'Born This Way,' new A&E Series Focuses on Young Adults with Down Syndrome

John, 28, is a budding rap artist; Rachel, 32, is very independent and has worked for the past three years as a mail-room assistant; Sean, 21, is a ladies’ man; Megan, 22, lives in Denver, goes to college and has her own business, but is determined to relocate to Los Angeles to become a film producer.

They are among the seven young adults whose lives intertwine in the new six-episode A&E real-life series “Born This Way,” premiering Tuesday, Dec. 8. You might expect to find the seven on shows like “Big Brother” or “The Real World,” except for the one thing they all have in common: They were born with Down syndrome.You won’t forget that fact as you watch the show’s premiere — that’s the last thing the show’s producers or most of its cast members would want. But in so many other ways, what they all go through in their day-to-day lives is a lot like what other people their age go through. They have career dreams and life plans; they love hanging out, listening to music, going bowling. But perhaps the most important take-away from the first episode is that while they all have Down syndrome, it doesn’t make them all the same.