Russian disabled people are heroes. The Most Famous Disabled People of the World: People with Limited or Unlimited Capabilities? Can people with disabilities succeed?
For people who doubt own strength, you should definitely familiarize yourself with the achievements of famous disabled people. True, most people with disabilities who have achieved success can hardly be called inferior. As their inspiring stories prove, nothing can stop a person from achieving high goals, leading active life and become a role model. So let's take a look at the great people with disabilities.
Stephen Hawking
Hawking was born an absolutely healthy man. However, in his youth he was given a terrible diagnosis. Doctors discovered a rare pathology in Stephen - amyotrophic sclerosis, which is also known as Charcot's disease.
Symptoms of the disease quickly gained momentum. Closer to reaching adulthood, our hero became almost completely paralyzed. The young man was forced to use a wheelchair. Partial mobility was preserved only in some facial muscles and individual fingers. To make his own life easier, Stephen agreed to undergo throat surgery. However, the decision only brought harm, and the guy lost the ability to reproduce sounds. From that moment on, he could communicate only thanks to an electronic speech synthesizer.
However, all this did not prevent Hawking from being included in the list of people with disabilities who have achieved success. Our hero managed to earn the status of one of the greatest scientists. This person is considered a real sage and a person who is capable of turning the most daring, fantastic ideas into reality.
These days, Stephen Hawking is active scientific activities in your own residence away from people. He devoted his life to writing books, educating the population, and popularizing science. Despite his physical handicap, this outstanding man is married and has children.
Ludwig van Beethoven
Let's continue our conversation about people with disabilities who have achieved success. Without a doubt, Beethoven, the legendary German composer of classical music, deserves a place on our list. In 1796, at the height of his world fame, the composer began to suffer from progressive hearing loss caused by inflammation of the inner ear canals. Several years passed, and Ludwig van Beethoven completely lost the ability to perceive sounds. However, it was from this time that the most famous works author.
Subsequently, the composer wrote the famous “Eroica Symphony” and captured the imagination of classical music lovers with the most complex parts from the opera “Fidelio” and the “Ninth Symphony with Chorus”. In addition, he created numerous works for quartets, cellists, and vocal performers.
Esther Vergeer
The girl has the status of the strongest tennis player on the planet, who won her titles while sitting in a wheelchair. In her youth, Esther required surgery for spinal cord. Unfortunately, surgery only made the situation worse. The girl lost her legs, depriving her of the ability to move independently.
One day, while in a wheelchair, Vergeer decided to try playing tennis. The incident marked the beginning of her unusually successful career in professional sports. The girl was awarded the title of world champion 7 times, repeatedly won high-profile victories at the Olympic Games, and won prizes in a series of Grand Slam tournaments. Moreover, Esther holds an unusual record. Since 2003, she has managed not to lose a single set during the competition. On at the moment there are more than two hundred of them.
Eric Weihenmayer
This outstanding man is the only climber in history who managed to conquer Everest while completely blind. Eric became blind at the age of 13. However, thanks to his innate focus on achieving high success, Weihenmayer first received a high-quality education, worked as a teacher, professionally engaged in wrestling, and then devoted his life to conquering mountain peaks.
ABOUT high achievements An artistic film was made of this disabled athlete, which was called “Touch the Top of the World.” In addition to Everest, the hero climbed the seven highest peaks on the planet. In particular, Weihenmayer conquered such daunting mountains as Elbrus and Kilimanjaro.
Alexey Petrovich Maresyev
At the height of World War II, this fearless man defended the country from invaders as a military pilot. In one of the battles, Alexei Maresyev’s plane was destroyed. Miraculously, the hero managed to stay alive. However, severe injuries forced him to agree to amputation of both lower limbs.
However, receiving a disability did not bother the outstanding pilot at all. Only after leaving the military hospital did he begin to seek the right to return to aviation. The army was in dire need of talented pilots. Therefore, soon Alexei Maresyev was offered prosthetics. Thus, he made many more combat missions. For his courage and military exploits, the pilot was awarded the title of Hero Soviet Union.
