In this ground-breaking volume, Mitchell Levitz (22) and Jason Kingsley (19) share their innermost thoughts, feelings, hopes, and dreams, their lifelong friendship - and their experiences of growing up with Down syndrome. While scores of textbooks and "as-told-to" accounts offer secondhand descriptions of people with developmental disabilities, none enable such a direct understanding of their perceptions. Count Us In draws from more than fifty conversations Mitchell and Jason had with each other, as well as with family and friends, over the course of three years. With wit, intelligence, candor, and charm, these two young men speak about what matters most in their lives: careers, friendships, school, sex, marriage, politics, finances, and independence. Their concerns echo those of most young people at the cusp of adulthood, yet they also reflect the special challenges of growing up with a disability.