Stevie Payne is not special because he has Down Syndrome, but because he’s a really good strapper.
That’s what Down Syndrome NSW loved about the coverage of the brother of winning Melbourne Cup jockey Michelle Payne.
Stevie Payne and Michelle Payne
“What happened yesterday was so exciting and it’s so nice to see a person with Down Syndrome being presented as a regular guy who’s good at his job,” the organisation’s executive director Tracylee Arestides told AAP.
“Most people with Down Syndrome want to work and most of them can work.
“Stevie’s special because he’s a really good strapper and he’s been doing it for ten years. It’s not having the Down syndrome that makes him special.”
After riding Prince of Penzance to victory at Flemington, Michelle Payne was quick to acknowledge her brother.
“I think it’s a big message out there to everybody, (people with Down Syndrome) can be treated as normal and have such a great life if you allow them to have responsibility and allow them to grow,” she said.
“Stevie is incredible. He can look after himself.”
Prince of Penzance trainer Darren Weir has employed Stevie Payne at his Ballarat stables for a decade.
“He can follow the work sheet, he can saddle them up, he can swim them, hose them and he’s got a great rapport with horses,” Weir told the ABC ahead of the race.
“He’s really enjoyable to have around and I think it’s important for those sorts of kids to get a go at something, and if they get a go they reward you.”
Ms Arestides said there were two common myths about Down Syndrome – that everyone who has it is the same and that they all have the same intellectual disability.
“A lot of people still think in that medical model and it’s not a really helpful way to look at people and their abilities,” she said. “Years ago people (with Down Syndrome) used to go into onerous programs.
“The absolute best thing for a child with Down Syndrome is to be loved, accepted and brought up in their family.”
“It was just so lovely to see that in action yesterday.”
