A multitalented young woman with Down’s syndrome
Actor, model, athlete, musician: Tamara Röske is multitalented and gives other young people the courage to fulfil their dreams.
Say what you think. Research what you want. Make art the way you like: everybody in Germany has these freedoms. They are the basis of democracy and protected in Basic Law. Meet young people from Germany who reveal the different ways they experience this freedom.
A day in the life of Tamara Röske needs to be longer than 24 hours - that’s the first thing that comes to mind when this energetic young woman from Stuttgart talks about all her hobbies and part-time jobs. Besides working as a warehouse clerk, she plays the clarinet in two orchestras, pushes herself to the limit in several athletic disciplines at the Special Olympics and in snowshoeing, works as a model in cities like Paris and Berlin, acts in cinema and television films and is a social media influencer. “Tamara has unbelievable amounts of energy,” Antje Röske says about her daughter, who was born with Down’s syndrome 28 years ago.
People with Down’s syndrome, the most common chromosome abnormality, have three rather than two of the chromosome 21, which is why the genetic disorder is also known as “trisomy 21”: “tri” stands for three and “soma” for chromosome. Around five million people worldwide have Down’s syndrome, while around 1,200 children are born with the condition each year in Germany.
A job on the normal employment market
Tamara Röske does not spend most of her week either in the spotlight or in the stadium, however. She works for a wholesaler in Stuttgart as a warehouse clerk 30 hours a week. “They are my family,” is how she describes her co-workers. She talks with great enthusiasm about the fluffy sleeves she pulls over the hot water bottles, and about the packaging she heat-seals. Her mother is proud that she has a permanent job on the normal employment market. “We do not personally know anyone with Down’s syndrome who has achieved this. Tamara is a normal person working a normal job, she’s just one of the many people there. And that’s fantastic,” says her mother.
She would have liked her daughter to have had a bit more normality during her school years, too. Many German schools follow an inclusive approach. For example, there are classes in which all the children are taught together, irrespective of their cognitive and physical abilities. “However, children with special needs often have a special status. They are assigned dedicated educators to supervise them and are not regarded as a completely normal member of the class. I would like such children to be more involved and have a more ordinary daily life,” says Antje Röske.
Germany’s commitment to the rights of people with disabilities
Equal opportunities for people with disabilities is something that the German government takes very seriously. The goal is an inclusive society in which everyone can participate in all areas: at school, at work, in their leisure time. In 2007, Germany was one of the first countries to sign the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. A National Action Plan (NAP 2.0) containing 175 measures in 13 spheres of action governs the implementation of the Convention. Among other things, it stipulates that severely disabled young people should be given intensive preparation for working life. Beyond the Action Plan, a Federal Participation Act was drawn up and adopted in 2017. It provides among other things for young people with disabilities to be given assistance while they are undergoing training.
With passion, dedication and discipline
Through school, Tamara Röske took part in a work-preparation programme and did various internships in a nursery school and a supermarket before finally finding her current job. The young woman is often out and about in her free time. She has enough appointments each week to easily fill the diaries of two adults. But she doesn’t feel stressed. She sees her busy and varied everyday life as a great enrichment. “Tamara is living life to the full. She has worked hard to get the freedoms and opportunities she enjoys today,” says her mother.
After work on Wednesdays, for instance, she takes the bus on her own to her athletics training. “We practised this for quite a while, and now I can let Tamara take public transport on her own without worrying,” says Antje Röske. She says that her daughter has a great willingness to learn and is hugely ambitious. This is evident not only when she takes part in international tournaments like the Special Olympics World Games, where she has already won several medals. She is also very diligent and disciplined when it comes to learning her lines and scenes for her cinema and film roles. She has appeared in a number of television and cinema films, including the third part of “Fack ju Göhte”, a cinema film that was watched by six million people in Germany. Tamara puts her heart and soul into her film roles and never complains about the hard work at all, says her mother. “I just really enjoy it,” says Tamara Röske.
Fashion shoots for Adidas and Victoria Beckham
Before she began working as an actor, she had already worked as a model - the first time when she was just eleven. Stuttgart photographer Conny Wenk engaged her to shoot photos in Paris for her new book. Later she did other photoshoots for Conny, who herself has a daughter with Down’s syndrome.
She also gets booked for fashion shoots for Adidas, Hugo Boss and Victoria and appears in magazines such as “Vogue”. “I show myself the way I am,” says Tamara Röske. She explains that she loves being lavishly made up and wearing extravagant clothes. Many of these pictures can be seen on her Instagram, where she has 20,000 followers. Whether in the model business, sport or film: dreams can come true - as Tamara Röske proves in everything she does. And as she has learnt from the comments below her posts and in messages, she is a role model for others.
Another dream she has had for a long time will also be coming true soon: she will be moving into sheltered accommodation with her friend Giuliana, who also has Down’s syndrome - and will then have even more freedom.