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By KATIE WANG; Times Leader Staff Writer
Friday, March 06, 1998 Page: 3A
Like most young basketball players, 10-year-old Bobby Redinski Jr. wants to
be the next Michael Jordan. As a member of the Dallas youth basketball team,
he can dribble the ball effortlessly down the court and score when it counts.
Unlike most kids, Bobby has Down syndrome, which makes him sometimes
difficult to understand, and affects his respiratory system. Despite these
impediments, Bobby is a welcomed and popular member in the community, said his
parents, Bobby and Marion Redinski.
Success stories like that of Bobby, of Shavertown, are being highlighted
during March, which is Mental Retardation Awareness Month. About 200 people
celebrated the month with a breakfast at Shadowbrook Resort, Tunkhannock, on
Thursday morning and spent the day in self-determination workshops.
“This month allows us to pause in daily routines and reflect on life and
the quality of life for people in these counties with mental retardation,”
said James Gallagher, administrator for the Luzerne-Wyoming Counties Mental
Health and Mental Retardation program.
Keynote speaker and Wilkes-Barre native Ellen Cummings defined
self-determination as the freedom to decide how we live our lives. Cummings is
a national consultant launching self-determination projects in several states
for people with mental retardation.
“The journey to self-determination helps awaken them to live the life they
were born to live; to figure out how they want to live it and where they want
to live it,” Cummings said.
The steps toward self-determination include the ability to dream, build
relationships and to control their lives, she said.
In Bobby Redinski’s case, control over his life began when Marion Redinski
insisted that her son be placed in a normal kindergarten class.
“The teachers at first were really scared of having him go to their
classrooms because they didn’t know how to deal with it,” Marian Redinski
said.
The younger Redinski is a half-grade below his reading level and receives
speech therapy; otherwise he has excelled academically and socially thanks to
teachers and students, said Bobby Redinski, Sr.
“It’s phenomenal,” Bobby Redinski, Sr. said. “A lot of parents say they’re
so happy to see Bobby in their class because they want their kids to see
handicap kids can be