Metro Atlanta teen is creating a program to make sure teens with Down syndrome are included

ROSWELL, Ga. (Atlanta News First) – A Girl Scout is receiving the organization’s highest award for a program that brings people together in Roswell. Her idea? Create a space where people with Down syndrome can meet a wide range of people in their community and feel included.

Everybody’s somebody at Gigi’s Playhouse in Roswell.

“Gigi’s Playhouse is an outreach center for people with Down syndrome, and our mission is to change the way the world views Down syndrome,” said Howie Rosenberg, executive director of Gigi’s Playhouse.

They provide services that some parents find difficult to access.

“It’s so hard to get services, it’s either insurance issues or waiting lists or there’s denial, and a place like Gigi’s Playhouse doesn’t offer any barriers,” Rosenberg said.

The Georgia teenager arrived at Gigi’s Roswell with a program she developed called “bEquals.”

“This is for my Girl Scout Gold Award, which is the highest award a Girl Scout can get, it’s the Boy Scout equivalent of an Eagle Scout,” said 16-year-old Nora Michaelis.

The program unites people with Down syndrome and people without it.

“The Nora bEquals program has been incredible for us. People with Down syndrome or any other disability are often excluded from their neurotypical peers. A lot of times when they’re younger, they’re still invited to events, birthday parties, soccer games, and all that good stuff. But once they become teenagers, they really start to separate,” Rosenberg said.

Michaelis is pushing the program forward with an effort to place it in Gigi’s Playhouses across the country.

“The goal of bEquals is to create an environment where relationships can form, grow and last,” Michaelis said.