Famous Figures with Disabilities that have Achieved Great Feats

Sep 25

“Feet, what do I need you for when I have wings to fly?”

Frida Kahlo

Despite the challenges they face, many people with disabilities have overcome their hardships and achieved greatness. From academic accomplishments to inventions, this article highlights notable figures who have achieved astonishing feats through perseverance and determination.

Stephen Hawking:

Stephan Hawking was a theoretical physicist, diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 21. The disease gradually paralyzed him, causing his brain to lose its ability to communicate with the muscles. Over time, people living with ALS lose the ability to walk, talk, eat, and swallow. Since 1969, Hawking had been in a wheelchair. Later in his life, to continue his thirty-year career in teaching and research at Cambridge University, he used a single cheek muscle attached to a speech-generating device. He was also the Director of the Center for Theoretical Cosmology at Cambridge and received dozens of honorary degrees. Some other accomplishments he achieved throughout his life include his famous science book called A Brief History of Time and his research on black holes and relativity. Hawking passed away at the age of 76 on March 14, 2018. Though he faced various challenges, Hawking never let his disability get the best of him and was able to make many life-changing discoveries and contributions to society.

Frida Kahlo:

Born in 1907, Frida Kahlo was a Mexican artist who suffered from polio. The paralysis-causing disease damaged her right leg and foot. Additionally, she was involved in a tragic traffic accident at the age of 17, leaving her injured in her hips and spine. Although she became dependent on a wheelchair, it did not stop her from expressing herself through artistic means. After her accident, she began to paint, with the majority of her work being self-portraits. In her paintings, she mixed realism and fantasy and explored themes of identity, gender, race, and class. After Kahlo’s death in 1954, her work remained relatively unnoticed until the late 1970s, when it was discovered by art historians and political activists. In the early 1990s, she became a recognized figure in the art world and was regarded as an icon for Chicanos—a feminist and LGBTQ+ movement. She was also the first Mexican artist to have her work displayed in the Louvre. Kahlo’s work has been celebrated all over the world for its representation of Mexican traditions and female experiences, and she is still remembered today for her work.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt:

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, also known as FDR, served as the 32nd president of the United States. Diagnosed with polio in 1921, he was left with paralyzed legs and a strong desire to regain his ability to walk. Roosevelt followed a regular exercise schedule, though this failed to improve his mobility. At the time, there was much stigma and discrimination surrounding people with disabilities. However, Roosevelt did not let that stop him from pursuing his political goals and advocating for the rights of people with disabilities. He founded a treatment centre for people with poliomyelitis in Warm Springs, Georgia and served in several government positions before being elected as president. Throughout his presidency, he led America through the Great Depression and World War II, simultaneously maintaining his constant advocacy of individuals with disabilities. He died on April 12, 1945 at age 63.

John Nash:

John Nash, diagnosed with acute paranoid schizophrenia, was one of the greatest mathematical thinkers of the 20th century. He showed evident symptoms of mental illness in 1959 and spent several years at a psychiatric hospital for paranoid schizophrenia treatment. However, as his conditions slowly improved, he was able to return to academic work by the mid-1980s. Nash made great contributions to game theory, differential geometry, and partial differential questions. In addition, he also shared the 1994 Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences with game theorists Reinhard Selten and John Harsanyi. To this day, he is the only person to achieve the feat of being awarded both the Nobel Memorial Prize and the Abel Prize. He is also well known because of his biography: A Beautiful Mind. Though he died in a car crash in 2015, Nash will be remembered for the substantial impact he has made on academics. His intention may have been pure to contribute to the growing knowledge of modern society, but his work can also serve as an inspiration for similar people looking to overcome their disabilities.

Nick Vujicic:

Nick Vujicic is a 37-year-old that travels the world as an Australian Christian evangelist and motivational speaker. He was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, which is a rare disorder in which a person does not have arms or legs. Vujicic had two feet, one with fused toes, which he separated with surgery and learned to use as fingers. He graduated from Griffith University in Australia and became an author, musician, and actor. Additionally, Vujicic is married and has four children. Although his disorder greatly affected his mobility, he persevered and prevented it from negatively impacting his life; Vujicic’s great achievements demonstrate just how prosperously he is living.

Ralph Braun:

Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at the age of 6, Ralph Braun began to use a wheelchair when he was merely 14. His muscular dystrophy progressed to a point where he could not walk. However, to combat this, he created a motorized wagon. He also produced an invention called the Tri-Wheeler, a motorized scooter. In addition, he added hand controls to a Jeep, enabling him to drive his Tri-Wheeler in and out of the vehicle without assistance. In 1966, Braun established his company, BraunAbility, which created vehicles accessible to wheelchair users. This helped meet the demand for vehicle lifts around the nation and completely changed the lives of many people who had mobility disabilities. Braun was considered the Father of the Mobility Industry and was named a “champion of change” by former US President, Barack Obama, in 2012. He died at the age of 72 in 2013.

Marlee Matlin:

Marlee Matlin is an American actress, author, and activist. She has been deaf since she was 18 months old due to a genetically malformed cochlea. Nonetheless, Matlin has successfully pursued a career in acting. She is considered one of the most successful actresses with an inability to hear and has garnered several awards for her work. She received an Academy Award for the best actress for Children of a Lesser God, and to date, is the only deaf performer to have won an Academy Award. Her work in the film industry has also led to a Golden Globe award and four Emmy nominations. Matlin is also a member of the National Association of the Deaf. She is currently 54 years old and has 4 children.

These empowering men and women are living, or once-living, proof that with resilience and persistence in the face of adversity, anything is possible. Hopefully by reading of their lives and accomplishments, you are inspired to do great things too!

Sources:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Franklin_D._Roosevelt

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stephen_Hawking

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Frida_Kahlo

https://www.sunrisemedical.co.uk/blog/famous-people-with-disabilities

https://www.aaavic.org.au/11-outstanding-people-living-disability

https://www.disabilityfriendlylv.com/15-inspiring-famous-people-disabilities/

https://www.huffpost.com/entry/famous-people-with-disabilities_n_4142930

https://www.als.ca/about-als/what-is-als/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Forbes_Nash_Jr.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nick_Vujicic

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ralph_Braun