A Conversation with Kris Foster, a Proudly Autistic and Down Syndrome Advocate

Disabled and Proud

Brooke meets Kris Foster, who shares his personal journey as a disabled individual and his journey towards self-acceptance and self-love. He proudly identifies as autistic and has a form of Down syndrome called Arslaugh syndrome. Kris emphasises the importance of embracing one's disability and not letting it define them. He also discusses the need for unity within the disabled community and the power of collaboration to bring about change.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

Disability is an umbrella term: Disability is an umbrella term that encompasses a wide range of conditions and experiences.

There is huge importance in recognising one's worth and not letting society's perceptions define you.

Representation matters: The podcast highlights the significance of representation in media and society. It discusses the lack of representation of disabled people and the importance of creating spaces where disabled voices are heard and valued.

Kris shares his personal experiences of bullying, discrimination, and health challenges, highlighting the importance of resilience, setting goals, and not letting past experiences define one's future.

BEST MOMENTS

"I'm proudly autistic. I proudly have a syndrome, it's a form of Down syndrome called Arslaugh syndrome."

"We're in such a time right now where our difference is so significant and I think it's so empowering that why we do these have these conversations it's not just necessarily for the disabled community but on a wider audience for the non-disabled community to understand a little bit more about us."

"I think the fact of the matter is the previous company that I worked for, I think they took one look at me and thinking, well, this disabled person doesn't know anyone. We can kind of palm him off, make him a fraudulent redundancy. But they don't realise that I have friends that are not disabled."

"I started Open Book to encourage myself, not realising it was going to encourage hundreds, if not thousands of people worldwide."

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/disabled-and-proud/id1621152878

Disabled and Proud is the show that brings listeners a different perspective on disability. Each week this podcast highlights an awesome disabled guest speaking about their own disability; why they are proud to be disabled and why they are proud to be themselves.

The conversations in this show will look at what challenges these amazing people face socially, mentally, physically and life in general. This show is raw, open, honest, funny, welcoming and educational.

Disabled & Proud does exactly what it says on the tin! And whilst we are creating this space for disabled people to be unashamedly themselves, without the need to conform to society, this is also not about toxic positivity. This show will be shining a big, bright light on disability without it being “Paralympic or pity”.

As you will hear disability is WHOLE, COMPLETE & PERFECT and whilst the topic of disability can be quite heavy - and we definitely don't shy away from the bad days - this podcast is also about having fun too! Our aim is to play a part in reclaiming the word disability - turning it from inadequacy to perfection!

INSTAGRAM! https://www.instagram.com/disabledandproudpodcast/?hl=en: https://www.instagram.com/disabledandproudpodcast/?hl=en