Ray Charles
Next on our list is a legendary man, an outstanding musician and one of the most celebrated jazz performers. Ray Charles began suffering from blindness at the age of 7. Presumably, this was caused by medical negligence, in particular improper treatment of glaucoma.
Subsequently, Ray began to develop his creative inclinations. Reluctance to give up allowed our hero to become the most famous blind musician of our time. At one time, this outstanding person was nominated for as many as 12 Grammy awards. His name is forever inscribed in the hall of fame of jazz, rock and roll, blues and country. In 2004, Charles was included in the top ten most talented artists of all time according to the authoritative publication Rolling Stone.
Nick Vujicic
What other people with disabilities who have achieved success deserve attention? One of these is Nick Vujicic - ordinary person who has suffered from a rare disorder since birth hereditary pathology under the definition of tetraamelia. When he was born, the boy was missing his upper and lower limbs. There was only a small appendage of the foot.
In his youth, Nick was offered surgery. Purpose surgical intervention became the separation of fused fingers on a single process lower limb. The guy was extremely happy that he got the opportunity, at least with grief in half, to manipulate objects and move without outside help. Inspired by the change, he learned to swim, surf and skateboard, and work on a computer.
IN mature age Nick Vujicic has gotten rid of past experiences associated with a physical disability. He began traveling around the world giving lectures, motivating people to new achievements. Often a man speaks to young people who have difficulty socializing and finding the meaning of life.
Valery Fefelov
Valery Andreevich Fefelov is famous as one of the leaders social movement dissidents, as well as a fighter for the recognition of the rights of people with disabilities. In 1966, while working as an electrician at one of the Soviet enterprises, this man suffered an industrial injury that led to a fracture of the spine. Doctors told Valery that he would remain in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. As often happens, our hero received absolutely no help from the state.
In 1978, Valery Fefelov organized the Initiative Group to protect the rights of people with disabilities throughout the entire Soviet Union. Soon the social activities of the organization were recognized by the authorities as such that they threatened the security of the state. A criminal case was opened against Fefelov, accusing him of resisting the policies of the country's leadership.
Fearing reprisals from the KGB, our hero was forced to move to Germany, where he was granted refugee status. Here Valery Andreevich continued to defend the interests of people with disabilities. Subsequently, he became the author of a book entitled “There are no disabled people in the USSR!”, which caused a lot of noise in society. The work of the famous human rights activist was published in English and Dutch.
Louis Braille
As a child, this man received an eye injury, which developed into severe inflammation and led to complete blindness. Louis decided not to lose heart. He devoted all his time to finding a solution that would allow visually impaired and blind people to recognize text. This is how the special Braille font was invented. Nowadays, it is widely used in institutions that rehabilitate people with disabilities.
1 February 2012, 19:16You have a disability or serious illness? You are not alone. Many people with disabilities have contributed to society. Among them are actors, actresses, celebrities, singers, politicians and many other famous people. There are, of course, millions to no one famous people who live, struggle and overcome their illness every day. Here is some list of famous disabled people to prove that it is possible to overcome the so-called disability barrier. Vanga(Vangelia Pandeva Gushterova, née Dimitrova; January 31, 1911, Strumitsa, Ottoman Empire - August 11, 1996 Petrich, Bulgaria) - Bulgarian clairvoyant. She was born in the Ottoman Empire into the family of a poor Bulgarian peasant. At the age of 12, Vanga lost her sight due to a hurricane, during which the whirlwind threw her hundreds of meters. She was found only in the evening with her eyes filled with sand. Her family was unable to provide treatment, and as a result, Vanga went blind. Franklin Delano Roosevelt 32nd President of the United States (1933–1945) (succumbed to polio in 1921). Kutuzov(Golenishchev-Kutuzov) Mikhail Illarionovich (1745–1813) His Serene Highness Prince Smolensky(1812), Russian commander, Field Marshal General (1812) (blindness in one eye). Composer Ludwig van Beethoven(I lost my hearing with age). Musician Stevie Wonder(blindness). Sarah