For many facing a disability, it’s easy to focus on what you’re no longer able to do. But it doesn’t have to be that way. For these famous people, disability didn’t stop them from making their mark on the world. Helen Keller Stricken by a severe illness when she was a child, Keller grew up unable to hear or see to become a celebrated author, speaker and activist for the deaf and blind. She graduated from Radcliffe College in 1904, campaigned for women’s suffrage and founded Helen Keller International, a nonprofit dedicated to saving the sight and lives of the most vulnerable and disadvantaged in Africa and Asia. Stephen Hawking Renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with ALS, a form of motor neurone disease, shortly after he turned 21. Although only given two years to live, Hawking went on to become a celebrated physicist, author, lecturer and professor. His life was the subject of the film The Theory of Everything in 2014. Michael J. Fox Known for his iconic roles in television’s “Family Ties” and “Spin City,” Michael J. Fox was diagnosed with early onset Parkinson’s disease in 1991. He announced his condition seven years later and, upon his retirement from acting full-time, founded the Michael J. Fox Foundation to advocate for research in finding a cure for Parkinson’s. Fox continues to perform, occasionally guest-starring in TV roles and giving voice to animated characters for film. Bethany Hamilton Surfing sensation Bethany Hamilton lost her left arm to a shark attack when she was only 13, but was back in the water only one month later. She won her first national title when she was 15 and today is a professional surfer and motivational speaker. The shark attack and her recovery were chronicled in the 2014 film “Body and Soul” released in 2014. Marlee Matlin Film and television actress and children’s author Marlee Matlin lost her hearing when she was a child and went on to become the only deaf recipient of the Academy Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role, an award she won at the age of 21. She has starred in numerous film and television productions, including “Children of a Lesser God” and “The West Wing.” She has written three children’s books. Ludwig van Beethoven An aspiring composer, Beethoven began to lose his hearing in his 20s and overcame deep bouts of depression to continue writing music. Many of his celebrated works were written after he was almost completely deaf .Today he is regarded as one of the most famous and influential of all composers. Franklin D. Roosevelt When he was nearly 40, Franklin D. Roosevelt was stricken with polio, a disease that dramatically limited his ability to use his legs. Already an accomplished politician and government servant, FDR went on to become governor of New York and, in November 1932, was elected President of the United States. He remained in office until his death in 1945, becoming the longest-serving president in U.S. history. Christopher Reeve Known to a generation of movie fans as Superman, Christopher Reeve became a quadriplegic during a horse riding accident. Confined to a wheelchair and requiring a ventilator, Reeve nevertheless advocated for research to help those suffering from spinal-cord injuries and founded what is today known as the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation. Reeve continued to act and direct until his death in 2004.
 Disability rights advocates work tirelessly to create a more inclusive world. We’re progressing (albeit slowly) towards a state where everyone will have the same opportunity to engage in all aspects of society to the best of their individual abilities. It’s a striking concept, that in this modern era we’re not more advanced in our inclusion efforts, especially given that 15 percent of the global population (about one billion people) experiences a form of disability, according to The World Bank. That estimation includes these celebrities, who have taken control of their condition and accomplished greatness.
At the age of 22, renowned theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with a rare form of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, a motor neuron disease (MND). Confined to a wheelchair, Hawking used a synthetic voice to communicate with the world. “My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with,” he said in an interview with The New York Times. “Don’t be disabled in spirit, as well as physically.”
Congenital amputation means being born minus limbs; Kyle Maynard came into the world with no hands or feet but went on to become a mixed martial arts athlete. He continues to defy society’s idea of what a disability looks like. Not only has he received an ESPY award for this athletic prowess, he is the first quadruple amputee to climb Mount Kilimanjaro without the use of prosthetics, according to CNBC. “My parents helped me develop tools to overcome my challenges,” Maynard says in an essay for Option B, an organization offering resilience-building tools. “When I was two, my dad decided that my family would stop helping me eat. He knew that one day I’d live on my own, so I’d have to look after myself. I learned to eat with a prosthetic spoon, and then with a knife and fork. It gave me a huge sense of accomplishment.”
Some of the greatest minds of our time live or lived with disability, including mathematician John Nash. His experience living with schizophrenia was well-documented in the award-winning film A Beautiful Mind. According to the New York Times, Nash said his conditioned lessened with age, and without medication. “I emerged from irrational thinking, ultimately, without medicine other than the natural hormonal changes of aging,” he told the newspaper. Check out these 12 easy math tricks you’ll wish you had known all along.
Famed Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli is known for his beautiful voice, but what many may not know is that he was diagnosed with congenital glaucoma not long after birth and had limited vision. At the age of 12, he lost his sight completely. “Growing up, every day they told me ‘this is too dangerous’ but I don’t care,” he told The Independent. “Everything is dangerous. To take the car and go out on the highway is also very dangerous or to fly in a helicopter. I like very much to ride horses. I like soccer, I have had a passion for boxing since I was a child although it would be stupid for me to box.” Check out the incredible health benefits of music.
