Woman overcomes odds, leads full life

For Betsy Higgins, leading a normal life is defying the odds, as she lives with the developmental disorder Down syndrome.\nDown syndrome is a genetic condition that causes delays in intellectual and physical development, and occurs in about one of every 800 births, according to the National Association for Down Syndrome. \nToday, although some of her abilities are affected by Down syndrome, she enjoys many of the same activities and deals with many of the same day-to-day pressures as other 32-year-olds. She successfully juggles the responsibilities of her job at T.I.S. Bookstore, both paid and volunteer work at the not-for-profit Stone Belt Arc, located on 10 Street, and singing in her church choir at Sherwood Oaks Christian Church -- not to mention having fun with family and friends.\nOn an average day, she spends her mornings at Stone Belt, involved in the organization's day services, which are designed to support individuals with developmental disorders. Then it's off to her job at T.I.S. until she comes home to watch the soap opera "Days of Our Lives" with her housemates and decide how to spend the rest of her night.\nShe likes to go out to eat and go to the movies for fun, she said, and she spends a lot of time with her boyfriend Ronnie Sipes and her best friend Robbie Denning.\n"She knows she has limitations, and she likes to do the best with what she's got, and I think that's pretty much how she'd summarize it," her father David Higgins said.\nBetsy's parents ignored suggestions to put Betsy in an institution when she was a child. Instead, they worked to understand their daughter's condition and encourage her development.\nThe key was to stimulate her to promote her own growth, David said.\nThey urged her to get involved in different activities, and she did, with everything from Girl Scouts to a cheer club to ballet and singing.\n"I'd say she was very active," David recalled.\nBetsy's parents, David and Cynthia, divorced in 1993, and David moved to Florida, then to Bloomington. In 1996, Betsy moved to Bloomington to live with her father. Shortly after moving, she became involved with Stone Belt. Within a year, a career placement service Stone Belt provides helped Betsy land a job at T.I.S. Bookstore, where she still works.\nShe took another big step toward independence two years ago, when she moved into a 24-hour staffed house with five housemates through Stone Belt's group home living program. \nOnce adjusted to the new environment, Betsy thrived in the social atmosphere, where she still lives. As with most housemates, the residents learn to work with each other, which means, for now, dealing with a new housemate who is having some trouble adjusting.\nBetsy's relationships are extremely important to her, and she is very sensitive to arguments and issues that arise among her friends.\n"It affects everyone to be friendly and communicate without being angry with each other, and keeping friendships alive," she said.\nShe puts her insights on friendliness and good communication to use, too, as a self-advocate for others with developmental disorders. Betsy just finished a term on Stone Belt's board of directors, a client-elected position, and still serves on the consumer advisory council. \nLast year, she spoke with Bloomington's state Rep. Peggy Welch about her involvement at Stone Belt, and she has another speaking engagement lined up for later this fall.\nShe likes to do those things, she said, because she likes to represent the consumers, the individuals Stone Belt helps.\nBetsy finds inspiration for her life in the people around her -- family, friends and people from her church. \nShe finds strength to do many things from God, she said, and being involved at Sherwood Oaks, especially singing in the choir, is very important to her. Her headphones, always on or resting around her neck at Stone Belt, flood her with Christian music while she works.\nUltimately, Betsy hopes to become a gospel singer someday, she said.\nStacey Ryner, a Stone Belt staff member, works with Betsy and other clients like her. She tells story after story of other individuals, who, like Betsy, are learning to live up to their highest potential, whether that means learning to brush their teeth or to live in an apartment on their own.\n"For the most part, they're adults and they make their own decisions," Ryner said. "You know, they're not that different from us"