Bernhardt, actress (lost her leg as a result of an injury in a fall). Marlee Matlin, (deafness). Christopher Reeve, the American actor who played the role of Superman, became paralyzed after falling from a horse. Ivan IV Vasilievich(Grozny) (Russian Tsar) - epilepsy, severe paranoia Peter I Aleseevich Romanov(Russian Tsar, later Russian Emperor) - epilepsy, chronic alcoholism I.V. Dzhugashvili(Stalin) (Generalissimo, second head of the USSR) - partial paralysis of the upper limbs Cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy– this term refers to a group of non-progressive non-communicable diseases associated with damage to areas of the brain that most often cause movement disorders. Celebrities with CPU Geri Jewell(09/13/1956) – comedienne. She made her debut in the television show " Life Facts" Jerry on personal experience shows that the behavior and actions of patients with cirrhosis are often misunderstood. Geri has been called a pioneer among disabled comedians. Anna McDonald is an Australian writer and disability rights activist. Her illness developed as a result birth trauma. She was diagnosed with intellectual disability, and at the age of three her parents placed her in the Melbourne Hospital for the Severely Disabled, where she spent 11 years without education or treatment. In 1980, she co-wrote her life story, Anna's Exit, with Rosemary Crossley, which was later filmed. Christy Brown(06/05/1932-09/06/1981) - Irish author, artist and poet. The film “My Life” was made about his life. left leg" For many years, Christy Brown was unable to move or speak on his own. Doctors considered him mentally disabled. However, his mother continued to talk to him, develop him and try to teach him. At the age of five, he took a piece of chalk from his sister with his left leg - the only limb that obeyed him - and began to draw on the floor. His mother taught him the alphabet, and he carefully copied each letter, holding the chalk between his toes. He eventually learned to speak and read. Chris Foncheska- comedian. He worked in an American comedy club and wrote material for comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno and Roseanne Arnold. Chris Fonchesca is the first (and only) person with a visible disability to work on Late Night with David Letterman in the show's 18-year history. Many of Chris's stories are about his illness. He notes that this helps break down many preconceived barriers about cerebral palsy. Chris Nolan- Irish author. He was educated in Dublin. Cerebral palsy acquired as a result of a two-hour oxygen starvation after birth. His mother believed that he understood everything and continued to teach him at home. Eventually a cure was discovered that allowed him to move one muscle in his neck. Thanks to this, Chris was able to learn to type. Nolan never said a word in his life, but his poetry has been compared to Joyce, Keats and Yeats. He published his first collection of poems at the age of fifteen. Stephen Hawking- world famous physicist. He defied time and his doctor's claims that he would not live two years after he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Charcot's disease. Hawking cannot walk, speak, swallow, has difficulty raising his head, and has difficulty breathing. Hawking, 51, was told about the disease 30 years ago when he was an unknown college student. Miguel Cervantes(1547 – 1616) – Spanish writer. Cervantes is best known as the author of one of the greatest works of world literature - the novel "The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha." In 1571, Cervantes, being military service in the fleet, took part in the battle of Lepanto, where he was seriously wounded by a shot from an arc :), because of which he lost left hand. Pavel Luspekayev, actor (Vereshchagin from " White sun desert") - Amputated feet. Grigory Zhuravlev, artist - from birth he was without arms and legs. He painted pictures with a brush in his mouth. Admiral Nelson- without a hand and an eye. Homer(blindness) ancient Greek poet, author of the Odyssey Franklin Roosevelt(poliomyelitis) 32nd President of the United States Ludwig Beethoven(deafness with age) great German composer Stevie Wonder(blind) American musician Marlene Matlin(deafness) American actress. She became the first and only deaf actress to win an Academy Award for Best female role in the film "Children of a Lesser God" Christopher Reeve(paralysis) American actor Grigory Zhuravlev(absence of legs and arms) Russian artist (more) Elena Keller(deaf-blind) American writer, teacher Maresyev Alexey(leg amputation) ace pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union Oscar Pistorius(legless) athlete Diana Gudayevna Gurtskaya- Russian Georgian singer. Member of the Union of Right Forces. Valentin Ivanovich Dikul. In 1962, Valentin Dikul fell from a great