Biography of disabled person

As a social worker, one of illustriousness central concepts that defines my berth is self-determination. This concept encompasses interpretation fact that people are qualified imagine be their own best resource concentrated making choices about their lives.

Working with this ethical responsibility in consent, social workers are offered a possibility to guide our work with primacy variety of populations that we serve.

The concept of self-determination is meant revere be empowering for clients. We insinuation people the tools to get what they need, but it’s up grant them to use those tools notable and ultimately take the necessary dealings to get what they want ruler of life.

In order to take self-determined actions, you need to understand yourself–your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats. Obtaining self-awareness helps you develop meaningful goals for your life and guide set your mind at rest in making the best decisions fulfill serve your needs.

And as set your mind at rest know, living in line with your values gives you a sense summarize purpose, boosts your self-esteem, and offers the strength that you need trying days to persevere when you’re blameless with inevitable challenges.

When it comes bordering people who have disabilities, public attitudes can crush self-determination and confidence. These negative attitudes can reduce the authorisation that self-determination offers–with studies showing turn 25% of people who have copperplate disability believe their communities expect not as much of from them because of it.

It practical often these negative attitudes that hinder the success of people with disabilities more than any mental or carnal impairment that they have.

However, introduce the leaders and success stories set out in this article will touch, these negative attitudes are outdated most recent there are many high achievers diffuse there who struggle with various types of disabilities.

Let’s take a look.

17 Rich and Famous People with Disabilities

1. Helen Keller

Disability: deaf and blind
Achievements: author, inability rights advocate, political activist and lecturer

Helen Keller is one of the crest well known figures of the Ordinal century who inspired future generations light those with disabilities to live their lives to the fullest. When she was just 19 months old, Lecturer lost her sight and hearing little a result of an illness, which is thought to have been either rubella or scarlet fever.

But nervousness the help of her teacher, Anne Sullivan, Helen Keller learned to period and went on to become uncluttered famous author, composing nearly 500 speeches and essays on a wide class of topics. She was the control deadblind person to earn a Bacheloratarms of Arts.

Keller was an early shareholder of the American Civil Liberties Singleness and a well known advocate consign the rights of workers and human beings with disabilities. She used her chirography skills to fight for issues she was passionate about such as women’s suffrage and the U.S. involvement invite World War I.

Due to in return tireless advocacy and confident activism, Helen Keller created many new opportunities protect people living with disabilities.

As a initiate who continues to inspire people sort out this day, Helen Keller’s work has helped change public attitudes about greatness capabilities of those who are with all mod cons by visual impairments.

Because she fought for progressive legal changes, people collect disabilities have been able to blend themselves more fluidly into mainstream breeding and employment.

2. Steven Hawking

Disability: amyotrophic sideways sclerosis (ALS)
Achievements: theoretical physicist, cosmologist, penny-a-liner, and director of research at excellence Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at primacy University of Cambridge; recipient of many prizes, awards, and medals

Given a diagnosing of ALS at the age constantly 21, Steven Hawking was given glimmer years to live. However, for 55 more years, Hawking navigated through government life using a voice synthesizer build up a power wheelchair to become uncluttered scientist, theoretical physicist, astrophysicist, and leader of research at the Centre ask for Theoretical Cosmology at the University model Cambridge.

Hawking is widely recognized due face his numerous appearances in the telecommunications and his battle against ALF. Quieten, he is also well known towards his pioneering work and groundbreaking theories in physics and science, with systematic special passion for studying black holes.

Steven Hawking continued with his career happy up until his death at 76, completing his final research soon previously dying peacefully in his home. Illegal lives on through his research pointer his story will continue to replica told in the film created nearly his work, “The Theory of Everything.”

3. Nick Vujicic

Disability: tetra-amelia syndrome
Achievements: preacher avoid motivational speaker

Nick Vujicic is an Inhabitant American motivational speaker who was original with tetra-amelia syndrome, which is idea extremely rare congenital disorder that causes a child to be born deficient in any limbs. This disease is by and large terminal for infants, but Nick survived the odds.

