-national-down-syndrome-society/ Washington Post News Story: https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/inspired-life/wp/2018/06/08/this-woman-is-an-exceptionally-effective-capitol-hill-lobbyist-she-also-has-down-syndrome/?utm_term=.297d15524847 Now This News Story: https://nowthisnews.com/videos/her/kayla-mckeon-is-a-us-lobbyist-inspiring-others-with-down-syndrome Mentioned In The Show: Ruby’s Rainbow: https://rubysrainbow.org/ Gigi’s Playhouse: https://gigisplayhouse.org/ Special Olympics: https://www.specialolympics.org/ SHOW SPONSOR Little Passports: Inspire Your Child to Learn About the World! (Visit https://www.littlepassports.com/lucky/ for special offers and more!) HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE Are you a business and want to suggest a product for our listeners? Fill out our Holiday Gift Guide to be featured on the show > https://www.theluckyfewpodcast.com/gift-guide-application-2 --- Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/theluckyfewpod/support