height while performing a stunt in the circus. The doctors’ verdict was merciless: “ Compression fracture spine in lumbar region and traumatic brain injury." . One of Dikul’s main achievements was his own rehabilitation method, protected by copyright certificates and patents. In 1988 it was opened Russian center rehabilitation of patients with spinal injuries and the consequences of cerebral palsy" - Dikul Center. In subsequent years, 3 more V.I. Dikul centers were opened in Moscow alone. Then, under the scientific leadership of Valentin Ivanovich, a number of rehabilitation clinics appeared throughout Russia, in Israel, Germany, Poland, America, etc. Honored Master of Sports, athlete of the Omsk Paralympic Training Center Elena Chistilina. She won silver at the XIII Paralympic Games in Beijing and two bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, and has repeatedly won Russian championships. In 2006, by Decree of the President of Russia, the athlete was awarded the medal of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, II degree. Taras Kryzhanovsky(1981). He was born without two feet. Honored Master of Sports in cross-country skiing among the disabled, champion and prize-winner of the IX Paralympic Games in Turin (nomination “For outstanding achievements in sports”). Andrea Bocelli. Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli was born in 1958 in Lagiatico in the province of Tuscany. Despite his blindness, he became one of the most memorable voices of modern opera and pop music. Bocelli is equally good at performing classical repertoire and pop ballads. He recorded duets with Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, Eros Razazzotti and Al Jarre. The latter, who sang "The Night Of Proms" with him in November 1995, said of Bocelli: "I had the honor of singing with the most in a beautiful voice in the world"... Stephen William Hawking(English: Stephen William Hawking, born January 8, 1942, Oxford, UK) is one of the most scientifically influential theoretical physicists of our time known to the general public. Hawking's main area of research is cosmology and quantum gravity. For three decades now, the scientist has been suffering incurable disease - multiple sclerosis. This is a disease in which motor neurons gradually die and the person becomes more and more helpless... After throat surgery in 1985, he lost the ability to speak. Friends gave him a speech synthesizer, which was installed on his wheelchair and with the help of which Hawking can communicate with others. Married twice, three children, grandchildren. Daniela Rozzek- “wheelchair rider”, German Paralympian - fencing. In addition to playing sports, she studies at a design school and works at a center for helping the elderly. Raises a daughter. Together with other German Paralympians, she starred for an erotic calendar. Zhadovskaya Yulia Valerianovna- July 11, 1824 - August 8, 1883, poetess, prose writer. She was born with a physical disability - without one hand. She was a very interesting, talented person, communicated with a large circle of talented people of her era. Sarah Bernhardt- March 24, 1824 - March 26, 1923, actress (“divine Sarah”). Many outstanding theater figures, for example K. S. Stanislavsky, considered Bernard's art a model of technical excellence. However, Bernard combined virtuoso skill, sophisticated technique, and artistic taste with deliberate showiness and a certain artificiality of play. In 1905, during a tour in Rio de Janeiro, the actress injured right leg, in 1915 the leg had to be amputated. Nevertheless, Bernard did not leave the scene. During the First World War, Bernard performed at the front. In 1914 she was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor. Stevie Wonder- May 13, 1950 American soul singer, composer, pianist and producer. He is called the greatest musician of our time, achieved impressive success in the musical field, being blind from birth, received a Grammy Award 22 times, Wonder's name is immortalized in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Composers Hall of Fame.
If you doubt your abilities, read the biographies of famous disabled people. It’s true that it’s hard to call them that - it’s impossible to be disabled while maintaining faith in yourself and strength of spirit. Even physical disabilities cannot prevent a person from living an active life, full life, achieve your goals, create, be successful.
Another thing is what to call a person who, being normal in all respects, does not believe in himself, has stopped dreaming and striving for the best? Sleeping, not awakened to life?
The impossible is possible and this is proven by the stories from the lives of great people with disabilities, both our contemporaries and predecessors, who achieved success despite what should have stopped them.
