2. Disability
What does it mean to be disabled? …
Is it a state of mind?
A physical state?
How do I approach it… and how does my approach
effect others and myself?
What is the proper term used to describe people
who discriminate against the disabled?
3. Disabilities…
Come in different forms.
They can be visible and invisible to the eyes and
knowledge of the person.
Everyone is effected by a disability, it is how we cope
with it that makes it our strength.
Have to be dealt with through the 90/10 percent
rule… that we cannot control 90% of what happens
around us but that we can control 10% of what
happens by how we decide to react.
4. Famous Historical Figures
With Disabilities…
Louis Braille, who was born in 1809 in France. Louis was born with sight but suffered an injury in
one of his eyes at the age of three while playing with his father’s carpentry tools unsupervised.
He later became blind in both eyes after infection spread from one eye to the next. He was
accepted at a school for the blind, where he suffered hardships and neglect. Later on a military
captain came and introduced a method of communication with raised dots and dashes on paper
that served to represent sounds and letters. Louis Braille perfected the captain’s dot and dash
method, later sharing it with his classmates. The form of communication became popular,
despite the teachers’ and university’s disapproval.
Louis Braille
Ann Sullivan Macy
Helen Keller
Ludwig Van Beethoven
5. Famous Historical Disabled
Individuals
Louis Braille (Created the Braille reading and writing system for the
blind.)
Ann Sullivan Macy (Was born with normal functioning senses but
suffered later on from an infection to the eyes which left her blind for
more than 9 years. She later underwent several surgeries before some of
her sight was returned to her. She learned to read, write and to sign
language with great proficiency and later on went to school the famous
Helen Keller, who was infected with an illness at 1 year and 7 months and
became deaf, blind and mute. Helen Keller became a successful student
and lead a wonderful and full life through her newly discovered senses,
thanks to Ann, her teacher.
Harriet Tubman (An African slave, Harriet Tubman was dealt an injurious
blow to the head when she refused to help tie down a slave who tried to
escape. She later suffered from visual impairment and seizures. She later
ran away to Canada where she was granted freedom. Not long after, she
went back south to help other slaves escape to freedom the
“underground railroad” to cross over to Canada. She is nicknames “the
Moses of her people.”)
Ludwig Van Beethoven (One of the most famous music composers, who
became deaf but continued to compose excellent pieces of music.)
6. Famous Disabled Individuals
of The Twentieth Century
Terry Fox (Was diagnosed with cancer in his left leg, which was
amputated above the knee. He ran over 5,000 km to help raise
awareness and money for a cure for cancer. He later died of traces of
cancer found in the lungs.)
Stevie Wonder (Suffered from complications at birth due to lack of
oxygen directed to his eyes, which became damaged and could not be
fixed by surgery. This did not stop him from mastering the
piano, harmonica and other musical instruments from the early age of
6 onwards. He musical career took a while before he became famous
to extraordinarily famous for his singing and music.)
Stephen Hawking (Was born a healthy child but later began to notice
in his college years that he was losing balance and tripping on occasion
with no known cause. He was later diagnosed with motor neurone
disease “MND”, which lead to multiple health problems due to loss of
muscle and inability to do simple bodily functions. Many doctors
simply give him only a couple of months to years to live, with which he
proved them wrong. He has greatly contributed to the world of
mathematics and science, married happily and has children and a
grandchild.)
