Famous people with disabilities. Stories of disabled people who have achieved success

Marcus Aurelius said: “If something is beyond your power, then do not decide that it is generally impossible for a person. But if something is possible for a person and is characteristic of him, then consider that it is also available to you.”

It takes courage and will from any person to achieve success. But everything becomes hundreds, thousands of times more complicated when a person has some kind of physical disability. The stories of these people are a living illustration of the fact that the most terrible circumstances cannot interfere if you have the strength of spirit.

Stephen Hawking.

Quote: If you don't give up, it makes a difference.

Stephen Hawking is one of the most influential and well-known theoretical physicists and popularizer of science. Until the age of 18, Hawking was healthy and had no complaints, but while studying in college, he was diagnosed with signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. This incurable disease central nervous system, which leads to paralysis and muscle atrophy. Doctors predicted the young man that he had no more than 2-3 years to live, but their predictions did not come true. Despite the fact that Hawking was confined to a wheelchair, he continued his scientific work, taught at the University of Cambridge, became a member of the Royal Society of London, and published scientific works and received many awards.

In 1985, Hawking underwent several operations, after which he lost the ability to speak and was almost completely paralyzed. Only retained some mobility forefinger right hand. Then his engineer friends from Cambridge University developed a speech synthesizer especially for him, which allowed the professor to continue working and communicating with others. IN this moment in Hawking, only the muscle retains mobility right cheek– a computer sensor is attached to it, which reproduces the professor’s speech.

Despite his disability, Hawking was married twice and has three children from his first marriage, and in 2007 he even flew in zero gravity.

Helen Keller- deaf-blindness.

Quote: The best and most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen, they cannot even be touched. They must be felt with the heart.

Helen Keller was born June 27, 1880. She was ordinary healthy child before she got sick at the age of 19 months inflammatory disease brain (presumably scarlet fever). The girl survived, but completely lost her sight and hearing. In those days, training and socializing such children was an almost impossible task, and Helen was doomed to a semi-savage existence. But she was lucky - a teacher, Anne Sullivan, was sent from the school for the blind. This woman, who herself had poor eyesight and subsequently went blind, created a real miracle - Helen learned to read, write, speak and understand the speech of other people. This experience became a real breakthrough in pedagogy, on the basis of which a methodology for teaching deaf-blind children was drawn up.

Despite her physical disability, Helen was a very cheerful and purposeful girl. Moreover, she was very gifted. She graduated from college with honors, wrote many articles, essays and fiction books, gave lectures, and fought for the rights of people with disabilities. Helen Keller became a national hero, a symbol of perseverance and fortitude, a living example of what it is possible to live life to the fullest even with such a terrible illness.

John Forbes Nash– paranoid schizophrenia

Quote: I think my main scientific achievement is that I have spent my whole life working on things that really interest me, and have not spent a single day doing nonsense.

There were no signs of trouble. John Nash was a talented, promising mathematician. He published several groundbreaking papers, formulated the famous game theory, and became known as America's rising star in the "new mathematics."

Around the age of 30, those around him began to notice inadequacy in his behavior. He began to have hallucinations, paranoid fears (for example, all people in red ties seemed to him to be participants in a communist conspiracy), and at lectures he could suddenly begin to talk complete nonsense. In 1959, Nash was involuntarily committed to a psychiatric hospital. Over the next 10 years, they tried to treat him for schizophrenia; he was treated in clinics several times, but therapy was powerless. Ultimately, the patient refused to take the medications because he believed they were harming his mental functioning.

Improvement came only in the 1980s, when, by Nash’s own admission, he decided not to fight the disease, but to rationalize it. In the film “A Beautiful Mind” (2001), based on his life, there is such a scene: the scientist understands that the girl who constantly appears to him is not growing up, and therefore cannot be real.
Despite his illness, John Nash made invaluable contributions to mathematics. For his work, he was awarded the Nobel and Abel Prizes and became the first person in the world to receive both of these awards.

Frida Kahlo– polio

Quote: There is nothing more valuable than laughter; with its help you can break away from yourself and become weightless.

