Mon. Sep 25th, 2023

Motivation

Inspiring Stories of Disabled Teens Who Won Paralympic Games

Having physical limitations is not an obstacle to get achievement and work. Five teenagers with disabilities can prove it.

They can achieve extraordinary achievements that even ordinary people find it challenging to achieve. The following summarizes five outstanding disabled teenagers who inspired many people:

 

Kayla Wheeler

Reported by ABC News, 16-year-old Wheeler was born without legs and only had one arm. But all the physical limitations she has, do not dampen her enthusiasm for achievement. She was also chosen to represent the US in the 2013 Paralympic Swimming World Championship.

Her passion for swimming began when she was eight months old. Because she was born without arms and legs, she was recommended by doctors to practice body balance by swimming.

Since then, Wheeler has continued to hone her limitations and has participated in various swimming competitions such as the Can-Am Para-Swimming championship, the world championship in the Netherlands. She also won a paralympic qualification in North Dakota 2012 and this allowed her to take part in the 2013 Paralympic Swimming World Championship.

The best achievement she won was to win bronze in the Rio de Janeiro world championship. If you also want to be a world champion like Wheeler and win golden medal, you can start to practice swim faster and participate in local swim tournament.

 

Jessica Long

The 25-year-old Russian-born woman is an adopted child. Long was born with disabilities without ankles, heels, and most of the bones in her legs.

Long is a swimming athlete. Before becoming a swimmer, Long had tried other sports such as gymnastics, basketball, cycling, to cheerleading. She later found her passion for swimming and has since participated in various championships and carved achievements such as the Athens 2004 Paralympic games; she won 3 gold medals and the IPC (International Paralympic Committee) world swimming championship in Durban, South Africa.

Long was also the winner of the 77th AAU James Sullivan Award three times (2007, 2012, and 2013), won the award of the best female athlete with disabilities from ESPN, and bears the swimmers of women with disabilities of the year from Swimming World Magazine.

 

Chelsea McClammer

Quoted from Team USA, this 23-year-old woman had an accident at the age of 6 years. The accident made her back unable to stand up straight since then she could not walk and had to sit in a wheelchair. Feeling not allowed to give up so easily, she rose and became a wheelchair racer.

McClammer has participated in various championships such as the 2008 and 2016 Paralympic Games, in Beijing, China, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, she became the youngest wheelchair athlete from the US. The best achievement she has ever carved is to win two silver and one bronze at the 2008 and 2016 Paralympic games.

 

Anthony Robles

Robles is a wrestler who was born with one leg but refused to use prosthetic limbs. He refused all forms of outside assistance and chose to accept the conditions as they are.

He began practicing his maneuverability at the age of 3 and sharpened his body to become stronger. At the age of 6, he proved it by becoming the most push-up record holder in his school.

He started wrestling since he was eight years old because his cousin inspired him. In high school, Robles won two wrestling championships with a fantastic score of 96-0. He never lost at all, apart from his body being deformed.

The best achievement he has ever achieved is winning the NCAA Wrestling Championships professional wrestling competition 2010-2011, he became the best to beat all opponents who have a normal body.

2 Women with Disabilities Who Become Successful Models and Can Inspire Many People

Born as a disability with an imperfect body does not make this one lingerie model inferior and hopeless.
Shee is Kanya Sesser. Kanya just tried to inspire many people through her condition as a disability. For her, true beauty cannot be measured by the mere completeness of the limbs.

Reported by The Huffington Post, a 23-year-old model from California, United States was born without a pair of legs. While still a baby, Kanya was abandoned by her parents on the steps of one of the Buddhist temples in Thailand.

Kanya then began a career as a model at the age of 15 years. She posed for famous sports clothing brands such as Billabong, Nike, and Rip Curl.

After that, Kanya became one of the favorite models of lingerie brands, even though her condition was a disability. Thanks to her profession, currently, Kanya can earn more than USD 1,000 per day.

“I do not need a pair of legs to feel sexy. I am always confident in my body, all my life. Be confident. Life continues, life is valuable,” said Kanya.