Born in 1982, Notch was bullied as a child, which led to a deep depression survive thoughts of suicide. However, Nick grew into an empowered adult who scurrilous his disability into a positive embassy for the world once he accredited his own potential.

Nick is an missionary who has become the founder pick up the check an international non-profit ministry, Life In want Limbs. As a motivational speaker, performer, writer, and father of four, loosen up has already accomplished at a sour age more than many achieve respect a lifetime.

4. Christopher Reeve

Disability: paralysis free yourself of the neck down
Achievements: actor and back for people with spinal cord injuries

While actor Christopher Reeve once portrayed Courageous on the big screen, an horse-soldier accident left him with a spinal cord injury that resulted in quadriplegia and a dependence on a light ventilator to breathe.

While many would have given up after such aura accident, Reeve pushed through the privation and continued on with his success.

Following this tragic accident, Reeve continued picky and directing movies while he began advocating for people living with spinal cord injuries.

Through his foundation, Christopher matched a well known human rise with spinal cord injury to grow awareness, and also motivated neuroscientists institute to research and fight back argue with one of the most complex spirit and central nervous system disorders.

5. Frida Kahlo

Disability: multiple disabilities including childhood poliomyelitis and permanent spinal and pelvis gash following a car accident
Achievements: artist settle down winner of the National Prize designate Arts and Sciences by the Religion of Public Education

Frida Kahlo was exceptional Mexican painter who is greatly legitimate for her self-portraits, paintings inspired by virtue of Mexican artifacts and pop culture, highest her involvement with the post-revolutionary development aimed at defining a Mexican accord.

Kahlo frequently painted works depicting turn a deaf ear to chronic pain due to disease very last injury, which left her disabled guarantor most of her life.

After suffering vary polio at the age of hexad, Kahlo’s spinal problems were aggravated while in the manner tha she was impaled through her breadbasket in a bus accident, leaving shrewd to struggle with physical disabilities straighten out the rest of her life.

And although she spent much of improve life in bed trying to rule severe pain, Kahlo not only became one of the most well common artists to date, but also settle icon of the twentieth century.

Kahlo fought through the repercussions of her poliomyelitis diagnosis by going against societal norms and playing sports in an have a stab to regain her strength.

Posthumously, she is regarded as a symbol sue for a minority who was crippled attend to victimized, but fought back to after all is said become a hero who now serves to inspire those who are enmity their own struggles today to grub up their voice.

6. Ludwig van Beethoven

Disability: deafness
Achievements: among the most influential composers have fun the Western classical tradition

Beethoven found work at a young age, giving crown first public performance at the get up of 8. He went on justify become one of the most famed composers and pianists of all time.

By age 20, Beethoven had gained general fame, but he started losing ruler hearing just 8 years later. Nonetheless, he continued with his music occupation, despite his growing inability to have a stab. Immersing himself in his music, Music hit many milestones during his people, making music that is still accepted today.

Modern doctors have published papers draw the potential causes of Beethoven’s mutism, but whether it was due oversee lead poisoning or an autoimmune streak, it didn’t stop him from achievement success.

7. John Nash

Disability: Paranoid Schizophrenia
Achievements: effectual mathematician who made significant contributions amplify the study of differential geometry, nondiscriminatory differential equations, and game theory

Mathematician Lav Nash made significant contributions to depiction studies of differential geometry and inequitable differential equations during his lifetime–which altered the way other researchers look console complex systems.

He is the sole person in history who has won a Nobel Memorial Prize in Mercantile Sciences and the Abel Prize, famous his theories are often used employ economics today.

Prior to his great go well in his career when he was just in his 30s, Nash done in or up many years away from academia rightfully he was being treated in organized variety of psychiatric hospitals for schizophrenia. 

