Kelsey Anastasia Norris’ story began in a place called Volgograd, a city in southwest Russia on the western bank of the Volga River. Her mother found her in an orphanage there when she was an 11-month-old infant who weighed just 14 pounds. Doctors didn’t know if she’d ever walk or talk, but despite major challenges, the now 16-year-old high school student has obviously defied the odds.
Carol Norris clearly recalls the journey that ultimately brought her and her daughter together. “A friend of mine has two granddaughters that were adopted from the same orphanage. Her family worked through an adoption agency in Atlanta, and they gave me the contact information. I reached out to the agency and the people there answered all my questions.” Norris, a single woman who has worked with single moms said she knew she’d be taking on a great responsibility, but she said, “I prayed about it, and it became the best decision I’ve ever made in my life.”
Norris kept everything that the orphanage gave her at the time of her daughter’s adoption. While she has no firsthand knowledge of anything surrounding the lives of the people who relinquished their parental rights, Norris said that the paperwork she was given includes a birth certificate that shows the name of Kelsey’s birth mother. “Everything they gave me is all in a notebook that I keep,” she revealed. “It’s for Kelsey to have if she ever wants to follow up on anything regarding her roots back in Russia when she gets older.”
Kelsey is a girl of few words, but she says she’s not shy. Despite being diagnosed with intellectual disabilities, autism and Rubenstein-Taybi syndrome (RTS), Kelsey could arguably be described as an over-achiever. She has accomplished many extraordinary things at her young age. Kelsey is a special education student at Veterans High School who has received a long list of awards over the past five years including a 2017 National Youth Activist Award, the 2018 International “Yes I Can” Award and the 2019 Presidential Award for Academic Excellence, signed by the President of the United States. As of last year, the title of published author was added to her growing resume.
Kelsey’s 2019 book entitled “A Girl and Her Dogs,” recaptures her true-to-life experience of having two beloved rescue dogs by the names of Izzie and Sadie, who she refers to as her best friends. The four of them (Kelsey, her mom, and the dogs) were separated through the cruelty of other humans, and writing the book, Ms. Norris said, was the only way that Kelsey and she could deal with the tragic loss. Most recently, “A Girl and Her Dogs” was nominated for the National Schneider Family Book Award.
Being nominated for the award means a lot to Kelsey and rightfully so. The acknowledgment is given by the American Library Association (ALA) recognizing authors and illustrators for the excellent portrayal of the disability experience in literature for youth. This nomination follows many other non-literary honors and recognitions that Kelsey has accumulated. She has won over 50 pageant titles using “Special needs means special abilities – the importance of self-advocacy for individuals with developmental disabilities” as her platform, and she’s been honored with official resolutions from Governor Nathan Deal, the Georgia State Senate, and the Georgia House of Representatives.
“A Girl and Her Dog” is the first of two published books for Kelsey. Her sophomore book, “You Can Move Mountains,” (also written with the assistance of her mother) is set to release before the end of February. Kelsey says both books are inspired by her own life’s experiences. She says she wrote them because she wants people to know her story. “I want people to be happy,” she stated, also saying that she wants people to have the same chance as she’s had at life and to know that they can accomplish anything.
Her mother’s record-keeping skills were a big help to Kelsey getting her books written. “I had a diary that I kept up as I was going through the adoption,” Norris said. “I documented my trips to Russia, and I’ve kept a running log of the things that have happened through the years. We’ve been able to use that as a foundation for the books. There are a lot of dates and places and times and people,” she said. “Because I had that documentation, we didn’t have to try and remember what happened as far back as 15 years ago. My diary had a lot of resource material for her to use for the books.”
Kelsey said that she likes school. “I like drawing,” she said of her favorite school activity. As for after-school hobbies, she cited, “Riding my new bike,” as a fun way that she passes the time. Kelsey insisted that she’ll write more books. A year ago, a new pet came into her life in the form of a dog named Maggy. Kelsey said at some point, she may want to write about her too.
Although she has yet to complete her high school education, Kelsey not only already knows the career path she wishes to follow when she grows up, but she also knows the reason why she chose it. “I want to be a policewoman,” she announced without hesitation. “Because I wanna pull—” She paused for a moment and then pointed at her mom and added, “this woman over for going 75 miles an hour!”
“She’s the best thing that’s happened to me,” Ms. Norris said through lingering laughter. But it’s been challenging,” she admitted. “The best part has been helping and watching Kelsey grow into the best possible person she can be. The worst part has been some of the people we’ve encountered along the way and the man-made barriers, attitudes, and people who don’t believe individuals with developmental disabilities are equal members of society and have the same rights as everybody else. They’re not necessarily trying to be negative,” she added. “They just think that’s the way it is. They don’t understand that with the right attitude, the right support and the right amount of patience; people with developmental disabilities can lead a full and productive life.”
HHJ News
