Lover of music, dancing, and making people laugh, Archie Eicher spreads joy and light everywhere he goes. Archie was born in Bulgaria, where he spent his first seven years of life in an orphanage, until his forever family found him and brought him home to Texas in 2011. He is now a 17-year-old high school student who loves hanging out with his friends, driving around town and listening to music. Archie is an up-and-coming fashion model and was most recently featured in Gap’s new teen line.
Archie’s sister, Sevy, was also born in Bulgaria, just six months before him. She spent her first twelve years of life in institutions. When the Eichers saw her, they knew she was a missing piece of their family, and they brought her home in 2016. Sevy is nonverbal but has found her voice through painting. She is an incredibly talented, internationally collected artist. She loves swimming, music, and being with her family.
Archie and Sevy are the oldest of four. They are adored by their sister Ace, 13, and brother Radko, 7. The Eichers run a nonprofit inclusive art studio, Sandal Gap Studio, inspired by Sevy and dreamed up by Ace. As a family, they work hard to promote inclusion and break down the considerable barriers between the disability and non-disability communities.
Archie and Sevy are thrilled and honored to be the 2021 Global Down Syndrome Foundation Ambassadors. They had unfair starts to life – when they were considered unworthy of family or being a part of society. And now, every day, they are proving that worldview wrong. Their irrepressible light, and triumphant personal stories are creating a world where everyone can understand how they, and all those who are differently-abled, are valuable, incredible people and an inspiration to humankind.