Child with Down’s Syndrome Grows up in TV Serial

Frisk and merriment are blown away. He knows exactly that he has to concentrate. Next scene. An actor with many years of experiences knows that. Even one with Down’s syndrome. Jan Grünig from Cologne, Germany, has these experiences.

15/07/2009

Jan as a little child and his TV family;
© Lindenstraße

He plays the role of Martin in the „Lindenstraße“, the son of Anna Ziegler and Hans Beimer. Jan has been a part of the serial for ten years now. A long and important time for him, his family and the whole team of the „Lindenstraße“.

When he was only a few month old Jan had his first TV appearance. Joachim Luger who plays the father got used to the kind of work with a disabled child fast. The first days were exciting. It was not a play but real life with a child with Down’s syndrome”, says Luger.

Everything was new for the team and Jan. One time he suddenly disappeared from the scene, because he wanted to do something else. Or he just talked on when the film shooting had already started. These times are over now. The ten year old boy knows that he is has to be concentrated when he comes to the shooting with his parents. His real father is proud: “Jan behaves very well when he is here. He seems to be grown and sticks to the rules. We are very proud of his development.”

Jan's TV-father enjoys playing with
him; © Lindenstraße

A call had changed the Grünigs‘ life over ten years ago. A friend had told Mrs. Grünig that the „Lindenstraße“ was looking for a boy with Down’s syndrome. She called the „Lindenstraße“ and half an hour later she was invited to a casting. “I could not really believe how fast this happened. When my husband and I saw Jan on TV for the first time we were very proud. His role personally gave me a lot, as well. So I could better cope with the fact having a disabled child”, Heike Grünig explains.

Meanwhile, they the Grünigs got used to having a son on TV. “Jan has two families and able to tell which is which”, his father thinks. In the „Lindenstraße“ it is normal, too. The serial has tried right from the beginning to reduce the fear of contact to disabled people and show how lovable handicapped kids are. Due to this attitude the „Lindenstraße“ team received the media award “Booby” from the biggest German association for mentally disabled people “Lebenshilfe” (Lifeaid). The first chairman Robert Antretter congratulated Jan in the name of the Lebenshilfe: “

Since 10 years Jan has been on
TV now; © Lindenstraße

“It is great that Jan has been an inherent part of the „Lindenstraße“. He made disabled people’s voice be heard and emboldened them to accept their special situation of life”, he continued.

After getting the award the „Lindenstraße“ received many letters for Jan: “We had a lot of inquiries for autographs and a lot of positive reactions of viewers who think it is right that the „Lindenstraße“ covers the topic and that it fits into the serial’s concept”, remembers Ilonka von Wisotzky from the press office.

Joachim Luger who has moderated a Down’s syndromes sports festival in Frankfurt for many years points it out: “It is a long learning process to reduce the fear concerning disabled people but there has been a change in society in dealing with them during the last years. Normality with disabled people is learnable.”

REHACARE.de; Source: Bundesvereinigung Lebenshilfe für Menschen mit geistiger Behinderung e.V.

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