A family from Buffalo, New York, were left devastated after a local dance school owner told them they wouldn't be allowed to send their daughter to classes there - because she has Down syndrome. Tricia Oleksy, 36, and Jason Winnicki, 38, tried to enroll their eight-year-old daughter Anna in a dance class at the David D Marie Dance School, but claim that when they told the owner of the studio that their daughter has Down syndrome, he refused to accept her – and even labeled the young girl ‘retarded’. The parents, who both work in education, were stunned with the dance school's decision and turned to social media to vent their frustration, with one of their close friends, Kate Mockler Jenkins, sharing their story with the public via her Facebook page.​Anna Winnicki, eight, tried to enroll in class at her local dance school in Buffalo, New YorkThe young girl’s mother, Tricia, says the owner refused to admit her daughter because she has Down syndromeInstructor advised her to send to her daughter to a 'special school' that could cater specifically to her needsThe family now plan to re-enroll Anna at her previous dance studio
_ has been a dancer for six years; her mom has told WIVB that her family had never received discrimination in the way they experienced last week.