(Kelly) The first goal that was driver's license.
The second was going over to America, to Disneyland.
(Dan) And of course going flatting as well?
And flatting, yeah.
When she was young, Kelly Fitzgerald made a list of goals,
having a full license and driving a car were top of the list.
"Come on!"
And the other one was to get a decent job that I really like.
Like a Girl Friday job in an office.
I'm still looking, but it's hard to find sometimes.
(Dan) And the last goal?
I want to get a boyfriend and try to keep myself happy.
(Dan) Getting her driver's license and owning a car,
has been 31-year old Kelly Fitzgerald's goal ever since she can remember.
According to our information, she's one of only two people in New Zealand
with Down syndrome to have reached this milestone.
Like most things in her life, it was Kelly's older siblings
that got her motivated.
(Kelly) My brothers and sister had their driver's license, I was a bit jealous.
So when I was a teenager, I decided to go for my driver's license.
- (Dan) Who taught you to drive? - My step-uncle Fred.
- (Dan) Yeah? And how hard was it? - I was a bit tense
- (Dan) Did you have to study hard? - Yes
(Dan) So how did you do that? Did you have the Road Code?
The Road Code the scratchies, and then...yeah.
The written was so cool, like, I aced that.
(man) Okay Kelly, what do you want us to do today?
(Dan) Kelly lives in a flat just five minutes from her mum.
She's the youngest of five kids and luckily her three older brothers
also live nearby.
If there's anything goes wrong with the car I always hop on the phone and like,
"Could you come help me?"
I think that's all the lumps are out.
(Dan) When Kelly was born, parents Edna and Bill didn't know
what to expect. They came from large extended families,
ran a busy household, and Kelly just had to fit in.
(Edna Fitzgerald) Well, when we brought her home, of course, things were a bit
fragile and wondering what, how you're going to manage.
(Dan) Their GP advised them
to keep pushing her and just get on with it.
Thirty-odd years ago, that approach to parenting
was considered a little unconventional.
- You just iced it this morning eh? - Yeah.
He just said just keep extending her and that's what we did.
We never made any exceptions for her. She just had toe the line
and do what everybody else did.
I'll have a big piece Kelly.
(Dan) Kelly understands her disability and knows how she wants others
to treat her.
I was born with Down syndrome, that's an extra chromosome
inside my body.
There's nothing wrong with me, but it's just being a normal kid and adult.
How's the pool been going Kelly? The 8-ball?
- The 8-ball? Yeah, quite good. - Yeah?
I have my bad nights and my good nights.
(Dan) One of Kelly's favourite activities is 8-ball.
She plays for a team at the local cozzie club.
Your shot Kelly
(Edna) So she learned really when she was about five,
and then got better, and she loves it.
What's next?
(Edna) We never made any excuses for her
We never said, "Oh look our daughter's got Down syndrome," but she
wants to join us. We just arrived and thought, if she could do it,
we just encouraged her.
Well, Kelly has just cleaned me up. Another example of her "can-do" attitude
and the way she will tackle anything that life throws at her.
- Congrats Kelly! Best two out of three? - Yeah.
Cool! Let's do it.
She just expects people to include her as an equal, and I think a lot of the time
people with disabilities don't have the confidence to do that.
Kelly's parents had a very "matter-of-fact" and "no-nonsense" approach to parenting.
And her mum Edna's now written a book about Kelly's life, called
Born to Succeed.
When mum first had mentioned that she was going to write a book
about me and that, I was a bit... wasn't sure at first,
but now when mum explained it kind of a bit to me
and then I said, I was like "Yeah, go for it."
(Dan) At the launch of Edna's book Kelly made a speech.
I was born with Down syndrome over 30 years ago.
My life has been good.
I have never thought of myself as having a major disability.
And I wrote the book to inspire other parents to do
as we have done, and if they can take one idea out of that book,
to help their child, I think that's all I really wanted.
When I was little, it was my brothers and sister that taught me
a lot of stuff. They treated me like a normal kid
and that's how I thought of myself.
When you first have a Down syndrome baby,
you don't know what the outcome is going to be. We knew nothing
about it.
So we just carried on as though she was normal.
So all in all, life is good.
Good friends, hobbies, work and plenty to keep me busy.
(Dan) How does that make you feel when you see her out driving
and you came around her flat that she's got by herself?
Oh, pretty proud of it. But then I'm proud of all of kids,
and I don't really see her as any different.
It's not hard to give things a go.
Just arrive and say "Hi, I am here. And I want to just join in."
Thank you for everything.
(audience clapping)