DISABILITIES

By Daniel J. Vance

This is the very last in a short series of popular past columns. This particular column appeared in 2003 and is my all-time favorite. Back to regular fare next week. Here goes:

You may know him as Corky, but actor Chris Burke only played Charles "Corky" Thatcher from 1989-93 on ABC's Life Goes On. He may be the world's most famous person with Down syndrome.

A cell division creating an embryo with three No. 21 chromosomes instead of two causes Down syndrome. An infant with Down syndrome may have an upward eye slant, a flat, small nose, a single, deep crease across the middle of the palm, low muscle tone, and a different ear shape. It is the most frequently noted cause of intellectual disability, though often the disability is mild.

Burke recently was in New York doing work for the National Down Syndrome Society. He's their official "ambassador" and editor of their News & Views, the nation's only magazine written for and by people with Down syndrome.

He struck me as a down-to-earth, likeable, and funny guy.

"Starting my first acting job was like going to school for the first time," said 37-year-old
Burke in a telephone interview. "You see all the difficulties. You get nervous, then scared. But you get over it. Acting can be easy to learn once you first learn what the industry is all about."

And learn he has. Besides Life Goes On, he has had roles on Touched by an Angel, The Commish, Heaven and Hell, Desperate, and Jonathan: The Boy Nobody Wanted. In 1991, Doubleday published his autobiography, A Special Kind of Hero.

"I have had opportunities to do what I have always wanted," said Chris. "And acting has always been my dream."

Asked if having any encouraging words for the 350,000 Americans with Down syndrome, Burke said, "Success is not determined by our disabilities. It's our abilities that count. Just give it your best, work hard, and never give up."

Anyone who has heard him knows he is a naturally gifted speaker. He also tours the U.S. and Canada with musical friends John and Joe DeMasi and has recorded a number of CDs for children.

In 2011, according to chrisburke.com, their music “brings a message of love, inclusion and celebration to the hundreds of concerts, schools, festivals, conferences and conventions that they perform at each year.”

Contact: “Facebook by Daniel J. Vance” [Blue Valley Sod and Palmer Bus Service made this column possible.]