Meet Angela Bettoni- writer, actress & advocate with Down’s Syndrome
TAASC caught up with Angela Bettoni, a 19-year-old writer, actress and advocate with Down’s Syndrome. Angela, who has already published a number of books, has been living in Malta since 2013. Her passion for drama was clear from a young age, in fact, Angela continued to study in this area, while also advocating for inclusion in performing arts.
We look forward to watching her career unfold. Angela is currently doing some units of the BA in Performing Arts.
Angela was interviewed by Ms Veronica Montanaro, on behalf of TAASC
For those who don't yet know you, can you please introduce yourself?
Hi, I’m Angela and I’m a 19-year-old writer, actress and advocate with Down’s Syndrome. I have just finished my Advanced Diploma in Performing Arts at MCAST Mosta. This year I’m doing some of the units of the BA in Performing Arts.
You have already published four books and I am fortunate to have read two of them. What inspired you to write these books? Do you have plans to continue to write?
It actually began when I used to live in Rome. I used to make up stories for my parents in the car on the way to my grandparents’ house in Tuscany. They told me to write them down on paper which was exactly what I did. I was only 8 years old. As a Communion present my family pulled together and I got my first book. It was about a brother and sister and was called ‘Adventures of Edmund and Martha’. A couple of years later I wrote my second book called ‘More Adventures of Edmund and Martha’.
By the time we moved to Malta, I began to write more and I published two more books. One was called ‘A mermaid in two worlds’ and the other ‘Martha goes to boarding school’. All my books are available on Amazon.
I have been continuing to write even more and now I have my own series (but unpublished). In 2020 I began a mentorship programme with Arkbound Foundation, UK with a great mentor who has helped me to write my memoir and my 5th book called ‘Cameron’s Choice’ which I’m currently looking to publish. On the sidelines, I have been working on two Young Adult books.
You've experienced situations in which others have treated you in a way that was patronising. What message would you pass on to the public about making such assumptions?
What I have experienced sometimes is people who have low expectations of me. The message which I would like to give people is to see the abilities and strengths that I have, not the weaknesses and the limitations that I may have.
Over the past years, you have become an inspirational advocate for Down’s Syndrome. What has driven you to take on this role?
Back in 2013 when I moved to Malta I didn’t even know that I had Down’s Syndrome because my parents had decided not to tell me yet about it. This is because they thought I had nothing to gain from knowing at that stage. But I was attending the Special Olympics training for swimming and when it was time for the parents to come and pick up the children, I was with my mum and she brought it up very casually to tell me that I have Down’s Syndrome, but it went over my head. At first, I was not comfortable identifying myself with Down’s Syndrome. Only in 2019 after I did an Erasmus + mobility exchange in an inclusive theatre called Chickenshed London, and joined the Opening Doors Malta theatre group which is for adults with disabilities, did I start beginning to advocate for inclusion in performing arts. But the point is that even though I know that I have Down’s Syndrome, for me it’s only a part of me, and it doesn’t define who I am.
What challenges have you faced?
I haven’t faced discrimination but what I have faced are sometimes people’s low expectations of me and them seeing me only as someone with Down’s Syndrome.
And what are the most promising aspects of your work that you feel you are achieving?
Things I have done for raising awareness so far that I am proud of are my blog for Opening Doors, the interview I had with Agenzia Żgħażagħ, and participating in World Disability Day in 2019 and in 2020. My new project was a music video for World Down Syndrome Day 2021, that I did with 5 friends, with and without Down’s Syndrome. We sing the song ‘Wear your crown’ from the Netflix movie ‘The Prom’. I was able to pay for the video editor from the sale of my books on Amazon.
What do you think can be done to improve the level of awareness of Down’s Syndrome in society?
I would say disabilities in general not just Down’s Syndrome. I think that inclusion should start from an early age especially through theatre so that children can grow up in a diverse environment.
You're young and you have already achieved plenty, as an individual and on behalf of people with Down’s Syndrome. What is your greatest ambition?
My greatest ambition is for one of my stories to be turned into a movie!
You can follow Angela’s work by clicking on any of the links below.
Webpage at: https://angelabettoni.net/
Facebook Writer’s page at:
https://www.facebook.com/Angela-Bettoni-Writer-with-Downs-Syndrome-107653574331072
Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/angelabettoni18/?hl=en
YouTube: “6 Teens, 3 Extra Chromosomes, 1 Message | World Down Syndrome Day 2021 | Wear Your Crown” video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OzDLQcqdg4&t=4s
Down’s Syndrome Awareness Month, 2020: Interview webcast on FaceBook by Agenzija Zghazagh: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zw9XDzWrmYs
World Down Syndrome Day (WDSD) is marked each year on March 21, beginning in 2006. The 21st day of March (the 3rd month of the year) was selected to signify the uniqueness of the triplication (trisomy) of the 21st chromosome which causes Down syndrome. This year, the global theme is “We Connect”. This is something that’s been agreed by lots of countries in a document called the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.