1. Lina Po- a pseudonym taken by Polina Mikhailovna Gorenshtein (1899 - 1948), when in 1918 she began performing as a ballerina and dancer. In 1934, Lina Po fell ill with encephalitis, became paralyzed, and completely lost her sight.
After the tragedy, Lina Po began sculpting, and already in 1937 her works appeared at an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin. In 1939, Lina Poe was accepted into the Moscow Union of Soviet Artists. Currently, individual works by Lina Po are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery and other museums in the country. But the main collection of sculptures is in the memorial hall of Lina Po, opened in the museum All-Russian Society blind.
2. Joseph Pulitzer(1847 - 1911) - American publisher, journalist, founder of the "yellow press" genre. Blind at 40 years old. Upon his death, he left $2 million to Columbia University. Three quarters of these funds went to create High school journalism, and the remaining amount was used to establish a prize for American journalists, which has been awarded since 1917.
3. Franklin Delano Roosevelt(1882 - 1945) - 32nd President of the United States (1933 - 1945). In 1921, Roosevelt became seriously ill with polio. Despite years of efforts to overcome the disease, Roosevelt remained paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. Some of the most significant pages in history are associated with his name foreign policy and US diplomacy, in particular, the establishment and normalization of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union and US participation in the anti-Hitler coalition.
4. Ludwig van Beethoven(1770 - 1827) - German composer, representative of the Viennese classical school. In 1796, already a famous composer, Beethoven began to lose his hearing: he developed tinitis - inflammation inner ear. By 1802, Beethoven was completely deaf, but it was from this time that the composer created his most famous works. In 1803-1804 Beethoven wrote the Eroic Symphony, and in 1803-1805 - the opera Fidelio. In addition, at this time Beethoven wrote piano sonatas from the Twenty-eighth to the last - the Thirty-second; two cello sonatas, quartets, vocal cycle “To a Distant Beloved”. Being completely deaf, Beethoven created two of his most monumental works - the Solemn Mass and the Ninth Symphony with choir (1824).
5. Helen Keller(1880 - 1968) - American writer, teacher and social activist. After an illness suffered at the age of one and a half years, she remained deaf-blind and mute. Since 1887, a young teacher at the Perkins Institute, Anne Sullivan, studied with her. During many months hard work, the girl mastered the sign language, and then began to learn to speak, having mastered correct movements lips and larynx. In 1900, Helen Keller entered Radcliffe College and graduated with honors in 1904. She wrote and published more than a dozen books about herself, her feelings, studies, worldview and understanding of religion, including “The World I Live in,” “The Diary of Helen Keller,” etc., and advocated the inclusion of deaf-blind people in the active life of society. Helen's story became the basis for Gibson's famous play The Miracle Worker (1959), which was filmed in 1962.
6. Eric Weihenmayer(1968) - the world's first rock climber to reach the top of Everest while blind. Eric Weihenmayer lost his sight when he was 13 years old. However, he finished his studies, and then became a teacher himself high school, then a wrestling coach and world-class athlete. Director Peter Winter made a live-action television film about Weihenmayer's journey, "Touch the Top of the World." In addition to Everest, Weihenmayer has conquered the seven highest mountain peaks in the world, including Kilimanjaro and Elbrus.
7. Miguel Cervantes(1547 - 1616) - Spanish writer. Cervantes is best known as the author of one of the greatest works of world literature - the novel "The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha." In 1571, Cervantes, while serving in the navy, took part in the Battle of Lepanto, where he was seriously wounded by an arquebus shot, causing him to lose his left arm. He later wrote that “by depriving me of my left hand, God made my right hand work harder and harder.”
8. Louis Braille(1809 - 1852) - French typhlopedagogue. At the age of 3, Braille injured his eye with a saddlery knife, causing sympathetic inflammation of the eyes and making him blind. In 1829, Louis Braille developed the embossed dotted font for the blind, Braille, which is still used throughout the world. In addition to letters and numbers, based on the same principles, he developed notation and taught music to the blind.
