Book about children with special needs- Abled or disabled? You decide…
ABLED or DISABLED? You decide…
A man was born with Cerebral Palsy.
A man became afflicted with an ALS-like (Lou Gehrig’s disease) motor neuron disease, rendering him speechless and without use of his limbs, confining him to a wheelchair for life.
Another man was born with Down syndrome.
A man was born with only one leg.
And another man was born blind.
A man became deaf in his twenties.
And another man was born without one arm.
Struck by meningitis at 18 months old, a girl became unable to hear, see, and speak.
And another woman was born deaf.
A woman was born with a severe seizure disorder, impacting her everyday life.
And another woman was born with autism.
A woman was born a little person.
A man was a severe stutterer as a child.
A young girl was diagnosed with a form of macular degeneration, eventually rendering her blind.
Aside from all having disabilities, what else do all of these people have in common? Many in our society would believe each one to be either questionable or unfit for work because they are considered “disabled.”
And that would be a shame.
The man born with Cerebral Palsy is comedian Josh Blue, known for winning the Last Comic Standing TV show and for his self-deprecating humor about his disability.
The man afflicted with ALS-like (Lou Gehrig’s disease) motor neuron disease is theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and bestselling author Stephen Hawking—one of the most brilliant minds in history and the subject of the Academy Award-nominated 2014 film, The Theory of Everything.
The man born with Down syndrome is actor Chris Burke, known for playing the groundbreaking character Corky in the TV show Life Goes On.
The man born with only one leg is Anthony Robles, a NCAA Division 1 national wrestling champion, author, and motivational speaker.
The man born blind is multi-Grammy winning singer, songwriter, musician, producer, and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend Stevie Wonder.
The man who became deaf was Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the most famous and influential of all composers in western music.
The man born without an arm is mixed martial arts phenom Nick Newell.
The girl rendered deaf, blind, and mute was Helen Keller, an author, political activist, lecturer, and the first deaf and blind person to earn a Bachelor of Arts degree.
The woman born deaf is Academy and Emmy Award-winning actress Marlee Matlin.
The woman born with a severe seizure disorder was Harriet Tubman, rescuer of countless slaves, civil rights leader, and women’s suffrage pioneer.
The woman born with autism is college professor, world-renown animal behavior expert, best-selling author, lecturer, and one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People, Dr. Temple Grandin.
The woman born a little person is medical doctor, best-selling author, motivational speaker, mother of two children, wife, and reality TV star, Dr. Jen Arnold from the hit TV show The Little Couple.
The man who was a severe stutterer is award-winning actor and voice-over artist James Earl Jones, owner of one of the most distinguished voices in the world.
The young girl who was eventually rendered blind is Marla Runyan—Pan American Games 1,500-meter race winner and the first legally blind athlete to ever compete in the Olympics. Though she could not see the finish line, Marla was the first American to cross it, placing eight overall in the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
These are some examples of people who were once written off because of their so-called disabilities. As you can clearly see, they all overcame their challenges to achieve extraordinary success in life.
If we show belief in people with disabilities and— more importantly—if we can get people with disabilities to believe in themselves, we can contribute immeasurably to their success, and there’s no telling what they can become in life despite whatever challenges they face.
Sometimes all it takes is for one person to believe to alter the course of someone’s life. So, please be that one person and change that one life.
To learn about the new book, “Special Stories: Short Stories On Youth With Disabilities And My Adventures Working In The Disabilities Field” by Mike Kelly (2017, Vendue Books), visit www.specialstoriesbook.com.
https://www.specialstoriesbook.com/buy-book/
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