April 12, 2008 7:08 AM
Farewell to a beautiful young lady with Down syndrome: Melissa Riggio
Melissa Riggio dies at 20; Inspired changes in bookselling, publishing
April 8th, 2008Melissa Riggio, whose life helped prompt the publishing industry to pay more attention to the expanding market of people with disabilities and their families, died Monday of leukemia, her family announced today. The daughter of Barnes & Noble CEO Steve Riggio, she was 20.
Ms. Riggio, who had Down syndrome, was the inspiration for Barnes & Noble’s creation of a special section of books about children with special needs. In ">an interview with the New York Times in 1991, Mr. Riggio said he realized after his daughter’s birth that books about children with disabilities were scarce and often difficult to locate.
Read entire article here.
See also New test for Down syndrome: Good news or bad? for links to other individuals with Down syndrome who were voted homecoming queen or king at their schools.
People with Down syndrome are a valuable part of our community - they change the lives of those privileged to know them.
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