Claire Minett – Living With Mosaic Down Syndrome

Claire Minett

Claire Minett Interview – Huffington Post UK

Claire Minett is a young woman who has Mosaic Downs Syndrome a rare form of Down’s Syndrome accounting for between 2-4% of all those diagnosed with Downs Syndrome. Claire is now 38, and experiences barriers to learning and social understanding, which have affected her educational experiences, relationships and employment. But she is sensitive, she is articulate and she understands much more than perhaps others might assume.

Dr Jo Mitchell went to school with Claire in 1989. Jo has a keen interest in supporting children, families and young people who experience disability, disadvantage and vulnerability. Knowing Claire since she was aged 11 and the barriers she faced, Jo wanted to understand more of her story. The interview has been published in The Huffington Post UK.

Within the interview, Jo and Claire reflect together about the trials and tribulations of growing up with MDS from childhood, to relationships, to employment. Claire is open and incredibly honest. Claire’s life reveals a misunderstood but fabulous personality but shrouded in the cloak of disability.

The article raises questions about how society supports adults with disabilities into employment, and we are left wondering how Claire will fulfill her dreams of getting into the entertainment industry. But crucially it paints a new picture of disability; the voice of a bubbly young woman who has worked hard to be resilient and stay true to who she is, despite the disability. The interview is sensitive to the parents and young people out there who understand and live with Downs Syndrome every day. You can read Jo’s interview with Claire here in The Huffington Post UK.