Four-year-old Lucas Valera is a natural dancer. Pop on some tunes, and the youngster with Down syndrome is quick to cut a rug. But when Lucas was enrolled in an Edmonton dance program, within about 15 minutes from the start of his first class, the studio’s owner told his parents that he wasn’t welcome.

“When we were about to leave, I said that we could be there with him in the class or we could have an aide with him,” Lucas’s mother, Nancy Andaya, told CTV Edmonton. “It's just a horrible feeling as a parent.”

Before the class, Andaya says that she spoke with the owner about her son’s condition. During the class, Lucas' parents even remained nearby to watch him groove with the other four-year-olds. They say that although Lucas was distracted at times, he also joined the group. They were shocked when they were told that Lucas wasn’t ready for the structured program. They wish he would have been given more of a chance.

“Lucas has been a dancer since very little, actually,” Andaya said. “Before he turned one.”

In an email sent to CTV Edmonton, the owner of the dance studio claims to have several students with disabilities in their classes, “including a deaf child with an implant as well as children with cerebral palsy."

Then why was Lucas barred from the class?

"I felt he did not respond to verbal instruction from either myself, my teacher or the parent," the owner said.

To help with situations like this, the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society has created a new position. For the past several months, Julie Boucher has been tasked with visiting local businesses, schools and daycares to offer free sessions on how to include children living with Down syndrome.

“That is what the Edmonton Down Syndrome Society tries to do, is teach all our community members that people with Down syndrome should be included in all of the resources that we have out there,” Boucher told CTV Edmonton.

As for little Lucas, his family has now found a dance studio where he can strut his stuff.

“We don't need special treatment,” Andaya said. “Just equal opportunity.”

With files from CTV Edmonton’s Carmen Leibel