Stevie Wonder
Stevie Wonder was born in Saginaw, Michigan in 1950. He was considered blind shortly after birth. He was diagnosed with retinopathy of prematurity, a condition which causes the retinas to detach, resulting in him becoming blind. He has become one of the most popular song writers of the 20th century. He is the youngest person to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and has also won 25 Grammies and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. How was he able to accomplish all of this while being blind? Stevie was told throughout his life he wouldn’t be able to write music, the one thing he dreamed about. This did not put him down; he broke down the door of opportunity and followed his dream. He signed with Motown Tamla at the age of 11! Being blind did not bring Wonder down but instead helped lead himself to his dreams.
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Franklin Roosevelt
Roosevelt was born in New York in 1882; he became the president of the United States in 1933 all the way through 1945. He was diagnosed with polio in 1921. Back then there was no cure for this, so he had to live with it for the rest of his life. This ended up causing him to be paralyzed from the waist down. So not being able to walk and being president sounds easy right? He was able to hide this from the public for several years because mass media was not as much of a use as it is today. Roosevelt’s disease kept him away from politics a few years before his presidency but would not stop him completely.
These four people are just few of many who have been inspiring to this country. Many have inspired but not in a way these people have. Disabilities tried to hold all these people back, but it didn't work. They have showed the power that a person can hold even if they have a disability. Would you be able to do this? Could you make an impact on the world?
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He served four terms, and Whitehouse.gov testifies that he was one of the greatest presidents we have had. He pushed a record number of bills through Congress to help millions of people who were unemployed during The Great Depression, and
he lped us through WWII all while having polio.
photography By
Cross, Allen
photography By Conway, James