By JAN McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Andrew Kish wants others to see his younger brother as he does – brave, silly and strong.
The world will see just that on Saturday, Sept. 6, as a photo of James-Thomas Kish, 13, wearing his Captain America costume and a wide grin, appears on two jumbotron screens in the heart of Times Square in New York City.
The Perrysburg teen’s photo is one of more than 500 shots of children, teens and adults with Down syndrome from all 50 states and 11 countries that will be shown in a one-hour video on the massive screens.
James-Thomas’ photo, taken by Andrew, was chosen from more than 2,600 entries submitted to the National Down Syndrome Society from around the world. The image was one of many taken by Andrew during a deeply personal, year-long college art photography project at Bowling Green State University aimed at challenging stereotypes and promoting acceptance of individuals with disabilities.
“I wasn’t sure what I wanted to focus on,” Andrew said of his photography project. But seeing his brother looking longingly through a fence at children playing on the other side stirred something in Andrew.
So James-Thomas became the focus of Andrew’s project – with the goal being to chip away at stereotypes that people have about individuals with disabilities.
For a year, the brothers set out to find settings for photos.
“I took my camera everywhere we went,” Andrew said.
There are photos of James-Thomas eating a burger and fries at Culver’s, walking in parks, shopping at Meijer, putting ornaments on a Christmas tree, playing with Legos, at a shrine, in autumn leaves, sitting cross-legged in a Victorian type chair, and at their grandparents’ house.
In nearly all the photos, Andrew captured expressions of pure joy on his brother’s face.
“There’s joy that shines through in each photo. He’s just like any typical person. This is him every day.”
Andrew chose the Captain America costume photo, taken around Halloween at the Toledo Zoo, to submit for the Times Square video. That particular shot says it all.
“He’s strong. He’s courageous. He’s brave. He tackles whatever comes at him,” Andrew said of James-Thomas. “I see him for who I know he is.”
“Yup, that’s me,” James-Thomas said of the Captain America photo.
Andrew acknowledged that he sometimes feels protective of his brother, especially in cases when people treat him differently or children poke fun.
“I can definitely tell when people don’t want to interact with him. And he knows when people are being rude to him and excluding him.”
Andrew is hoping James-Thomas’ photo in the Down syndrome video breaks through some stereotypes.
“I hope it brings the idea of inclusion when you see someone different from you. It’s exciting. Hopefully it brings about some change in the world and in neighborhoods.”
The two brothers, who have five other siblings, have always been quite close.
“We definitely have a close bond,” Andrew said. “He brings richness to my life and our whole family’s life. He’s like a real life super hero.”
James-Thomas is like any other kid. He has a fondness for playing frisbee. He sends selfies to his siblings on their group chats. And he’s excited about going for rides on his new adaptive electric bike.
“He will be just like any other kid going on a bike ride,” Andrew said.
His younger brother has also been an inspiration for Andrew’s career choice. After graduating from BGSU in August with a major in media and communications, and a minor in photography, Andrew plans to pursue a career as a TV news reporter.
When James-Thomas was younger and going through cancer treatments, a Toledo news station did stories on his journey. That stuck with Andrew.
“I want to tell the stories that mean something,” he said.
The annual National Down Syndrome Society video presentation will be livestreamed on the NDSS Facebook page from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. on Sept. 6.