A brilliant Mexican artist, whose paintings are exhibited in the world's largest museums and sold at Sotheby's for millions of dollars. At the age of 6, Frida suffered from polio, as a result of which she remained lame and one leg became thinner than the other. At the age of 18, a new misfortune happened to her - she was in a car accident, in which she received a triple fracture of the spine, a fracture of the collarbone, pelvis, ribs, multiple fractures of the right leg, a crushed foot and serious damage to the peritoneal organs.

Having said goodbye to her health, Frida did not say goodbye to her active life. She became one of the most prominent artists of the 20th century, was married, traveled, and organized exhibitions.

Stevie Wonder– blindness

Quote: If a person is blind, this does not mean that he does not have vision.

American singer, composer, music producer, who largely determined the development of rhythm and blues and soul styles in the mid-20th century. Due to a medical error, he developed blindness from birth. The musically gifted boy was noticed at the age of 9, and at 11, Wonder released his first record. His contribution to the development of music is difficult to overestimate. Stevie Wonder is one of the most successful musicians of our time, a 25-time Grammy Award winner and the only musician in the world to receive Album of the Year three times in a row.

Christy Brown – cerebral paralysis.

From birth, the boy suffered from a severe form of cerebral palsy. All his limbs were paralyzed; he could only control left leg– and Christy Brown took full advantage of what fate left him. He became a serious artist and writer, and was married twice (the first marriage was not formalized). The film My Left Foot was based on his life, for which Daniel Day-Lewis received an Oscar.

Sudha Chandran– amputation

An Indian dancer who lost her leg in a car accident. The love of dancing and the desire to prove that she is not a burden helped the girl return to an active life. After years of painful training, Sudha was able to return to the stage. Currently, she is actively developing her career, acting in series and television shows, getting married and raising two children.

Mark Goffeny– absence of both hands

Mark was born with a developmental defect - he was missing both arms. Despite this, Mark learned to masterly play the classical and bass guitar, organized the musical group “Big Toe”, with which he successfully performs as a vocalist and bass guitarist. Goffeny developed his own guitar playing technique: laying the guitar on the ground and playing with his feet.

We have talked about just a few people who have achieved great success despite serious problems with health. In fact, there are a lot of them even among our contemporaries: Winnie Harlow, Peter Dinklage, Sylvester Stallone, Nick Vujicic, Marlee Matlin, Andrea Bocelli, Ray Charles, Eric Weihenmayer, Esther Verger and others. Their example inspires us not to give up under any circumstances and to remember the words spoken by Helen Keller: “When one door of happiness closes, another opens; but we often don’t notice it, staring at the closed door.”

There are millions of people with disabilities in the world. There are even celebrities in the world whose health does not allow them to live full life. But don’t think that a disability can stop a person from achieving his dream! The example of all these stars makes it easy to see the opposite. Even if your capabilities are limited, you can become a famous person all over the world.

Musician Stevie Wonder

Music legend Stevie Wonder went blind immediately after birth. Despite this, he became an extremely successful musician. He has an incredible number of Grammy awards - twenty-two! He proved himself to be an amazing composer and was able to create more than thirty incredibly popular hits. Stevie's unique musical talent was noticeable from early years. He learned to play various instruments, including drums, bass guitar and piano. His high voice allows him to perform songs brightly and lively. He is also talented as a producer, and he has become one of the finest musicians of the twentieth century. Wonder is a shining example of how incredible talented person becomes successful partly due to his disability. His net worth is estimated at over one hundred million dollars and he has sold over one hundred million albums and singles.

Physicist Stephen Hawking

Stephen Hawking has had amyotrophic sclerosis since he was 21. Despite the paralysis, he became one of the leading scientists, known not only among specialists, but also in general. He makes a positive impact on the world of science by proposing brilliant theories and making incredible discoveries. Despite his almost completely paralyzed body and the need to talk using a special device, he still does what he loves. His books are breaking sales records. This all confirms the incredible impact Hawking has on the world and the level of success he has achieved. The film “The Theory of Everything” is dedicated to him. His fortune is estimated at over twenty million pounds, he has been married twice and has two children.

Actress Kitty McGeever

This talented British actress lost her sight at the age of thirty-two due to diabetes. She is the first blind actress to appear regularly on British screen. She speaks openly about the difficulties she faced after losing her sight. The actress claims that disability is not the end of life. Positive attitude helped her keep moving forward and succeed. She communicates that it is possible to live with such a disability and is actively involved in charity work to change the public mood on this issue.