9. Esther Vergeer(1981) - Dutch tennis player. Considered one of the greatest wheelchair tennis players in history. She has been bedridden since the age of nine, when spinal cord surgery left her with paralysis of her legs. Esther Vergeer is a multiple winner of Grand Slam tournaments, seven-time world champion, and four-time Olympic champion. In Sydney and Athens she excelled both independently and in pairs. Since January 2003, Vergeer has not suffered a single defeat, winning 240 sets in a row. In 2002 and 2008 she became a laureate of the " Best Athlete with disabilities”, awarded by the Laureus World Sports Academy.
10. Sarah Bernhardt(1844 - 1923) - French actress. Many prominent theater figures, such as Konstantin Stanislavsky, considered Bernard's art a model of technical excellence. In 1914, after an accident, her leg was amputated, but the actress continued to perform. In 1922, Sarah Bernhardt appeared on stage for the last time. She was already nearly 80 years old, and she played “The Lady of the Camellias” while sitting in a chair.
11. Ray Charles(1930 - 2004) - American musician, legend, author of more than 70 studio albums, one of the world's most famous performers of music in the styles of soul, jazz and rhythm and blues. Blind at the age of seven, presumably due to glaucoma. Ray Charles is the most famous blind musician of our time; He was awarded 12 Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll, Jazz, Country and Blues Halls of Fame and the Georgia Hall of Fame, and his recordings were included in the Library of Congress. Frank Sinatra called Charles "the only true genius in show business." In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked Ray Charles number 10 on its "Immortal List" of the 100 greatest artists of all time.
12. Stephen Hawking(1942 - 2018) - famous English theoretical physicist and astrophysicist, author of the theory of primordial black holes and many others. In 1962 he graduated from Oxford University and began studying theoretical physics. At the same time, Hawking began to show signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which led to paralysis. After throat surgery in 1985, Stephen Hawking lost the ability to speak. Only his fingers moved right hand, with which he controlled his chair and a special computer that spoke for him. Stephen Hawking served as Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a position held by Isaac Newton three centuries earlier.
And our compatriots, about whom you have already heard.
1. Alexey Maresyev(1916 - 2001) - legendary pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union. On April 4, 1942, in the area of the so-called “Demyansk Cauldron” (Novgorod Region), in a battle with the Germans, Alexey Maresyev’s plane was shot down, and Alexey himself was seriously wounded. For eighteen days, the pilot, wounded in the legs, crawled his way to the front line. At the hospital, both legs were amputated. But after being discharged from the hospital, he sat at the controls of the plane again. In total, during the war he made 86 combat missions and shot down 11 enemy aircraft: four before being wounded and seven after being wounded. Maresyev became the prototype of the hero of Boris Polevoy's story "The Tale of a Real Man."
2. Mikhail Suvorov(1930 - 1998) - author of sixteen poetry collections. At the age of 13, he lost his sight from a mine explosion. Many of the poet’s poems were set to music and received wide recognition: “Red Carnation”, “Girls Sing About Love”, “Don’t Be Sad” and others. For more than thirty years, Mikhail Suvorov taught at a specialized part-time school for working youth for the blind. He was awarded the title of Honored Teacher of the Russian Federation.
3. Valery Fefelov(1949 - 2008) - participant in the dissident movement in the USSR, fighter for the rights of people with disabilities. Working as an electrician, in 1966 he received work injury- fell from a power line support and broke his spine - after which he remained disabled for the rest of his life, he could only move in a wheelchair. In May 1978, together with Yuri Kiselev (Moscow) and Faizulla Khusainov (Chistopol, Tatarstan), he created the Initiative Group for the Protection of the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the USSR. Your main goal the group called the creation of the All-Union Society of Disabled People. The activities of the Initiative Group were considered anti-Soviet by the authorities. In May 1982, a criminal case was opened against Valery Fefelov under the article “resistance to authorities.” Under threat of arrest, Fefelov agreed to the KGB's demand to travel abroad and in October 1982 he went to Germany, where in 1983 he and his family received political asylum. Author of the book “There are no disabled people in the USSR!”, published in Russian, English and Dutch.
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Rating 5.00 (4 Votes)December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The RIA Novosti photo gallery is dedicated to those who, faced with big problem, managed to find the strength to continue living life to the fullest.
