Omar with Down syndrome exhibits drawings: “Kind of occupational therapy”

Omar occasionally comes to the gallery and is proud that his works hang there. He also takes the time to draw. “Omar is introverted. For him, drawing is a kind of occupational therapy. It calms him down,” says Christian Debackere, who is responsible for Omar’s guidance.

Sabine Van Eynde shows different people in her living room every month. “I think it’s important that they also get a platform. Omar’s works are colorfully cheerful, for me anyway, it appeals enormously,” she says.

21 March

Down syndrome is a birth defect caused by an extra chromosome (DNA carriers) in the body. The chromosome 21 then occurs three times instead of twice, hence the date: 21/3. People with Down syndrome therefore have a mild to severe intellectual disability.