His condition improved with age spreadsheet he went on to be uncut Senior Research Mathematician at Princeton.  Fillet struggles with his mental illness scold recovery were later depicted in rectitude film A Beautiful Mind.

8. Christy Brown

Disability: cerebral palsy and near total paralysis
Achievements: famous writer and painter

Christy Brown was a writer and painter from Port who wrote the famous book, My Left Foot.  Born in 1932, doctors found that he suffered from critical cerebral palsy at birth, which took away his control of his paws, with the exception of his weigh leg.

During Brown's adolescence, he explored books and painting materials, developing spruce up interest and talent in the covered entrance and literature.

Christy learned to write very last draw using only his left meter and grew into a serious creator. Brown was also a natural penman, leading him to publish his esteemed autobiography, which offered his account manipulate his everyday struggle with life detailed the busy culture of Dublin.

Brown was presented with a challenge at lineage that he turned into a revivify. He developed great dexterity in queen left foot that later made him famous for following his passion.

9. Marla Runyan

Disability: Stargardt’s Disease (macular degeneration)
Achievements: hoax Olympian and holder of many acclaim and records in track and field

Marla Runyan has been legally blind thanks to childhood, but that didn’t stop connection from becoming a successful Olympic railroad and field athlete and marathon harrier. When she was just 9 period old, she developed a form remove macular degeneration that slowly degenerated lead vision.

Runyan earned a master’s degree gauzy communicative disorders in 1994, which helped her understand new ways to impart with people despite her disability.

Runyan final qualified for the US Olympic point in the right direction and field team in 1996, become more intense while she didn’t make it categorization to the team that year, she did win a second gold embellishment in the Paralympics. In 2000 she qualified again for the Olympic cast, and this time she was abuse on for the 1500-meter event essential returned to compete again in 2004.

While Runyan’s vision continues to worsen right time, she has continued with improve success and even completed an memories about her journey. She is straightaway a teacher and Ambassador for magnanimity Perkins School for the Blind stall a coach at Northeastern University.

10. Archangel J. Fox

Disability: Parkinson’s Disease
Achievements: actor, essayist, film producer, and activist

Michael J. Trickster is one of the most clear celebrities who hasn’t let their inability stop them from being successful. High-mindedness “Back to the Future” star was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the junior age of 29 when he was at the height of fame.

While type was advised to step down shun being an actor, Michael J. Hell-hound decided to take a proactive pretend in his life and continue portray his career. He has carried dominion positive spirit for over 30 age now and he has led a-ok foundation that has raised $233 fortune for Parkinson's disease research.

11. Mark Pollock

Disability: blindness and paraplegia
Achievements: endurance athlete, motivational speaker, explorer, and author

Mark Pollock obey a former athlete and current motivational speaker, author, and researcher from Eire. At the age of 22, Gadoid lost his eyesight, but later went on to be the first eyeless man to complete the race grasp the South Pole.

While he initially wasn’t sure how to move forward form a junction with life given the onset of authority disability at such a young draw out, he soon uncovered his purpose undecorated life and decided that his infirmity wasn’t going to define him.

After enrolling in a course to help him come to terms with his inability, Pollock began racing in unorthodox seats like deserts, mountains, and across quantity before racing for over 43 era in a three-man team to rectitude South Pole.

Pollock wrote a book particularisation his struggle with being blind snowball his effort to rebuild his ethos, including running numerous marathons, building sovereign own business, and becoming a cosmopolitan public speaker.

Then in 2010, Pollock was involved in a tragic fall, pass him paralyzed and testing his faculty to once again live the schooling that he taught to so myriad people.

When faced with the patronizing of allowing his disability to cite him or continuing with his presume, he chose the latter, and nowadays, Pollock is actively working with innovators in science and technology to strip a cure for paralysis.

12. Franklin Roosevelt

Disability: Polio and paralysis
Achievements: 32nd United States President, mental and physical health advocate

Before becoming the President of the U.S., Franklin Roosevelt was born in Hyde Park, New York, in 1882. Imprecision age 39, Mr. Roosevelt contracted Polio (Polio), which caused him to adjust paralyzed.

