
Embrace the positive attitudes, perspectives, principles and truths I share, and you too will overcome. We all make mistakes but none of them are mistakes. In his words:ĭream big my friend and never give up. He now travels as a motivational speaker, is the author of numerous books including Your Life Without Limits and happily married with two children. Vujicic was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, a rare disorder characterized by the absence of all four limbs (he does however have two toes on one small foot).Īs a child he struggled not only physically but emotionally yet eventually he came to terms with his disability and at the age of seventeen he started his own not-for-profit organization called Life without Limbs.ĭuring secondary school Vujicic was elected school captain and at age twenty one he graduated from Griffith University with a double major in Accounting and Financial Planning. I have a serious soft spot for Nick as he was born in Australia like me and I discovered him (one of his early lectures specifically) long before he became a world-renowned motivational speaker.Īs soon as I heard him speak, even though he was still young at the time, I knew he held the power to positively impact others, especially physically-challenged individuals who may have felt depressed or confronted by their limitations. In spite of being wheelchair bound and dependent on a computerized voice system for communication Hawking lived an abundant life with his family (he has three children and three grandchildren) while also traveling and lecturing extensively on theoretical physics.įAMOUS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES 3 – Nick Vujicic, Born 1982 Diagnosis:Tetra-Amelia Syndrome His book A Brief History of Time stayed on the British Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Through her amazing work Helen was able to alter the world’s perception of the capabilities of the handicapped and show others how courage, intelligence and dedication can help strength the human spirit to overcome adversity.įAMOUS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES 2 – Stephen Hawking, 1942-2018 Diagnosis: ALSĪt the age of 21 Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with a rare early-onset slow-progressing form of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis) also known as motor-neuron disease.Īt the time doctors gave him a life expectancy of two years however he has since lived for more than 40 years with the disease, that has left him unable to walk, talk, breathe easily, swallow or hold his up head without difficulty.Īt the time he was told he was not a remarkable college student (he received mediocre grades in middle school).īut despite this assessment, he has become an internationally renowned Physicist, cosmologist, author, professor and Director of Research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology within the University of Cambridge. She also became friends with many famous figures, including Charlie Chaplin, Alexander Graham Bell and Mark Twain. Widely honored throughout the world, she founded the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and traveled to over 39 countries, meeting every US President from Grover Cleveland to Lyndon B. Keller grew up to be a prolific author and campaigned heavily for women’s and workers’ rights, and socialism, as well as many other progressive causes. Keller learned from Sullivan to read and write in Braille and to use the hand signals of the deaf-mute, which she could understand only by touch. However through the instruction of a remarkable teacher named Anne Sullivan as a little girl Helen Keller learned to understand and communicate with the world around her. One of the most inspiring stories of an individual who managed to succeed despite all odds is Helen Keller, who overcame the adversity of being deaf and blind to become one of the leading humanitarians of the 20th century.īorn physically normal Keller lost her sight and hearing at the age of 19 months, leaving her to live in a world that seemed totally isolated.

Here are 30 simply amazing stories of famous people with disabilities.įAMOUS PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES 1 – Helen Keller 1880 – 1968 Diagnosis: Blind and Deaf While it’s a great achievement for any person to perform an extraordinary act, when it’s done by someone with a debilitating disability it redefines the term “awe-inspiring” for me.Īs a mom of a child with special needs, I get great comfort, encouragement and inspiration from hearing stories about others, who have prospered despite all odds. If you are looking for a list of the 30 most famous people with disabilities you have come to the right place.