She Doesn’t Want to Use a Wheelchair

Even though her body condition did not allow her to walk like a normal person, Kanya refused to use a wheelchair. This sweet black girl prefers skateboarding for a means of mobility.

In addition to being a lingerie model, Kanya also pursues extreme sports. Kanya does have very high confidence. She never felt inferior about the condition of her body.

Not only Kanya Sesser can become a model. Another story also emerged from a female model named Melanie Gaydos, who succeeded in eliminating the notion that being a model must be beautiful, tall, white, and able-bodied. Despite suffering from genetic disorders that make her physique different from typical models in general, she looks unique in front of the camera.

Reporting from Independent.co.uk, Thursday (10/24/2019), Gaydos suffered from a genetic disorder called ectodermal dysplasia, which made his teeth, pores, nails, and bones stop developing. Apart from that, she also suffered from alopecia, which made her hair not grow perfectly. She was also half-blind due to eyelash growth, which injured her eyes.

Even so, this 28-year-old model refused to use hair and dentures, because she felt more comfortable and grateful for her current condition.

Gaydos is an art graduate at a university in New York. Initially, she hated it when someone took a picture of her. It changed thanks to the sweetheart’s persuasion until finally, she became an extraordinary model.

During her career, she collaborated with reliable photographers such as Eugenio Recuenco, the legendary photographer.

Gaydos Values ​​the World The Model Must Make Change

According to Gaydos, the model world should be more diverse. Not merely synonymous with beautiful women, but also involves those who have imperfect bodily conditions into the realm. Gaydos said that the fashion industry has many ways to develop more rapidly by accepting people from a variety of body conditions.

“Not enough people with ‘different’ conditions struggle to get any position (in the fashion industry),” she said.

Gaydos continues to learn to love themselves with all its shortcomings. She also hopes people who have similar conditions with her must struggle and remain confident.

Adrian Anantawan, a Violinist Born without a Right Hand Man

Initially, I did not intend to write about this man.

In the middle of the internet browsing process in search of materials for college assignments, I know his name: Adrian Anantawan. A video link of one of his performances appears on a website about the rehabilitation of people with physical disabilities.

The figure of a mixture of Thai and Chinese descent was born without a right hand. His mother’s name was Maria Anantawan, a Hong Kong woman who came to Canada in 1971. Her father was named Songsak Anantawan, who came from Thailand to Canada in 1975. They had a printing business in Mississauga, Ontario, where they lived.

Adrian’s disability was alleged because when he was still in his umbilical cord ‘located in an unnecessary place and time’ which affected, he was born without a right hand. Adrian also only spoke when he was 4 years old. But his persistent character has been seen since he was a toddler. When he was 3 years old, his mother had seen Adrian try to cut his nails with a nail clipper. With his stump (the remaining arm part), he pressed the nail clipper to the floor while passing his fingernail between 2 nail clippers. Since then, his mother has always tried to help him cut his nails. Only a short time ago, Adrian was able to cut his nails properly, precisely when he toured with the National Youth Orchestra of Canada.

Adrian has two siblings who are also talented in music. On this basis, Adrian’s parents felt the need to teach their children about music. So the mother also brought a violin teacher in private. Their hunch is proven. Peggy McGuire, the private tutor, was surprised to see Adrian playing violin strings in pizzicato with his left hand during the inaugural meeting. But both Adrian and his parents and teachers were not aware that the violin was his way of life.

The mother is aware that her son’s musical talent will not develop without prosthetic arms. He contacted the government. But unfortunately, the government only assists in primary functional prosthetic hands that can only be used for standard daily activities. For a recreational prosthesis that can be used for swimming, climbing, and other outdoor activities, Adrian’s parents have to spend much more on their own.

Adrian’s mother finally contacted World War Amps, a non-profit organization found by veterans of World War I, hoping that her son would get a more multifunctional prosthetic arm. His efforts bore fruit. Adrian got a fake arm that could be used for primary and recreational activities. War Amps of Canada donated an electrically controlled my prosthesis, aka fake arm with muscle contraction for 15 thousand USD.