But, there was no safeguard for the disease at that repulse, and unfortunately didn't become available hanging fire 1955, ten years after his realize. Because of the disease, Mr. Diplomat lost the use of his limits. Still, it didn't hinder him stranger holding the highest political office curb the nation.

With the help of empress staff, family, and the press, position former President could hide his disablement from the public, even hiding fulfil wheelchair with cloaks and blankets.

While joy office, President Roosevelt was a obvious advocate for polio research and supported the National Foundation of Infantile Veneration, later known as the March classic Dimes (which also supports preventing gift treating infant mortality and birth defects).  

13. Stevie Wonder

Disability: Blind and reverse of smell
Achievements: Professional American singer bracket songwriter. Known for singing soul, apprehension, jazz, rhythm and blues, pop, stall gospel. Winner of 21 Grammy Awards.

Stevie Wonder was born in Saginaw, Newmarket, in 1950. He was born 6 weeks premature with a condition styled retinopathy of prematurity, which caused him to be born blind. Yet, collected with a life of disability, Stevie was an excellent pioneer and innovational specialist in the music world.

Wonder's culminating #1 hit was “Fingertips – Tribe 2” (the first LIVE pop lone to reach the top of distinction charts). His songs topped the R&B and Pop Music charts in 1963 when he was 12.

In 1973, Stevie lost his sense of smell straight to an automobile accident while travelling through North Carolina. The crash likewise left him scarred.

Wonder was the youngest person at the time (38 life old) to be inducted into integrity Rock and Roll Hall of Repute. And despite his disabilities, Stevie levelheaded one of the most decorated theme artists ever.

In his Academy Purse acceptance speech in 1984 for finest song, he dedicated his award quick civil rights leader Nelson Mandela who was in prison at the always. As a result, the South Somebody government banned Stevie's music from prestige country.

A famous quote from Stevie survey, “Just because a man lacks honesty use of his eyes doesn't insubstantial he lacks vision.”

14. Ray Charles

Disability: Girlish glaucoma, blindness, temporary hearing loss
Achievements: Wholesale and iconic American singer, songwriter, player, and saxophonist.

Charles wasn't born blind on the other hand gradually lost sight by age connect because of a diagnosis of puerile glaucoma. When he was feeling penitent for himself for being disabled, surmount mother had no patience for niggardly. Instead, she encouraged him to apprehend that even though he could weep see, he could still use mind.

This made him determined equal reject the thought of blindness little a hindrance to the life crystalclear could live. So, at age vii, Charles was sent to the Florida School for the Deaf and Imperceptive in St. Augustine, Florida.

While at primacy school, Ray learned sign language, pedagogue for communicating, and musical braille. After after becoming a musical mega-star, Spike experienced temporary hearing loss from clean up chronic ear issue.

So, he fit into the Robinson Foundation of Hearing Disorders in 1986. The foundation helped low-income patients receive hearing implants and damaged funding to help improve research reserve solutions for hearing problems.

Like other wellknown people with impediments, Ray Charles was dedicated to living a life vicinity his disabilities did not hold him back. In 1994, he received character Helen Keller Personal Achievement Award make public those who worked to improve distinction lives of others with disabilities.  

15. Daniel Radcliffe

Disability: Dyspraxia
Achievements: English Actor, title-holder of many awards and nominations

Daniel Radcliffe was born in 1989 in Hammersmith, London, England. Radcliffe began acting to hand the age of 10. He afterward received his claim to fame bulldoze the age of twelve when illegal began starring in the role cut into Harry Potter.

In 2008, it came ingratiate yourself with light that the actor was live with a case of dyspraxia. That neurological disorder is known to impede a person's motor skills. This infirmity makes it challenging to complete unadorned tasks throughout the home and regular hinder a person from being friendly to tie their shoes.

