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together anyway. “I told him that if he wanted to sleep in my bed, we had to be married,” Donna told the
audience. “I told her I didn’t plan to get married until I was 63,” Ricardo recalled. Then I said, “Who would
want your old (self) then?” laughed Donna. Ricardo (60 years young) and Donna (68 years young) have
been married for 34 years. Their son, Ricardo, Jr., is married and is the father of three children.

According to Donna, “getting married was not easy. A social services official told us we couldn’t get mar-
ried because of our disabilities.” Donna and Ricardo were not barred by law from marrying in Washington,
DC, but as wards of the District they needed permission from the city’s mental health commissioner. Dur-
ing their interview Ricardo told the mental health commissioner that he was marrying Donna, with permis-
sion or without. They got permission and their 1984 wedding boasted wedding guests along with local tel-
evision news cameras and reporters.

Over time the Thorntons’ story drew national attention. In 1986, CBS News’ “60 Minutes” reporter and
anchor Mike Wallace contacted the couple about filming a segment for the program and a follow-up “60
Minutes” segment was filmed in 1990. When actress Kirstie Alley saw these segments she decided the
Thornton’s story should be made into a television movie, which she produced. The movie was entitled
“Profoundly Normal” because for most of her life, Donna had heard herself described as “profoundly re-
tarded.” Working, marrying, and having a child proved that she and her husband could be like anyone else.

Today, Donna and Ricardo both advocate for people with intellectual challenges. They often serve on the
boards of organizations that champion the rights of people with disabilities. They are also members of the
Washington, DC-based “Project ACTION!” which stands for Advocacy, Change, Training, Information, Or-
ganizing and Networking. It is a coalition of individuals working with self-advocates so they can live their
lives more fully.

Ricardo has testified before Congressional committees regarding the rights of disabled individuals. He met
President Barack Obama, who appointed him to the President’s Committee for People with Intellectual
Disabilities. The couple met President Bill Clinton and were his guests at the White House. “We met Presi-
dent Nelson Mandela,” said Ricardo. “He spoke to us about establishing advocacy groups in his country for
South Africans with intellectual challenges.”

Asked what they are most proud of in their lives, Ricardo said, “I’m proud to be out of an institution, and
that I am able to make my own choices.” Donna said, “I’m proud that I can make my own choices. I’m
proud that I speak out my way. At first I spoke out for myself. Now I speak out for other people.”

Margaret Summers, a Direct Support Professional (DSP) at EPIC, joined the agency in May
2014. She has a background in journalism and a quarter of social work credits from Ohio State
University.

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