With his new hand, Adrian also learned to play the piano at the Royal Conservatory of Music. But he only felt at home until grade 5 because the school did not allow repertoire with his left hand. That’s when Adrian found a passion for the violin. Adrian, who was born in 1983, started playing violin since he was 9 years old, armed with his prosthesis. Adrian is an active child. When he was in high school, he had even been a pitcher on his school baseball team. But his achievements in academics and sports were not very satisfying. He also decided to go deeper into the violin.

His efforts at learning the violin were also full of twists and turns. His family is not a rich family despite having his own business. Adrian must have his violin to explore the violin. Eventually, he got a loan from Angela Fusco, daughter of the owner of an orchestra group who was also a violinist, Frank Fusco. The price of the violin is around 30 thousand USD, and that is only for the violin. He bought the strings separately for 2500 USD. Adrian gets a repair discount for his violin as well as an interest-free installation fee from Geo Heinl & Co., a violin dealer in Toronto. The owner, Ric Heinl, said that the relief was due to Adrian’s talent and not because he was disabled. The following excerpts from the words of Ric Heinl:

“It’s not because of the handicap when you have talent there, you all give a little bit.”

Adrian’s meeting with Stanley Solomon at the Heinl store in an afternoon was a bright start to Adrian’s career. Solomon, who likes playing golf, turns out to be a retired TSO music school principal and violinist. He invited Adrian to appear at a fundraising event for TSO. Adrian did not mind despite appearing without payment. It was in the show that turned out to amaze the audience that Solomon contacted Aaron Rosand, his best friend, who was also the head of one of the departments at Curtis music school. Rosand offers audition opportunities. If Adrian meets the qualifications, he gets the chance to appear in public representing the institution while studying violin at Curtis.

Adrian did not waste this golden opportunity. On the day of the audition, he had the wrong address and arrived late. But this man is not afraid. He only prayed even if he did not qualify at that time, and he hoped that next year, he could escape. Apparently, God saw his sincerity. Instead of being denounced as expected, the judges instead praised the violin game. At that time, he played some compositions by Paganini, Mozart, and Bach.

His persistence in learning the sweet fruit violin. He began his inaugural tour at the Canadian National Youth Orchestra in 1999 and 2000. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from the Curtis Institute of Music in 2001 with a full scholarship from the university located in Philadelphia. His unyielding business seemed to be influenced by the belief that he never considered himself a person with a disability.

“I don’t believe in disabilities. I see barriers. Barriers can always be overcome. The only disability is not having the will to overcome these challenges in life.”

He has worked with famous artists such as Pamela Frank, Joseph Silverstein, and members of the Guarnerius Quartet. In addition, he also worked at Ottawa with Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman on Shelter Island, Sarasota, and New York.

Because of his outstanding achievements in music with his disabilities, he was asked to be a key supporter for War Amps of Canada and Bloorview Kids Rehab Center. He even appeared in front of Pope John Paul II and became a Canadian representative in the Canada Cultural Showcase at the Summer Games in Athens, Greece, in 2004. Another appearance was during the opening of Vancouver Paralympic in 2010. He appeared in the White House accompanied by orchestra groups such as Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, Toronto Symphony Orchestra, Nova Scotia Symphony Orchestra, Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra, Montreal Chamber Orchestra, McGill Chamber Orchestras, Mississauga Symphony Orchestra, and National Academy Orchestra.

His story was even made a documentary film titled “Adrian Anantawan: The Story Behind the Notes,” whose premiere was broadcast by CBC on June 30 and February 15, 2009, by Bravo television station. The film was included in the category of the documentary film “top pick of the week.” Adrian’s appearance was praised as “being touched by greatness.” He even got his master’s degree from Yale University.

Inspiring Story of Angkie Yudistia – Beautiful CEO of People with Disabilities

Being a person with a disability, Angkie Yudistia understands very well the difficulty of getting work and work opportunities.

Because, not a few companies still underestimate, and doubt the skills of people with disabilities.

Based on information from the University of the Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB) Research Institute for Economic and Community Research (FEB) at the end of 2016, people with disabilities who have jobs are only 51.12 percent while people with disabilities are estimated to reach 12.15 percent of the population.