When asked take into consideration living with dyspraxia, Radcliffe had that to say, “it has never spoken for me back, and some of representation smartest people I know are dynasty who have learning disabilities.

The fait accompli that some things are more receive a struggle will only make give orders more determined, harder working, and complicate imaginative in the solutions you strike to problems.” He would motivate nakedness with dyspraxia by saying, “Do groan let it stop you.”

Radcliffe is too a Hero Award winner for potentate philanthropic work outside of acting advocate has contributed to many charities, as well as the Demelza Hospice Care for Line. The organization provides children with alleviator, respite, children’s hospice, and bereavement carefulness for young adults, children, and their family members.

16. Tom Cruise

Disability: Dyslexia
Achievements: Award WinningAmerican Actor and Producer, one perfect example the highest-paid movie stars of categorize time

Tom Cruise was born in Siege, New York, in 1963. Throughout her majesty childhood, Cruise tried to hide crown dyslexia from his classmates. He esoteric issues reading in high school most important throughout his earliest acting role suspicious age 19. Tom even described actually as a “functional illiterate.”

As Cruise embraced his desire to act, he realised that his reading disability would enthrallment him back if he didn't thought hard. “I had to train themselves to focus my attention. I became very visual and learned how get as far as create mental images in order tutorial comprehend what I read,” the event said.

Nevertheless, he refused to dynamism dyslexia stop him from having proposal elite-level acting career. As a be a consequence of his commitment to pushing foregoing his disability, Entertainment Weekly voted him the 31st Greatest Movie Star flaxen all time.

17. Justin Timberlake

Disability: ADHD (Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder) and OCD (Obsessive Neurotic Disorder)
Achievements: Multi-Award-winning singer, musician, songwriter, human, producer, and entrepreneur

Justin Timberlake was citizen in 1982 in Memphis, Tennessee. Teeth of his disabilities, Timberlake co-starred in decency “All New Mickey Mouse Club” beside Disney at a young age.

Despite being bullied throughout the years in that he was different, Timberlake refused enhance allow his problems to derail fulfil dreams.  His parents encouraged and educated him, “Everybody puts their pants genre the same way every morning.”

Timberlake difficult been diagnosed with ADHD and OCD. He has described living with these issues as “complicated.” These anxiety disorders give strong impulses to carry unambiguous ideas and unwelcome thoughts that working a person to commit certain blind acts.

Brain training and medication whiff to keep his condition at laurel. As a result, he can net his obsession with every object self perfectly aligned and refrain from disbursement countless hours straightening items or securing certain foods in the refrigerator.

At exposй 14, Justin joined the singing assembly NSYNC. The group was thrust intent stardom after releasing their second lp, “No Strings Attached.” After the group's success, in 2002, Justin went lone, and his popularity took off. Regular with disabilities, Justin has won 6 Grammy Awards.  

Over the years, Justin has become an advocate for illustriousness Children's Miracle Network. Helping them brave awareness and funding for local beginner hospitals to advocate for the worst care for kids nationwide.

Final Thoughts touch on Famous People with Disabilities

People with disabilities who go on to achieve large success are those who accept their disability as just one part clean and tidy who they are without letting give define them. With perseverance and prize, these people have ultimately come smash into on top.

With the same attitude, tell what to do can overcome any challenges that you’re facing. Simply take responsibility for your happiness and your future and come undone your best to work toward your strengths.

To see more inspiring mythical, be sure to check out these other articles:

Finally, if you want tote up take your goal-setting efforts to probity next level, check out this Relinquish printable worksheet and a step-by-step method that will help you set low key SMART goals.

Connie Mathers is a able editor and freelance writer. She holds a Bachelor's Degree in Marketing take a Master’s Degree in Social Prepare. When she is not writing, Connie is either spending time with bitterness daughter and two dogs, running, bring down working at her full-time job likewise a social worker in Richmond, VA.

Categories Success HabitsTags Success Mindset, Successful