Enjoy the journey

Katie is the mom of Houston Vandergriff, a world renown photographer with Down Syndrome. The following is her story, from diagnosis day to changing the world through following her son's passion.

- Katie Vandergriff

When our son, Houston, was born 26 years ago, each consecutive doctor came in with worse news than the last. Houston had jaundice, difficulty breathing, low muscle tone, a hole in his heart, Down syndrome. Each specialist had a long list of things Houston would struggle with or never do.

TURNING A DIAGNOSIS UPSIDE DOWN

Despite the doctors' dire predictions, today our family joins Houston on his journey to be a globe-trotting photographer, entrepreneur and influencer. Houston has travelled to 27 countries, 49 of the 50 United States and five Canadian provinces. His award-winning photos have been in magazines and books and have been shown in galleries in seven countries.

When Houston was born, the geneticist told us that people with Down syndrome "wear it on their face." As an exhausted and overwhelmed new mom, I thought that was a horrible thing to say and I cried for days. We have since discovered what the doctor meant is that, unlike many disabilities, Houston's Down syndrome is visible. That can honestly be a very good thing. Inclusive clients who wish to show how they are embracing differences can use Houston's story to showcase the fact that diversity includes disability. One of Houston's first influencer clients was Amazon.

Our progress has not happened overnight: it's a result of just hanging in there, having fun and staying connected. In 2021, we started selling his fine art photos online through his website, www.downsandtowns.​com. In 2022, Houston sold his first digital collectible photographs (i.e. NFT). In 2023, he was named by NFT NOW to the NFT100 as one of the top creative influencers in the world. And in 2024, he was named as one of only nine Nikon Creator Official Partners in the United States.