This means that as long as 6 percent of the population cannot indirectly have a positive effect on the Indonesian economy. The government in Act No. 8 of 2016 has required companies to have a quota of 1-2 percent for workers with disabilities. However, there are not many companies that have not realized this rule or do not have access to reach all persons with disabilities to be recruited as their employees.

For this reason, Angkie Yudistia was moved to uphold ThisAble Enterprise, which has many vision and mission, one of which is the social business for society profit that handles CSR for children with disabilities. Through the forum, she helped find companies that could accept people with disabilities to be placed to work.

Starting from a high fever

Angkie was not born as a person with a disability. Little Angkie still lives her normal life until she is ten years old. It all started when she had a high fever. According to the doctor’s invitation, she also took antibiotics to relieve fever. However, unfortunately, he even experienced a decline in hearing benefits until she became deaf at the age of 10 years.

Angkie also uses hearing aids to be able to communicate with others. When communicating, she also has to do it face to face in order to know the intentions of the other person by listening to the movements of their lips.

Being bullied because of the Deaf

Even though she has a disability, Angkie still has an education bench at a public school. However, the risk she must accept is quite high. Not because of the difficulty of knowing school lessons, but the insults and bullying that he got from people in her school environment.

Luckily, her parents’ upbringing created Angkie to be a brave individual. This condition creates it slowly becomes confident. She even firmly chose Communication majoring in a private university in Jakarta.

Become a woman who is rich in achievement

After earning a bachelor’s degree, she continued her studies at the Masters level. Angkie must have the skills that can give him more value than others.

During college, she also dared to look for opportunities to participate in the Jakarta Abang None election in 2008 and became a finalist from West Jakarta. She was also one of Indonesia’s delegates at the Asia-Pacific Development Center of Disability in Bangkok, Thailand.

Has been rejected by dozens of companies

She was deaf to challenges for Angkie when she wanted to start her career. After completing her education, she enjoyed the difficulty of digging into work. People with disabilities in this country often feel this.

Angkie was rejected by dozens of companies, one of them arguing because he could not answer the phone with the limitations she had. But, Angkie did not give up until successfully accepted to work in a multinational company.

Moved to stop discrimination

Seeing from her own experience and all persons with disabilities around her, Angkie felt she could not remain silent by merely being an employee.

She is also determined to empower persons with disabilities. According to her, they can work and be productive, but it is difficult to get opportunities to show it.

On that basis, she established Thisable Enterprise. This company provides many skills addition programs while collaborating with other companies for employment. At least, there have been 7,000 persons with disabilities who have participated through Thisable Enterprise and are ready to work.

She aspires that people with disabilities are no longer pitied, but their existence is needed for works in the form of products or services that they create.

Now, through This able Enterprise, there are not a few people with disabilities who can live economically independent. One of them is Munsia, who actively offers massage services through GoLife features from GO-JEK and therapist teachers at a foundation.

Angkie Yudistia is proof of what is felt as a weakness can be processed into opportunities for success in the future. On the other hand, she also inspired not a few people to not only merely enforce business but also provide solutions to problems, not a few people. What do you think?

You Must Know These 5 People with Disabilities Successfully Conquer the World

There are several examples of successful disabilities in their respective fields.

Call it Achmad Zulkarnain from Banyuwangi, who is known for his determination to become a photographer. There is also Angkie Yudistia who has been deaf since the age of 10 who is now the CEO of This able Enterprise, a company that concentrates on helping people with disabilities.

Based on information from the United Nations, in the world, there are as many as 15 percents or as long as 1 billion people with disabilities. Conditions that make them get revised while the same as ordinary people, people with disabilities can also be creative. Here are the figures of people with disabilities who have succeeded in each of their fields, as quoted by the Huffington Post page and Success Stories, Monday (3/12/2018).

Stevie Wonder

This singer and pianist still smell good to this day. Blind conditions do not limit it in work.
Stevie Wonder started listening since the 1980s. The viral song is ‘I Just Call to Say I Love You.’ He continued to spawn his new album until the 2000s. During his career, Stevie Wonder has won 22 awards from the Grammy Awards. The name Stevie Wonders has entered the Hall of Fame.

