Hi everyone, my name is Sarah Burkett! 

The Licking County Board of DD has asked me to be a part of their new website. 

I love to write and I’m looking forward to sharing with you some of what it’s like to be an adult living with a disability here in central Ohio.  Would you like to know a little about me?

Here are some fun facts.  I’ll tell you more about these things as we get to know each other.  I am 35 years old and live in Granville, in my own apartment in my parents’ house. 

I went to school, mostly in Granville, and graduated from Granville High School in 2004.  After I graduated, I attended the WINGS program at Columbus State and became a self-advocacy ambassador with the People First program. 

Before COVID, I worked one day a week in the service learning office at Denison University, and I hope to go back to work there when it’s safe.  That will be a while, I guess, because the virus is ten times as dangerous for people with Down Syndrome as it is for the average person.  

Besides work, another thing I miss is SPARK, the day program I’ve attended for years.  I haven’t seen my friends there since March and I don’t know when it will be safe to go back.

 For the first couple of months after the pandemic started, I couldn’t even see my husband.  Yes, I’m married.  My husband Jordan and I had a wedding in December of 2018 and we’re very much in love. Now we get to spend weekends together again, and we’re both really happy about it.  Sometime soon I’ll tell you more about married life and why Jordan and I don’t live together full time.

I’m excited to share these stories with you.  What I’d really like to do is write an advice column, so if you have any questions, feel free to ask.  And please tell me more about you and what you’d like to hear about.  I hope we can get to know each other this way, and some day maybe see each other in person.

Here’s what my friend George, who lives in New York City, wants you to know about me: “From the day she was born, Sarah has been an inspiration.  She overflows with empathy, warmth and unfailing kindness.  Her humor and sparkling personality have always drawn people to her.”

So until next time, be safe, wear your mask, and wash your hands.

Sarah Burkett writes from Granville and will be featured on the LCBDD website once a month. If you would like to send her a message or suggestion for a future column, please email anna.jeffries@lcountydd.org and it will be forwarded along to her.