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[h=4]ADA at work: Two girls with Down Syndrome honored at White House summit[/h]Megan and Devon both have Down syndrome, but they want everyone to know that is not even half of their story. Devon, 18, was a three-year varsity cheerleader, an aquarium docent, and also once taught
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Devon Adelman and Megan Bomgaars both have Down syndrome, but they want everyone to know that's not even half of their story. Despite their hurdles, Adelman and Bomgaars are both continuing their story past high school to attend college this fall. Collin Brennan, Trisha Thadani, USA TODAY
Devon Adelman and Megan Bomgaars are attending college this fall(Photo: Collin Brennan, USA TODAY)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Devon Adelman and Megan Bomgaars both have Down syndrome,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>but they want everyone to know that's not even half of their story.
Adelman, an 18-year-old from Seattle, was a three-year varsity cheerleader, an aquarium docent<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and also once traveled to Vietnam to teach English. Bomgaars, who<span style="color: Red;">*</span>lives by the motto "don't limit me,"<span style="color: Red;">*</span>is a 22-year-old who started her own business, Megology,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>selling her own line of handmade products,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and is also<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a public speaker.
Despite their hurdles, Adelman and Bomgaars are both<span style="color: Red;">*</span>continuing their story past high school to attend<span style="color: Red;">*</span>college this fall.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Adelman, who fell in love with the ocean at age 2, will be studying marine biology at Highline Community College, while Bomgaars, a tiny figure with a big personality, will study film at<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the University of Colorado.
Just a<span style="color: Red;">*</span>few days before the Americans with<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Disabilities Act of 1990 celebrates its 25th anniversary Sunday, the two girls<span style="color: Red;">*</span>walked into the White House on Thursday, joined by about 140 other college-bound students for Michelle Obama's 2015 Beating the Odds Summit.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>This summit was a part of the first lady's Reach Higher initiative, in which she encourages students to overcome their struggles and continue their education past high school.
USA TODAY
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From struggling with homelessness to tackling<span style="color: Red;">*</span>racial barriers,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>the college-bound attendees came from diverse backgrounds.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Adelman and Bomgaars were the only "differently abled" students at the summit.
"I want to be included" Bomgaars, who lives in Colorado, said. "I realize I am doing something good. I love who I am with Down syndrome, and I support people with it, and I am so happy that I can help<span style="color: Red;">*</span>change their lives."
Considering the accomplishments of the two girls — ranging from Adelman speaking at the United Nations for World<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Down Syndrome Day, to Bomgaars strutting down a fashion<span style="color: Red;">*</span>runway<span style="color: Red;">*</span>— Michelle Sie<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Whitten, CEO of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation, said these girls are a good example of the ADA's potential.
The ADA<span style="color: Red;">*</span>has been hailed<span style="color: Red;">*</span>as a "bill of rights" and<span style="color: Red;">*</span>"an emancipation proclamation" for disabled people.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>This landmark federal law is aimed at breaking down social and employment barriers for people with disabilities, whether that be in terms of education, transportation<span style="color: Red;">*</span>or communication.
Devon and her mom, Sue Adelman, before the White House event<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Sue Adelman)
David Charmatz, senior vice president of the Global Down Syndrome Foundation,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>even though the legislation has been in action for 25 years and has made significant changes to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>society, it still has a long way to go<span style="color: Red;">*</span>in the workforce.
"The system needs to understand that the world has changed, and it is time to re-look at a new population<span style="color: Red;">*</span>and see what everyone can achieve," Charmatz<span style="color: Red;">*</span>said. "In the next 25 years, we're going to see a major sea change in how the world is coming together in how we accept different people."
According to U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the employment-population ratio for people with a disability declined from<span style="color: Red;">*</span>17.6% to 17.1% from 2013 to 2014. In contrast, the ratio for those with no disability increased from 64% to 64.6% that same year.
Civil rights issues have dominated headlines this year, but the issues around the disability community continue to be overshadowed, according to<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Will Reeve,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>a board member of the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation, which supports and advocates for people with physical disabilities.
"While there have been significant strides thanks to the ADA, we have only scratched the surface on reaching true equality for the<span style="color: Red;">*</span>56.7 million Americans<span style="color: Red;">*</span>living with disabilities," he wrote in an editorial in<span style="color: Red;">*</span>USA TODAY. "Instead of simply praising what this law has accomplished, we must use this anniversary as a launch pad to safeguard the rights of individuals living with disabilities so that equality becomes part of our everyday existence."
Adelman and Bomgaars said<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Thursday's White House summit was another chance for them to share what all people with disabilities —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>not just Down syndrome —<span style="color: Red;">*</span>are capable of,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>if given the chance.
E! News co-anchor Terrence Jenkins hosted a panel with Michelle Obama, Manuel Contreras, a rising senior at Brown University, local rapper Wale, and Education Secretary Arne Duncan.<span style="color: Red;">*</span>(Photo: Collin Brennan, USA TODAY)
Michelle Obama<span style="color: Red;">*</span>spoke animatedly at the event, and reminded the roomful<span style="color: Red;">*</span>of students that education is an access to power.
"Rather than thinking that you're from two different worlds from everyone else, with an education you can be the bridge between the two," she said, while Adelman and Bomgaars sat in the front row, star-struck at the sight of the first lady.
Then, near the end of the event, President Obama made a surprise guest appearance to inspire the students with a few words of encouragement.
"If a boy born in Hawaii named Barack Obama can become the president of the United States ... then there is nothing you can't do," he said.
Outside the White House, shortly after the day-long event had come to an end,<span style="color: Red;">*</span>Adelman was teeming with emotion.
"Education is definitely important in this world, and people need to have a chance to be educated ... at their own pace," she said. "I stand for what people can do to improve our world."
Follow USA TODAY reporter Trisha Thadani on Twitter: @TrishaThadani
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