When it comes to great achievements, having a disability shouldn’t hold you back. Here are ten inspiring people who have achieved greatness:
1. Ludwig van Beethoven
Being arguably one of the best composers in history is no small feat. What makes it extraordinary is that he was deaf for the last 25 years of his career and this was when he produced some of his best work.
2. Vincent Van Gogh
An artist who suffered from depression who had a major influence on the modern art world. Some of his paintings now sell for tens of millions of dollars.
3. Ralph Braun
Ralph was born with muscular dystrophy. At the age of 15, he created a motorised waggon to help him get around. He would go on to found the Braun Corporation, creating wheelchair accessible vehicles. In 2012, a year before his death, he was named ‘champion of change’ by Barack Obama.
4. John Hockenberry
Injured in a car crash when he was just 19, Hockenberry never let the fact he was wheelchair bound stop him from achieving his journalism dreams. His career is one of the finest in America; he has four Emmy Awards and three Peabody Awards to his credit.
5. Stephen Hawking
It wouldn’t be a list of high-achievers without the name Stephen Hawking. What he has achieved for science, despite having Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS, is outstanding.
His fame and personality have also given him numerous guest roles on hit shows like Star Trek: The Next Generation and The Big Bang Theory where he plays himself.
6. Bethany Hamilton
Bethany lost her arm to a shark attack while surfing when she was just 13. That would normally put many people off going near the sea. However, Bethany was back in the water just three weeks later and became a professional surfer.
7. Christopher Reeve
He may be famous for playing Superman, but a horse riding exercise left him quadriplegic. However, he continued in the industry, directing movies until his death in 2002 at the age of 52.
8. John Nash
This famous American mathematician was diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia. That didn’t stop him gaining great mathematical achievements and becoming the subject of the 2001 film, A Beautiful Mind.
9. Lizzie Velasquez
Lizzie Velasquez suffers from a rare, inherited condition that means her body is unable to store fat. She has become a motivational speaker, author, and social media star. She has also presented a TED talk.
10. Albert Einstein
Although his name is normally associated with intelligence, it should be noted that the physicist had a learning disability and speech delay, though neither stopped him from making some of the biggest contributions to science.
Who is your inspiration? What makes them special to you?
Let us know in the comments below.