My Mother's Strength & our Down Syndrome girl, Tanya

In 1974, when my sister, Tanya, who has Down Syndrome was born they called her a Mongoloid. Institutions were still closing around Australia and a lot of the general public were afraid of people with intellectual disabilities because they were simply not seen. Not on the streets, not in schools, there was obviously no internet back in the day and people who didn’t fit the social norm were certainly not on TV.

So it was no wonder that my father was afraid to take Tanya home from the hospital, in fact the delivering doctor offered to murder Tanya, thinking this would be the right thing for my parents. And many others were of the opinion that Tanya belonged in an institution or asylum.

But none of these people knew the strength of Adriana Quattrocchi, my mum. From the moment Tanya was brought home, Adriana worked day and night to give Tanya every opportunity in this world just like any other child. She had to battle doctors, relatives, friends and schools to give Tanya the life that she deserved.

47 years later, Adriana is telling her story of the ups and downs of raising Tanya in Shepparton, the heartbreak of her moving out of home in her late 20s and the on-going health issues that Tanya faces to this day.

So far, Tanya has had an extraordinary life and it’s all thanks to her tiger mum and her saint, Adriana. 

 Education, Support & Services

Down Syndrome Australia
Disability Australia Hub
Disability Services Australia
National Disability Services   

The Evolution and Devolution of Mental Health Services in Australia - Inquiries Journal
Mental Health Facilities Guide | NSW State Archives
AUSTRALIAN ASYLUMS - Australia's Dark Heart
The Evolution and Devolution of Mental Health Services in Australia - Inquiries JournalPsychiatric Institutions of the Past 

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