When Aimee met Punky

Aimee Richardson is an extraordinary young woman: a musician, a Special Olympian and now TV star with RTÉjr's Punky.

"'Punky is six years old, she has Down syndrome and she's a lot of fun. How else would I describe her?' Aimee Richardson briefly searches for the right word or the appropriate image. She smiles at some distant thought. 'Well she's quirky and exciting and sometimes she reminds me of myself when I was her age. She loves dancing and singing which I do a lot of. So she's a great little character and I love her.'

Punky is RTÉjr's groundbreaking new TV series (Tuesday). It charts the everyday adventures of a little girl, voiced by Richardson (28), and it is the world's first ever animated series in which the lead character has Down syndrome. Like Punky, Aimee too has Down syndrome. 'I think that it is important because it will bring my voice to many people with intellectual disabilities', she says. 'It shows what it's like living with Down syndrome, both from my personal experience, and what it's like for Punky at her age. So Punky is like an ambassador for people with disabilities.'"

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