Mia Peterson received a letter of congratulation from the U.S. Olympics Committee last week, notifying her that she has been chosen as an Olympic torchbearer when the torch travels through Greater Cincinnati in December on its way to Salt Lake City, the site of the 2002 Winter Olympics.

        “Every time I think of it, my heart goes woo-hoo!” she says.

        But she doesn't have much time to sit around and think. Being selected as an Olympic torchbearer is by no means the first accomplishment of this vibrant 27-year-old Hyde Park resident. A swimmer, runner and public speaker, Ms. Peterson quickly dispels negative connotations carried by the words Down syndrome.

        She works part-time for the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati, organizing workshops and writing for the organization's newsletter and has begun her own business as inspirational speaker.

        “I want to tell everyone that "We are all people, and we can speak for ourselves,'” she says. “We don't want others speaking for us.”

        One in 800 babies is born with Down syndrome, a condition that once meant an average lifespan of 20 years and probable segregation.

        With advances in medicine, education and parent advocacy, Ms. Peterson is evidence of the dramatic changes made in the last two decades. Now, people born with Down syndrome are living into their 50s. Children with Down syndrome are going to regular schools. Adults with Down syndrome are living independently, holding jobs and contributing to the world around them.

        October is National Down Syndrome Awareness Month, and the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati is holding its second annual regional conference. The purpose of the event is to educate parents, professionals and young adults with Down syndrome about the opportunities available in the Tristate. Early intervention and education are essential ingredients in helping babies with Down syndrome develop physically and mentally.

        The local Down Syndrome Association has made remarkable progress in getting the word out to parents. “Diagnosis is often made within the first 24 hours after a baby is born,” says Jane Page-Steiner, executive director of the Down Syndrome Association of Greater Cincinnati. “Our packets of information are in 22 area hospitals, and they are distributed to new parents to have as a tool when the shock of diagnosis begins to wear off.”

        In addition to the hospital program, the group sponsors monthly meetings for new parents, information for parent advocates of school-age children, a bimonthly newsletter, and other information and education services.

        E-mail dkkendrick@earthlink.net. Past columns at Enquirer.com/columns/kendrick

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