Stephen Hawking

Hawking is known as among the most familiar physicists in the world who died March 14, 2018. He had Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or ALS, several neurological diseases whose 90 percent cause is unknown. ALS attacks nerve cells that control movement, to the point where it is difficult to move the arms, legs, and face.

During his life, Hawking proved Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity as space and periods of definite beginning and end. This theory voices a theory that alludes to that black holes are not completely black, but emit radiation and are released.

Helen Keller

Blindness and deafness did not create Helen Keller stopped making. Women who appeared in Alabama, the United States on June 27, 1880, proved the world of all people born with their respective advantages. Helen can lend herself like everyone else. She successfully became a writer, political activist, and lecturer. She also prioritizes the interests of people with disabilities.

Beethoven

Ludwig van Beethoven is known as one of the best piano and composers ever. At the beginning of 20 years, his hearing was still good, and he created many beautiful musical compositions. At the age of 30, his career looked good, but he was hard of hearing to begin to feel.

“About the last three years, my hearing began to fall,” Beethoven wrote in a letter at the age of 30 to visitors.

At the age of 42, he can still listen to sound and music. However, at the age of 44, he really could not hear. Even so, he can still imagine the music in his mind. In the last ten years, a large number of works were not made, one of which was the legendary ‘Grosse Fuge, Op. 133 ‘.

Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo, a Mexican painter since the age of 6 years, was exposed to polio. This condition creates the right foot smaller than the left. Even so, the father encouraged him to move like normal, like playing football, swimming, and wrestling.

As a teenager, he was hit by a broken bone. In the recovery period, he chose to waste time by painting himself. “I paint myself because I do not like myself and the best subject that I know myself,” Kahlo said in an opportunity as quoted on his website.

Nick Vujicic The World Motivator Born Without Hands and Feet

Who is not familiar with Nick Vujicic?

The man who is known as a book writer and motivator of the world is one of the figures who can inspire millions of young people around the world through his powerful words that can arouse the spirit of life and to be more grateful for the life that has been bestowed by the Creator.

Nicholas James Vujicic was born 4 December 1982 in Brisbane, Australia. Born without hands and feet does not make Nick then give up on life. With different conditions, Nick had experienced depression. When he was eight years old, Nick had tried to commit suicide by drowning himself. But he realized that life must be grateful no matter what the circumstances. From here Nick tried to get up, he began to learn many things such as writing using his toes, using a computer with his heels and small fingers, swimming, and doing everything like people who have normal conditions.

Nick realized that his shortcomings did not have to be regretted and even limited his activities. He also tried to do the best in his life. At the age of seventeen, he began to form an organization until finally in 2005, Nick was nominated in the “Young Australia of the Year” Award.

Nick also completed his education at a university with two majors at once, namely financial planning and accounting. Nick began his career as a motivator. His inspirational life story considered capable of providing spirit and motivating for everyone — currently Nick Vujicic, known as a world motivator which often motivates various countries. One of the books he wrote entitled “Life Without Limits: Without Arms and Legs, I Can Conquer the World” succeeded in inspiring thousands of people in the world.

Not only is his life story so inspiring, but Nick Vujicic’s love journey is also able to make anyone feel the extraordinary extraordinariness. Like men in general, Nick Vujicic also longed for a life partner. In 2008 while speaking at an event, Nick met with one of his friends named Tammy with her husband and other friends, namely Yoshie and Kanae Miyahara. That’s where the beginning of the meeting Kanae Miyahara and Nick. At the beginning of his meeting with Kanae, Nick wanted to establish communication so that he got to know Kanae better.

For this reason, Nick intends to provide his email address so they can stay in touch. But a surprising answer was obtained from Kanae, that he would get his email address from his friend Tammy. Nick remembered the message of his father that a real man would not beg.

When Kanae met Nick, he was impressed by his radiant generosity and excellent sense of humor. For him, Nick is so handsome and a perfect partner. The beauty of the heart far exceeds the physical beauty, beautiful girls of Mexican-Japanese descent like Kanae Miyahara even fell in love with the imperfect Nick.