Abigail Adams

With her upbeat attitude and many accomplishments, Abigail Adams motivates people to respect those with intellectual disabilities.

- By Melissa Hart

ADVOCATE FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL DISABILITIES

When Abigail Adams was a baby, she began losing weight. Pediatricians diagnosed her with "failure to thrive," which means she wasn't growing like she should. It turned out Adams has Down syndrome. That's a genetic condition caused by an extra copy of one's 21st chromosome. It results in a variety of developmental issues including low muscle tone and intellectual disability. After Adams' diagnosis, her parents worked very hard to help her gain weight and grow-and it worked! When she was a child, it took Adams a little longer than her non-disabled peers to learn to walk and swim and ride a bike, as well as to read and write.

But there's no stopping her now. At 23, she's the first woman with Down syndrome to complete a sprint triathlon. This Team USA event includes a half-mile (800 m) swim, a 10.2-mile (16 km) bike ride, and a 3.1-mile (5 km) run.

Adams lives in Florida with her family. She has appeared in commercials for Disney World, Universal Studios, and Nike. She's modeled at New York Fashion Week. And she's given speeches to Google executives and in front of thousands of spectators at the 2022 Special Olympics USA Games. With her upbeat attitude, she motivates people around the world to change their perspectives about those with intellectual disabilities.