Jay Handlin (@jayhandlin) / X

Jay Handlin

20.6K posts

Jay Handlin

@jayhandlin

Consigliere, romancier, maven. Fierce father. Disability/inclusion zealot, balletomane. T21, Disney, Aerosmith. NY-CA-HI-NY-complex. Repped by @WorldBuilderEnt.

Joined June 2009

Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 16, 2020
This is my daughter, Rachel Handlin. Tonight, she earned her full Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography & Media from the prestigious California Institute of the Arts, @CalArts⁩. Rachel has #Downsyndrome. I am officially the proudest father on the planet. Fight me.
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 15, 2024
For the first time, this is what a Master’s degree looks like. Today, my daughter #RachelHandlin became the 1st person with #Downsyndrome to earn a graduate degree. In the world. Ever. Rachel says: “I won’t be the last.” @CalArts BFA 2020. @PrattInstitute MFA 2024. Legend.
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 17, 2020
Replying to @bentman013 @secupp and @CalArts
Thank you very much. No fighting necessary :). Your daughter is beautiful. I wish her, and you, and all of the team advocating on her behalf strength and success! It’s a long road, but it’s definitely worth it.
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 17, 2024
Replying to @MediumConsumer @CalArts and @PrattInstitute
Taught. Earned. Coursework. Thesis work, both creative (Rachel had a massive solo exhibition filling 1,500 sq ft of gallery space) & written. And, for the record, she finished with a 4.0 GPA at Pratt. Would you have asked if the person in the photo didn’t have Down syndrome?
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 17, 2024
Replying to @Karaviro @CalArts and @PrattInstitute
Pablo is one of the subjects of Rachel’s MFA thesis project; she met & photographed portraits of him & the other folks w/Down syndrome who have college degrees. To our knowledge, Pablo was the first to earn a bachelor-level degree- but not a Master’s. He is an amazing man.
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 17, 2020
Replying to @eskimoC @cookyh and @CalArts
Thank you. It is not a self-portrait, although Rachel has taken a wonderful series of self-reflections. My wife Laura (Rachel’s amazing mom) took it on her iPhone.
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 16, 2024
Replying to @HaleyAnnGM @CalArts and @PrattInstitute
Oh, bless your heart. But heavens, no :) The MFA is, as they say, a “terminal degree.”
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 17, 2020
Replying to @DianaSheridan11 and @CalArts
Thank you very much! Hopefully Rachel will have a website up this summer. She has a couple of big projects underway that she will continue to work on (and ideas for new ones). And, later this year, she is thinking about applying to MFA programs.
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 14, 2024
4 years ago a quarter-million of you said #CongratulationsRachel when my daughter #RachelHandlin (who has #Downsyndrome) earned her @CalArts BFA. Many of you have followed her educational/artistic journeys. Watch this space. Tomorrow is an even bigger day. ⁦@wendyluwrites⁩
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
Feb 26, 2022
A year and a half ago I said it was hard for me to imagine ever being comfortable again riding the NYC subway without wearing a mask, and my view on that has not changed. And woe to anybody who yells at me for still wearing a mask.
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 3, 2021
In this graduation/commitment season, I’m beyond proud that starting Fall 2021 my daughter Rachel Handlin will pursue her MFA Photography at @PrattInstitute. Rachel is 1 of only 12 ppl w/#Downsyndrome we’ve found in the world w/college degrees. Perhaps the 1st in a grad program.
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 17, 2020
Replying to @MinxGenie and @CalArts
It’s an expression. Rhetorical. It means, essentially, “I dare you to challenge what I said.” I intended to say it with humor, and I sincerely hope it is perceived that way.
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 11, 2024
My family and I got re-boosted today. Because Covid is still around. And, fortunately, so is science.
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 15, 2021
A year ago, news of my daughter's college graduation broke Twitter. Rachel is one of the few people in the world w/#Downsyndrome to earn a college degree. Now, a year later, she's preparing to start her MFA studies in the Fall at Pratt Institute. And yes, I'm still that proud.
Jay Handlin
@jayhandlin
May 16, 2020
This is my daughter, Rachel Handlin. Tonight, she earned her full Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography & Media from the prestigious California Institute of the Arts, @CalArts⁩. Rachel has #Downsyndrome. I am officially the proudest father on the planet. Fight me.