Karate champ helps challenge disability stereotypes amid calls for reform

A young karate champion is proving that Down syndrome does not need to be a barrier to success in sport or in life amid a growing campaign for better facilities and opportunities for people with different abilities and additional needs in the Cayman Islands.

Jefferson Sampang Jacob took home a gold medal at the Suzuki Cup in Dallas, Texas – the latest achievement in a karate career that has seen the 11-year-old compete for Cayman on the international stage.

His accomplishments, together with the work of nonprofit T21 NPO – named for Trisomy 21, the medical term for Down syndrome – are helping to change perceptions of what is possible for someone with the condition.

The non-profit is advocating for more funding to improve the Sunrise Adult Training Centre and fund staff to enable it to be open to all clients five days a week.

They are also campaigning for an expansion of insurance coverage to make critical therapies available and affordable for people with disabilities.

The call comes as millions of people across the globe, including in Cayman, pulled on colourful mismatched socks last week for the ‘Rock Your Socks’ event to celebrate diversity and inclusion on World Down Syndrome Day.

Both Jefferson and 16-year-old Josiah Estrella appeared on Compass TV last week, and scores of people took to the streets in Camana Bay over the weekend for the second annual Walk Run Scoot Push in aid of the non-profit co-founded by their mothers, Kesrene Estrella-Dabrio and Desiree Jacob.

Jacob said, “As parents, we thought it was important to create an NPO to raise awareness about Down syndrome, but also to raise funding for much-needed assistance for families to meet medical costs, therapeutic costs and to access the community through social programmes and athletic programmes to build life skills.”

She said it was a common misconception that children with Down syndrome could not take part in everyday activities.

“They can have conversations, they can compete, they can be part of all kinds of social programmes, including karate, horseback riding, basketball, football. I mean, it goes on. There’s no limit for them.”

Her son Jefferson is proof of that. He appeared on Daybreak to showcase some of his skills and talk about his medal-winning performances.

“I like my team, I train very hard and practice, practice,” he said.

Beyond the mat

Coach Patrick Brendel said Jefferson trains with the Cayman Islands National Karate Association national team twice a week and follows his own five-day-a-week training schedule. He has attained his brown belt, won silver at a tournament in Orlando, and claimed gold in December in Texas.

“We’re very proud of Jeffy and his accomplishments,” said Brendel. “For Jeffy … Down syndrome is only a small part of who he is as a person. His character really is his kindness – he’s funny, gets along with everybody on the team and has resilience and determination.”

Estrella-Dabrio, mother to Josiah, said families of children with Down syndrome still face stigma and misunderstandings.

She said the non-profit worked to educate the community and provide financial aid to families.

“We want to bridge the gap between insurance coverage and the out-of-pocket expenses that families have to pay.”

Push for improved legislation

The founders of T21 NPO say that the challenges facing people with Down syndrome and others with additional needs in Cayman extend far beyond awareness.

Jacob said a recent government report found that 15% of the Caribbean population has some form of disability. In the Cayman Islands, that figure rises to around 22%.

The non-profit would also like to see full enactment of the Disabilities (Solomon Webster) Act, which was introduced in part in 2016, but has never been fully implemented.

“We need to lobby for an adequate budget to expand facilities like Sunrise Adult Training Centre and to ensure there is enough staff to operate and facilitate all persons with different abilities five days a week,” she said.

Jacob added that insurance coverage for therapies, including occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, applied behavioural analysis and physiotherapy, has not kept pace with rising costs, with coverage rates unchanged for a decade.