Madison Tevlin wants to prove her disability is the least interesting thing about her | Canada Voices

The Globe and Mail’s Accessibility Profiles by Graham Isador feature conversations highlighting disabled artists, creators and community leaders.

A common refrain from Madison Tevlin is that her Down syndrome diagnosis is actually the least interesting thing about her.

Instead, the actress, host, and model chooses to highlight her myriad other accomplishments and activities. There are a lot of them. Tevlin has been nominated for a Canadian Screen Award, walked the runway with Canadian intimates brand Knix, and shared the screen with Woody Harrelson. The Toronto-born and raised artist has also been a vocal advocate for the disabled community.

In 2024, Tevlin starred in the viral “Assumptions become reality/Assume that I can” campaign for World Down Syndrome Day. The 90-second video features Tevlin speaking directly to camera about how the limiting beliefs surrounding what’s appropriate for people with Down syndrome mean to her, and how they can keep people from moving beyond those boundaries.

Lines like “you assume I can’t drink a margarita, so you don’t serve me a margarita, so I don’t drink a margarita” were delivered with tenacity and flair, hitting a nerve with audiences to the tune of 1.8 million views on YouTube. The video isn’t the first time Tevlin has dealt with viral success. The launch of her career came when she was 12 with her cover of John Legend’s “All of Me,” reaching 8.3 million views.

In September, she launched a podcast series called 21 Questions – named in reference to the extra chromosome found in people with Down syndrome – a follow-up to her popular interview show Who Do You Think I Am? that aired on CBC Gem in 2022.

“I love being in the spotlight and people giving me that attention. It makes me feel really good about myself,” Tevlin said during a recent conversation with The Globe and Mail. “I’m always so proud to be a voice for my community. I think there’s way more to us than people think there is.”

For the podcast, the 24-year-old has lined up a star-studded roster of guests including Mae Martin, Nelly Furtado, and Nicole Scherzinger. As a host, Tevlin is disarming and fun, bringing a new energy and angle to the celebrity interview format. To date, the standout conversation of the podcast is Tevlin reconnecting with Harrelson, who she first met working on the award-winning film Champions, which was released in 2023.

“It’s 100 per cent my favourite moment so far,” Tevlin said, recapping their episode. “The best moment was when we got to sing together.”

In a time period where bullying and slurs are being shared online toward people with disabilities, Tevlin’s work is a positive and fun showcase championing her perspective and establishing the artist as a leader for people with Down syndrome. Her hope is that by putting more or herself out there, it will open the door for other creators with disabilities. Still, for Tevlin, finding that success comes from embracing who she is beyond other people’s assumptions.

“I feel like I’m living a dream. Having Down syndrome doesn’t stop me from doing what I want to do.”