About Sheri 

Sheri Brynard’s life story is a celebration of courage, perseverance, faith, and hope. Growing up as a person with Down syndrome in South Africa, she faced barriers, prejudices, and many voices telling her what she would not achieve. Instead of accepting limitation, Sheri chose to speak up, never pretending that she does not have challenges. Instead of doubt, she chose faith.

Through extraordinary resilience and hard work, Sheri achieved what many believed impossible. She became the only South African with Down syndrome to earn a tertiary education diploma (N6 Educare) without concessions, proving that ability, courage, and opportunity can overcome even the greatest obstacles. Today, she stands as a global voice for dignity, inclusion, and human diversity, representing Down Syndrome South Africa, Down Syndrome International, and Inclusion International on the world stage.

Sheri has shared her story and message of hope in more than 980 speeches across 21 countries, including addresses at the United Nations in New York and Geneva. She has spoken at numerous International Down Syndrome Congresses worldwide and received several prestigious scholarships to speak at leadership and education symposiums in Oxford. In 2026 she will once again return to Oxford to share her lived experience of Inclusive Education.

In 2024, Sheri represented persons with Down syndrome at the T21 Research Conference in Rome, attended by nearly 1,000 delegates. She addressed the World Inclusion Conference at Cambridge University and delivered a lecture to staff and students at Anglia Ruskin University of Cambridge. A keynote address at the Royal Society of Medicine in London marked another milestone in her journey. She celebrated World Down Syndrome Day 2025, by addressing the delegates at the UN Palais des Nations in Geneva on 21 March 2025. The next day she addressed the United Kingdom celebrations in London. Later last year she also had the opportunity to deliver three messages at the World Inclusion Conference in Dubai.

Her voice has reached millions through powerful interviews on international media, including South Africa, Greece, and New Zealand. She also hosts her own radio programme, continuing to share encouragement, human dignity, and the message that every life has purpose. Her autobiography, Sheri, Just the Way I Am, published in Afrikaans and English, was nominated for the prestigious Andrew Murray–Desmond Tutu Prize. She has also been featured in many national and international magazines.

Sheri’s work has earned global recognition. She received the World Down Syndrome Award for her extraordinary impact on people with intellectual disabilities across the world, and the Presidential Award in South Africa for significantly changing perceptions about disability. She was even chosen as Checkers Woman of the Year, in South Africa, by the public.

Despite her global influence, Sheri continues to serve with humility and purpose. She leads projects in disadvantaged communities, serves on the University of the Free State Disability Board, and contributes to outreach programs, supporting vulnerable schools. In June this year, she will address the Dutch Reformed Church Synod in the Free State, sharing her dream of churches that embrace full inclusion across South Africa.

Guided by faith, strengthened by humour, and grounded in love, Sheri’s life is proof that hope can overcome hardship and strength can grow from challenges. She believes that life’s meaning is found in serving others, uplifting those who are unheard, and reminding the world that every human being deserves dignity, respect, and the chance to shine.

In Sheri’s own words:
“Every day I face obstacles, but I firmly believe that our weakness lies in giving up too soon. The only way to succeed is to try again.”

 Abstract of Sheri’s Motivational Presentation: Defying Expectations

“Defying Expectations” tells the inspiring story of Sheri Brynard, a woman with Down syndrome who refused to let society decide her worth. Growing up in South Africa during a time when children with disabilities were too often overlooked, underestimated, or excluded, Sheri faced prejudice and low expectations from the very beginning. Yet through courage, determination, and an unshakable faith in God, she learned to believe in herself, her purpose, and her calling to help others.

Born with Trisomy 21, Sheri became the only person with Down syndrome in South Africa to earn a tertiary education diploma without concessions. She rose to become a global advocate, an international speaker and the recipient of South Africa’s Presidential Award and the World Down Syndrome Award, as well as the “Woman of the year” award, in South Africa. Her story is a powerful testament to the strength of inclusion, opportunities and the belief that every life holds value.

Sheri’s message is one of hope, resilience, and human dignity. Inspired by the vision that all people deserve a meaningful and exciting future, including people with disabilities, she calls on the world to see ability before disability, courage before limitation and purpose before prejudice. Her story demonstrates that barriers can be broken, perceptions can be changed, and dreams can be realized.

This presentation highlights the ongoing needs of persons with disabilities in South Africa and around the world. Sheri believes that with greater support and belief, many more people with disabilities will excel and thrive. Her journey invites audiences to rethink expectations, challenge limitations, and believe in the potential that lies in every person.

Ultimately, Sheri’s life is a testimony of perseverance, against all odds. Supported by family, anchored in faith and driven by love and the acceptance of all people, she reminds us that true weakness lies only in giving up too soon. Her voice inspires action, compassion, and meaningful change. She shows the world that when society chooses to include all people, everyone rises, and the future becomes brighter for all.

Sheri’s contribution, on what “a family means to people with Down syndrome”, was used on the Dsi web site and  her contribution of a flight alone to a conference after Covid-19, was used in the ‘news’ section of Dsi (read the article)  In July her video to motivate people with Down syndrome internationally to get vaccinated, was used on the web page of Dsi:  watch the video on the right and in August she was a key note speaker at the “World Conference on Advanced Nursing” in London, on a webinar.