Zoe Perryman, opens up on TV about her quest for love

By Anna Young from Kent Online:
A young woman proved all you need is love when she found happiness on a TV dating show for people with disabilities.
Self-confessed hopeless romantic Zoe Perryman, from Maidstone, has Down’s syndrome. She has two engagements under her belt but her failed relationships only make her more determined to find ‘the one’.
More than a million viewers tuned in to Channel 4 last Thursday to watch the 24-year-old take a chance on The Undateables.

The series follows a group of hopefuls with learning or physical difficulties on their quest for romance.

Zoe was set-up with 32-year-old Nsimba Lupepe, from Ashford.

The pair’s first date was at Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey and their second meeting was at Embankments, formerly the Barge, which floats on the River Medway in Maidstone. And five months after the episodes were filmed in September, the couple are still together. Zoe said: “It’s going really well. I go to see him and he comes to see me. I’ve met his family and he’s met my parents and some of my friends. He’s really nice. We’re very happy and just seeing how things go.”

Sexuality and Down Syndrome

from NDSS:

Human sexuality encompasses an individual's self-esteem, interpersonal relationships and social experiences relating to dating, marriage and the physical aspects of sex.

Sexuality & Down Syndrome

This section seeks to answer common questions about the important issue of sexuality and Down syndrome.

Read More

Social and Sexual Education

An interview with Leslie Walker-Hirsch, M.Ed., FAAMR, about the importance of a social/sexual education for individuals with Down syndrome.

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When Bill met Shelley: No disability could keep them apart

By Ellen McCarthy from the Washington Post:
"If you're that in love, age doesn't mean a thing. Even though my mind was young and my heart was young -- somewhere inside my head I was mentally old enough."
–Bill Ott
“You know that scene in 'Dirty Dancing' where Baby meets Johnny for the first time? It was kind of like that."
–Shelley Belgard
***
BILL OTT WILL always remember the moment he met Shelley Belgard. It was in spring 1988. He was 12 and sometimes shy. Into music, sports and, suddenly, girls.
Shelley was three years older, chatty and outgoing. They'd both shown up at a Montgomery County social club looking for friends, fun and the kind of acceptance that seems so elusive during teen life.
Shelley smiled. Bill introduced himself. And that was it. "I didn't know what love was," he says. "Until I met her."
He was sure it was the real thing, but nobody ever believes that coming from a 12-year-old.
Certainly not one with Down syndrome.
But Bill knew. "If you're that in love, age doesn’t mean a thing," he says. "Even though my mind was young and my heart was young -- somewhere inside my head I was mentally old enough."
And the feeling was mutual. "You know that scene in 'Dirty Dancing' where Baby meets Johnny for the first time? It was kind of like that," remembers Shelley, a petite brunette who was also born with a mental disability. "You're looking at this awesome-looking guy, and you really don't want to blow it. You kind of want to play it safe and not play it safe at the same moment."
He lived in Silver Spring and she was in Potomac, so they exchanged phone numbers. Their parents would drive them to movies and one another's houses. They frequently met at the social club. Throughout high school, they stayed close.

Bill took Shelley to both his junior and senior proms. Each time he rented a tux, and she picked out a fancy new dress. They wrapped their arms around each other to pose for photos and danced all night long. Bill, who grew up going to Catholic Mass every Sunday, told Shelley's mother he would convert to Judaism if that's what it took to be with her.
But after high school, it became more difficult to remain in each other's lives. They moved into assisted-living programs in different parts of the county. There weren't as many social activities to bring them together and, eventually, they lost contact.
But Bill never forgot. He had known true love -- her name was Shelley.

Dreams come true for a special couple

from Mississauga.com by Alex Consiglio:
Michael Arruda put on his best suit three years ago on Christmas Eve, got a ride over to his lifelong friend's home and had her roused from a sound sleep at 12:01 a.m.
Melissa Mancini came down her winding staircase in her robe to find Michael down on one knee with a dozen red roses and a wedding ring.
"What are you doing here?" she asked. Then, suddenly, she realized her dreams were coming true.
Michael and Melissa were married today at St. Catherine of Siena Church in front of more than 400 people.
They are a unique couple. They both have Down Syndrome.
The couple, who have known each other since they were 2-years-old, left the church in a horse and carriage. They rode back to Melissa's father's home behind the Trillium Health Centre.
"Wooooooo, we're married," yelled Melissa, 25. "We did it!"
Melissa said the horse carriage ride back — despite the "stinky" smell — was "amazing and beautiful." It was just what she always dreamed of since deciding more than a decade ago that she would marry Michael.
They've been dating for seven years, but Ellie De Sousa, Michael's mother, said the two have been taking about getting married since they were just 12.
"Michael was always chasing Melissa around," said De Sousa. "Melissa wouldn't give him the time of day until she began to be interested in men, and then it was settled."
De Sousa said Melissa and Michael first met when she founded Peel's Caring Network for Challenged Children with Anna Mancini, Melissa's mother.
The two have been inseparable since.
Moving forward, the newlyweds will alternate living in the Mancini and De Sousa homes, month by month.
"I wasn't nervous at all," said Michael. In fact, his mother was probably more nervous than either him or Melissa.
"I'm married!" yelled Michael, a big smile on his face as he held Melissa's hand.
For their honeymoon, the newlyweds will first head to Niagara Falls before flying to the Dominican Republic, where Melissa's sister will be joining them.
"She won't be sleeping in my room anymore," said Melissa, pointing out to her mother Anna that she's now a married woman.
"It's a real fairy tale story," said Anna.

Click here for wedding photos!