Discrimination Takes A Blow

I know it has been almost two weeks since I last posted, but I have my reasons. I will not go into them here, but it has been an extraordinary period.

I want to tell you about a couple who both have cerebral palsy and live in Mississauga, Ontario, a suburb of Toronto, and have been given permission to keep their newborn son, William, to raise on their own.

I first learned of their situation shortly after William was born through a friend I met at one of the Virginia Youth Leadership Forums I spoke at a few years ago. It is great fun for me to keep in touch with these young people as they finish high school, go off to college and share their stories as several of them keep me informed of their lives and accomplishments.

Anyway, back to Charlie and Maricyl's story. They were initially told their baby would be taken from them because of their disabilities. At a family conference they showed they were capable, with an extended support system, to raise their child on their own. It truly is a wonderful story of the system working. You can read the Toronto Star's story by clicking here:

The article was written in early May. I wonder how they are doing? 

As always, I look forward to your comments.

Later,

Mike

Josh Blue Is Funny!

Doing research for this blog often takes me places I would never find otherwise. It also reminds me of people, places and things I may have lost or forgotten. That is the case with this post on Josh Blue. I had seen YouTube videos of bits and pieces of his stand-up routines, but never posted anything on him. Today, my inspiration did not come from any research I did; it just came from dumb luck. My attendant was watching Comedy Central and I was working on my computer doing a bit of marketing for my book.

I heard this voice come on the television who obviously had some cerebral palsy involvement. He was telling stories about his disability, and he was FUNNY! I went to his website and found some very funny self-deprecating material he uses in a way I often use in my presentations.

Check out this improvisational bit he pulled off at Mystic Lake Casino in 2008 with expert deftness:



You can see more Josh Blue videos, see if he will be in your area any time soon and even play a video game to help Josh get home on his website by clicking here.

I am a strong believer in being comfortable enough with ourselves we can smile at and about who we are. I would not have made it forty years without my sense of humor! How about you? Can you laugh at yourself?

As always, I look forward to your comments.

Later,

Mike

Walk On D.J.

We all have challenges, some seem greater than others. For D.J. Gregory, walking is very difficult. So, what did he decide to do? Why not walk every hole, every day of every PGA golf tournament in 2008?

A friend sent me this video and I did a little research about his quest. I just Googled "D.J. Gregory golf" and there was a ton of information about his walk that left a trail. It's an incredibly inspiring story about someone with a disability who set a goal for himself and then went out and accomplished it!

D.J. was thirty last summer and walked in 44 tournaments in 45 weeks. That's 180 rounds, 3256 holes and more than 900 miles on the eleven-month tour! None of the professional golfers did what D.J. did! None of them golfed in every tournament. It's a great video. I encourage you to watch it and see if you agree with me. You can view it by clicking here.

I look forward to your comments.

Later,

Mike

Founding Father Had A Disability

One of the signers of the Declaration of Independence had cerebral palsy. Stephen Hopkins was active in Rhode Island politics for more than forty years. He was elected governor nine times. Hopkins was more than just another signer: he was a key leader in the revolution. As he signed, here’s what he said: “Though my hands shake, my heart does not.”

Hopkins is the man wearing a hat standing in the back of the room. You can learn more about him by clicking here.

We all know Franklin Roosevelt was stricken with polio, and dealt with its effects for much of his adult life. What you may not know is just how many of our former Presidents had disabilities of all sorts. There are several.

Here is one of only a few known pictures of FDR in a wheelchair:

There was a feeling in the country if a leader were to have a disability of some sort he would not be fit to hold office because of his disability. Hopefully, we know better now. We have had many examples of leaders with disabilities since FDR's time. From former Alabama Governor George Wallace to former Georgia Senator Max Cleland, to name just two, we know people can carry out the duties of their elected offices and make important decisions despite their disabilities.

I find it interesting one of our Founding Fathers had a disability, and it took over two hundred years to enact the Americans with Disabilities Act that granted certain rights and protections to an entire group of about fifty million people.

I will have a job as long as disability awareness is a topic we need to address.

As always, I welcome your thoughts.

Later,

Mike