On the 5th day of Christmas I'd like to introduce ...

Dylan Kuehl

26 year old Dylan is an artist, owner of his own artistic business, a Special Olympics Gold Medalist, dancer, musician and a performing artist too.  

In his own words, Dylan describes what his art means to him:

“I am able to express myself with art. I get focused and detailed. When I do my art I feel emotional and passionate and dedicated. My art work builds confidence and it builds character. Down syndrome doesn’t affect my art work. I just show my expressions of being that unique.”

But Dylan's artistry extends beyond painting,  he writes beautifully and with incredible passion.

Sunset
By Dylan Kuehl

I like wearing flashy colored clothes
so I blend with the sunset
The color of my clothes helps me find peace inside
It also means I’m part of the sunset
When I’m meditating
it feels like the colors of the sunset
are flowing thru me
It’s like having a connection of meditation
It makes perfect sense of connection
Sometimes I have anger management
When I look at the picture I feel calm
smelling the sweet air with a cool breeze
What an amazement the sight of a sunset would be
It makes feel like that I’m included to the world

I had the pleasure of meeting Dylan and his family at the World Down Syndrome Congress in Dublin this year.  In fact we were in the same accommodation on the university campus, so I got plenty of opportunities to chat with Dylan.  He is a very vocal and articulate young man with a wicked sense of humour, a thirst for knowledge and a strong wish for society to see beyond labels and look at people as individuals.


During one of our conversations I asked Dylan to tell me what it is like for him to have Down's Syndrome.  He told me that as far as he is concerned it is not a problem, he has a great life and thoroughly enjoys it.  I then asked him if he feels he suffers from it as often reported in the media, he said that he does not suffer from having Down's Syndrome only from the attitudes of some people towards him because he is a little different.

See more of Dylan's artwork on his website DK Arts

Dylan adds: “I want to send a message to the parents by telling them to tell their kids not to be afraid to show their abilities. Show the public—the world—what they can do, and most importantly, show the world how important they are. I want them to feel what I’m feeling. It’s time for them to shine, because they are the future generation. My message is simple. It’s about abilities not disabilities.”