Hero of the Soviet Union pilot Alexey Petrovich Maresyev, despite his disability, continued to fly. Due to severe injury during the Great Patriotic War both of his legs were amputated. During the war, Alexei made 86 combat missions and shot down 11 enemy aircraft: four before being wounded and seven after. Maresyev is the prototype of the hero of Boris Polevoy’s story “The Tale of a Real Man.”
French actress Sarah Bernhardt was called “the most famous actress in history” at the beginning of the 20th century. Sarah achieved success on the stages of Europe, and then triumphantly toured in America. Her repertoire consisted mainly of serious dramatic roles, which is why the actress received the nickname “Divine Sarah.” However, in 1905, during a tour in Rio de Janeiro, Bernard severely injured her right leg, which had to be amputated in 1915. But “The Divine Sarah” did not give up her stage activities: during the First World War she performed at the front and was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.
The 32nd President of the United States, who led America during the global economic crisis and World War II, as well as the only American President elected for more than two terms, Franklin Delano Roosevelt fell ill with polio in 1921 and never left his family. wheelchair. Without the help of steel tires weighing ten pounds, he could not stand, he could only move on crutches, but at the same time he forbade himself from feeling sorry for himself, and from showing any sentimentality to those around him.
American actress Marlee Matlin became the first and only deaf actress to win an Oscar. She received the award for Best Actress in the film “Children of a Lesser God.” Her subsequent work in film and television earned her a Golden Globe Award and two more nominations, as well as four Emmy nominations. For her career achievements, Matlin was awarded her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.
Ray Charles is an American blind musician, the author of 70 studio albums and one of the world's most famous performers of soul, jazz and rhythm and blues music. Ray has been awarded 17 Grammy Awards, has been inducted into the rock and roll, jazz, country, and blues halls of fame, and his recordings have been included in the Library of Congress. Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Billy Preston, Van Morrison admired his talent. And Frank Sinatra called Ray “the only true genius in show business.”
Another American blind soul singer, composer, pianist, drummer, harper, music producer and public figure is Stevie Wonder. Stevie is constantly included in "lists of the best vocalists of all time." He went blind shortly after birth, and at the age of eleven he signed his first contract with Motown Records and continues to perform and record with it to this day.
The famous Dutch tennis player Esther Vergeer fell ill with paraplegia at the age of 8 and had to undergo a very risky operation. During rehabilitation, the girl learned to play volleyball, basketball and tennis while in a wheelchair. She played basketball at the club level for several years before joining the national wheelchair basketball team. Together with the Dutch team, Vergeer won the European Championship in 1997. By 1998, the athlete was completely focused on tennis. Vergeer competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics, where she won a gold medal in singles and with partner Maaika Smith in doubles.
Italian singer (tenor) and classical music performer Andrea Bocelli became blind at the age of 12 after he was hit in the head with a ball while playing football. While still a teenager, Andrea wins several vocal competitions and also becomes a soloist in the school choir. 1992 becomes a decisive year for the young tenor. Andrea successfully auditions for the Italian “rock star” Zucchero. A demo recording of the song ends up with Luciano Pavarotti. In 1994, Bocelli successfully debuted at the Sanremo music festival. Now Andrea is very revered in the USA. The average price of a ticket to his concert is $500.
American theater and film actor, director, screenwriter, public figure Christopher Reeve (pictured left), who gained worldwide fame after playing the role of Superman in the 1978 American film of the same name and its sequels, fell from a horse on May 27, 1995 during a race in Virginia , broke cervical vertebrae and ended up paralyzed. Doctors were unable to put the actor back on his feet, but saved his life by conducting unique operation. He was paralyzed from the shoulders down, could not breathe on his own, and could only speak with the help of a device inserted into his trachea. Since then, he has devoted his life to rehabilitation therapy and, together with his wife Dana (pictured on the right), opened a center to teach paralyzed people how to live independently. Despite the injury, Reeve continued to work in television, film and social activities.
