It had always been this young Frenchwoman’s dream to present the weather – and thanks to over 200,000 people, her wish was granted.
21-year-old Mélanie Segard, who has Down syndrome, presented the weekend weather forecast on the national public television channel France 2 on Tuesday night.
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Her goal, she says, was to show everyone that a person with disabilities was capable of performing services that able-bodied people could do – on national television, no less.
Her accomplishment is credited to the creation of a Facebook campaign titled ”Mélane peut le faire” – or “Mélanie can do it” in English. Created by Unapei, a charity that assists people with disabilities, the page garnered over 225,000 likes in support of Mélanie’s mission.
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Despite not being able to read or write, representatives say that Segard’s stellar performance has opened doors for disabled people nationwide.
“Symbolically, it’s very strong that a young woman with an intellectual disability can come before millions of French people to do something that is close to her heart. This shows that these people have abilities,” Unapei’s president Luc Gateau told French newspaper La Croix.
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