Frida Kahlo, one of the most influential artists of our time, contracted polio at the age of six. This resulted in one of her legs being thinner than the other, according to Disability Horizons. Then, at age 18, she was involved in a horrific trolley accident that left her with a broken spine and pelvis, as well as a pierced abdomen. It was during the year that she was essentially sequestered from the outside world while in a body cast that she took up painting as a way to express her creativity.
When you consider how many scripts an actor must read, it might seem like the profession would be a turn-off for a person with dyslexia. For film star Keira Knightley, who was diagnosed with dyslexia at age six, she actually used her love of acting to overcome the condition. “Dyslexia is like a wall… it’s very difficult to see over it,” she told the BBC. “I was really lucky because I had acting… it was like a carrot that was being dangled in front of me because I had to be able to read those lines in order to do it.” Make sure you don’t fall for these myths about dyslexia.
The Harry Potter star has been open about living with what is considered a mild form of dyspraxia, a neurological condition that interferes with motor skills, memory, judgment, mental processing, and other cognitive skills. In a Facebook chat, he said, “Do not let it stop you, It has never held me back, and some of the smartest people I know are people who have learning disabilities. The fact that some things are more of a struggle will only make you more determined, harder working and more imaginative in the solutions you find to problems.”
Best known as the charismatic host of the television show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, Ty Pennington has ADHD. When Child Mind Institute asked him what he would tell his younger self, Pennington said: “Your confidence is not at an extreme high right now, but things are going to change. You’re going to realize that you have an amazing talent of creativity and that you can use your hands, and that’s going to lead to you believing in yourself, and when you believe in yourself, the whole world changes.” Watch for the 12 symptoms of ADHD in adults.
Comedian and television host Howie Mandel was well aware of his obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and depression for years before discussing it publicly. Now he has learned ways to cope with his disability rather than allow it to get the better of him and advocates for others. “If the first thing doesn’t work, there is another alternative, and if that doesn’t work there is another,” he tells the organization Hope to Cope. “People should know there are ways to make their life better. They don’t have to be ashamed or suffer in silence.”
Violinist Itzhak Perlman contracted polio as a child, leading to his need for crutches and a motorized scooter, which he uses today. Perlman is a staunch disability rights advocate and supports inclusiveness across the board. In 2016 he canceled a North Carolina performance because of the state’s HB2 law limiting the protections for LGBT people. “I’ve been an advocate of equality for the disabled, and this is just another situation in which this is the subject,” he told NPR. “We are dealing with the equality and dignity of citizens.”
Saturday Night Live alum Dan Aykroyd was diagnosed with Tourette syndrome when he was 12 years old. Additionally, he has Asperger syndrome, although he wasn’t diagnosed until the early 1980s. Interestingly, living with the condition inspired one of his most iconic films. “One of my symptoms included my obsession with ghosts and law enforcement—I carry around a police badge with me, for example, Aykroyd told the Daily Mail. “I became obsessed by Hans Holzer, the greatest ghost hunter ever. That’s when the idea of my film Ghostbusters was born.”
Veteran actor Danny Glover, who has dyslexia, admits that at one time the condition made him feel he was “unworthy to learn.” He focused on his ability to work well with numbers. “I won’t claim that I didn’t suffer any less with reading or writing, it’s just that I knew I did something well and sometimes you just need just a little inch to feel good about yourself,” he told Ability Magazine. “Honestly, no one probably ever noticed that I did a little better on math than my other subjects. Perhaps education begins with feeling that people really care about you and maybe that’s not part of what I felt.”
Born with spina bifida which led to him being unable to use his legs, extreme athlete Aaron Fotheringham worked tirelessly to never let anything get in the way of pursuing his dreams. He has won the WCMX World Championships (wheelchair motocross) an impressive four times is known for executing the first “wheelchair flair”/backflip 180. When he isn’t working on his next daredevil move, Fotheringham gives motivational talks to disabled children, showing them that a wheelchair can be “used as a tool, not a restriction.”
Known for being one of the best professional basketball players of our time, Magic Johnson was diagnosed with dyslexia as a child. In an effort to catch up to his classmates, the iconic athlete would take summer school, but he never forgot the teasing he received from his classmates. “The looks, the stares, the giggles…I wanted to show everybody that I could do better and also that I could read,” he said in an interview. Johnson not only has five NBA titles, he also holds a gold medal from the 1992 Olympics.
Stranger Things actress Millie Bobby Brown was born with partial hearing loss. Eventually, she lost all hearing in one ear. In an interview with Variety, she explains why she doesn’t let that stop her from performing. “I just started to sing, and if I sound bad I don’t care, because I’m just doing what I love,” says Brown. “You don’t have to be good at singing. You don’t have to be good at dancing or acting. If you like to do it, if you genuinely enjoy doing it, then do it. No one should stop you.”
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Originally Published: November 22, 2019 |
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