We are accustomed to the fact that sad stories about people with disabilities who need help. But it turns out there are other stories... Their heroes were able not only to overcome their illness, but also achieve great success.
will fly into space
The world-famous physicist, despite his “limited capabilities,” has already passed the necessary tests and is included in the team that will go to conquer Mars in the future. But the worst thing is that in his youth he was healthy, but after he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Charcot's disease, doctors actually sentenced Hawking. They said that he would not last even two years... This was many years ago, and during this time Hawking became not only a scientist, but also a teacher. One of the fans made for him special program, thanks to which he can communicate with people through an electronic translator. In addition, Hawking is not the first time married, and he has children! In general, despite all the difficulties, he lives a full life and is not going to stop there.
About the leg
The film “My Left Foot” was made about this famous Irish artist. Why leg? It turns out that in childhood this was the only limb that the boy could independently control. Christy could hardly move; his family considered him mentally disabled. Only his beloved mother believed in the boy’s abilities and always spoke kindly to him, read books to him, showed him pictures, and tried to develop him.
And a miracle happened! At the age of five, the boy took a piece of chalk from his sister with his left foot and began to draw on the floor. This once again proves that if you work with a child, his abilities can be developed. And if you don’t do it, then even healthy baby will be delayed in development. As a result, the boy made significant progress - he learned to read, speak and draw. He lived only 49 years - short life for a healthy person and very long for a disabled person.
Anna Macdonald became a writer...
This woman's story is amazing. Anna Macdonald wrote a memoir about her life called Anna's Exit, which was later filmed. She achieved such success on her own, because her parents once abandoned her.
During the birth of the girl, an injury occurred that gave rise to the disease. Doctors diagnosed Anna with intellectual disability. Desperate, the parents sent the girl to a special shelter for severely disabled people, that is, they actually abandoned the child. Alas, Anna was not provided with the necessary attention or treatment there. But, apparently, God helped her, because she developed independently, learned to read and write, draw, was drawn to communicate with people... Now Anna writes books, she has a family. In addition, she is active social activities to fight for the rights of people with disabilities.
“It’s important to me that by helping myself, I help others,” says McDonald. – After all, so many disabled people could find themselves if they just got a little help. Give faith in your strengths and provide conditions for creativity.
...and Chris Foncheska as screenwriter
This American never wanted to put up with the diagnosis of cerebral palsy and the prospect of spending his entire life doing nothing but being fully cared for by his family.
- I can't move, but my mental abilities much more developed than many healthy people, he says. – After all, I read a lot and educated myself.
In the end, he was successful. His scripts began to be taken into television and cinema, and he also wrote several books and articles about people diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
Chris Nolan found himself in poetry
Like the Irish artist Brown, Chris was developed thanks to his mother, who did not want to put up with her son’s diagnosis of cerebral palsy. In the first years, the boy could not move at all, but his mother did developmental exercises with him, tirelessly read books to him, and let him listen to classical music.
And a miracle happened - Chris began to move. A little at first, but every day I become more confident. When he grew up, Chris learned to type. This skill made a revolution in his life, because very soon his poems appeared on paper, first published when he was fifteen years old. 
Jerry Jewell conquered television
Jerry has been suffering since childhood cerebral palsy. Despite this, she managed to get an education, and most importantly, to fulfill her childhood dream of acting. She became the first famous disabled actor when she made her debut in the TV show “The Facts of Life.”
“The behavior of a disabled person and his actions in general are often misunderstood,” Jerry says in his interviews. “We don’t want pity or any “ special conditions" On the contrary, give people with disabilities the same rights as ordinary people. If a person can and wants to work at least with his head, give him a chance.
After Jerry became famous, several other people with disabilities followed in her footsteps and became actors.
Famous disabled people of the past
People who became disabled in the last century had an even harder time, because there was neither a system for caring for people with disabilities, nor good dentures, nor modern wheelchairs. And they were courageous people!
For example, the famous French actress, whose leg was amputated at the age of 72. At the same time, the actress continued to perform without using either crutches or prostheses. They carried her onto the stage and she played while sitting. “I know how to put up with the inevitable,” the actress answered all questions about her health.
