Rosie McManus -- a Saco Mom who opens heart and home to those in need

By Gillian Graham
Biddeford-Saco-OOB Courier, October 9, 2008

SACO RESIDENT Rosie McManus' philosophy seems simple: "Anyone, no matter what their abilities, can live a successful life."

McManus, 61, has spent 30 years raising awareness and acceptance for people with special needs, though she shies from taking credit. She became an advocate for people with developmental disabilities after first becoming an advocate for her own child, Marcy, who was born with Down syndrome. It was then that McManus found there was little support for families of children with disabilities.

After meeting another mother from Saco, McManus became involved with the Infant Development Center in Portland, where she brought Marcy for therapy. There, she met other families and found a community that supported each other. The parents began meeting with their children, but eventually formed a group for themselves to listen to guest speakers and attend conferences to gather information.

McManus said finding out a child has developmental disabilities is not easy for families.

"It's absolutely devastating," she said. "I consider myself extremely fortunate that Marcy was born with Down syndrome because I knew from birth she was going to have challenges."

Along with a group of mothers, McManus helped found the Down Syndrome Guild of Maine, which has since disbanded. Members provided each other with resources and information and, most importantly, they advocated for preschool services, she said. The children also got to know each other and McManus said some are still friends as adults.

As Marcy approached kindergarten age, a general movement to integrate people with disabilities into classrooms was spreading across the area, McManus said.

"At that time, kids with Marcy's abilities would have gone to Biddeford to a contained classroom," she said. "That's not what I wanted for Marcy. I wanted her to connect with the community, to go to school like a normal Saco kid."

After much discussion, Marcy started kindergarten at Young School, where she attended through second grade and "did fairly well."

"My thought at the time was, 'What is going to carry over for the rest of her life?' It might have been as simple as getting along," she said. "Honestly, it's the little things in life that are sometimes most difficult."

McManus said she learned a number of things -- including patience -- from Marcy, who died six years ago at 23.

"You learn how to adapt and manage situations without letting it get you down," she said.

She also learned to appreciate Marcy's sense of humor, which some people may not have understood.

"She had a great smile and I think she truly enjoyed life. She wanted to be a part of everything she could be a part of," she said. "After she died, there was something missing in my life. That spirit of challenging behavior was gone. I felt like we had something to offer."

What McManus and her husband Steve had to offer was a home and support for those who needed it. After attending a seminar about shared living, she began working with Living Innovations, a human-service agency for the elderly and people with developmental disabilities, to bring people with disabilities into her home to live.

Now in her fourth year of shared living, McManus said she has had as many as 20 people come for short stays and about six people stay for longer periods of time. Her job is to support them and share in their life and activities while helping them achieve their goals.

"It's just another member of our family," she said.

Currently, McManus has a 20-year-old woman with a learning disability and other challenges staying with her. The woman now has more friends than ever and is doing "very well," McManus said.

McManus also maintains contact with a man who once lived in her home.

"It's important for me to see he's still OK. But it's more important for him to see there are people who support him," she said. "I take someone in my home. I care about them and hopefully we can set an example to help them achieve whatever goals they set for themselves."

McManus has been an active volunteer and advocate, often spreading a message of tolerance.

"I think a lot people are very compassionate and have empathy, but have little tolerance and little patience for someone with a difference," she said. "People are busy with their own stories and don't need more drama. It's not that they don't care, I think most people do."

In 1986, McManus helped launch "The Kids on the Block" puppet show in southern Maine. With grants from the Department of Health and Human Services, the Down Syndrome Guild of Maine bought puppets from "The Kids on the Block" national program. Volunteer puppeteers trained with the national troupe before visiting elementary schools in York and Cumberland counties.

The show, which ran through 2000, featured six life-size puppets, four with disabilities and two without. Using a script, puppeteers taught children about differences and helped them understand everyone faces challenges.

"Everyone is unique. Sometimes that uniqueness is a disability," McManus said.

McManus said children were very responsive to the puppets and interacted with the show, including learning sign language from puppet Ronaldo Rodriguez, who is visually impaired and wears a Braille watch. Other puppets include Mark, who has cerebral palsy and uses a wheelchair; Ellen Jane who has Down syndrome; Mandy, who is hearing impaired; Brenda, who has divorced parents; and Melodie, who is African-American and addresses race issues.

McManus said she still receives calls from area schools interested in hosting a performance. She is currently looking for volunteer puppeteers to spend a couple weeks learning scripts, then performing for children. Anyone interested should call her at 283-0779.

McManus has been recognized for her volunteer work with a number of awards, including a Presidential Point of Light volunteer award and Parent of the Year award from Southern Maine Parent Awareness. In 2003, she traveled to New York after being chosen by Lifetime Television to receive a lifetime achievement award as "Hometown Hero of New England."

"I think it's nice, I appreciate [the awards]," she said. "I wouldn't do it if I didn't want to. I didn't do anything special. There are so many people who do so much more."