Activist Francesca Martinez

Francesca is a comedian, writer and political activist. At two years old she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. As a result of this disease, a person's muscles weaken and the brain suffers. Martinez openly discusses her illness in interviews; she admitted that as a child it was difficult for her to feel part of the team. When she started working with comedians, she realized that you can look at life differently. With the help of humor, you can openly talk about yourself and your problems. It's no surprise that Martinez is considered one of the most influential women on the subject. She inspires people to be themselves, to embrace their imperfections, and is a great role model for young people.

Singer Susan Boyle

Music sensation Susan Boyle was diagnosed with Asperger's when she was fifty-one. This disease is called a "hidden disability" because you cannot tell by sight that a person is suffering from it. Due to Asperger's syndrome, the singer always suffered while trying to communicate with others. Receiving a diagnosis was a major relief for her because she was finally able to understand what the root of her problems was. However, she does not succumb to her illness. She learns to cope with it. The singer has a net worth of twenty-two million pounds, fans all over the world, and her debut album became one of the best-selling in the UK.

Actor Warwick Davis

The famous English actor, comedian and TV presenter is very successful and has many fans. He has a rare form of dwarfism, and his parents were told he would die as a child. Fortunately, the doctors were wrong and Davis built a successful career. He played Professor Flitwick in the Harry Potter film series and the popular comedy series, and has his own acting agency that finds work for people who are too short or too tall. It is extremely successful and profitable business, many actors manage to find great roles thanks to Davis. He lives with his wife and two children and is worth an estimated £5 million.

TV presenter Adam Hills

The Australian comedian and TV presenter was born without a right leg and wears a prosthetic leg. He does not consider himself disabled because there are no things he cannot do; the absence of a leg does not affect his life in any way. He became a comedian at the age of 19 and immediately realized that this was the career he had always dreamed of. He has an excellent and successful life, he is very famous in his homeland, where he hosts a television music show. His fans live all over the world. Among other things, Hills writes a column for the BBC website dedicated to disability. He speaks openly about what it's like to live with an artificial leg and tries to be an example for other people with disabilities. Great positive example!

Writer Serry Burnell

Serry became famous as the host of a children's show. She was born with her right arm ending at the elbow, but this did not stop her from becoming successful. She not only hosts the show, but also writes popular children's books in which there are characters with disabilities. She plays in the theater, and some of her books become stage plays. In addition, she also writes plays herself and also sings. In an interview, she admits that disability does not seem to her a negative mark; it should not make a person less significant, he just finds himself in the minority. She is sure that disability is not her main feature. She serves as an excellent example of how a talented person can develop in the most different areas without limiting yourself due to health problems.

Journalist Alex Brooker

The seasoned sports journalist, broadcaster and comedian is known for his work on television. He was born with deformed hands, and his right leg had to be amputated when he was a child, so now he wears a prosthesis. Nevertheless, he built a successful career. He really loves the work of a journalist. Alex supports charity organisations. He encourages people not to be afraid to interact with people with disabilities, because they are individuals just like everyone else. He even interviewed the Prime Minister during the London Paralympics!

Comedian Lawrence Clark

Laurence Clarke is one of the most successful British comedians. He became an actor, writer and political activist. Lawrence was born with paralysis, and through his work he helps the public perceive people with disabilities differently. He is considered an extremely influential representative of people with disabilities. Clark has a wife and two children. He promotes the rights of people with disabilities, trying to change the way others perceive such people. As part of his activities, he regularly travels to various major events and speaks to the public.

December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. It was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1992.

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 arquebus, which is why he lost left hand. He later wrote that “by depriving me of my left hand, God made my right hand work harder and harder.”

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).

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.

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 approaching 80 years old, and she played “The Lady of the Camellias” while sitting in a chair.

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.

Helen Keller(1880‑1968) - American writer, teacher and public figure. 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. Over the course of many months of hard work, the girl mastered the sign language, and then began to learn to speak, mastering the correct movements of the 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 active life society. Helen's story formed the basis of Gibson's famous play "The Miracle Worker" (1959), filmed in 1962.

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 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.

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 fine arts them. A.S. Pushkin. In 1939, Lina Poe was accepted into the Moscow Union of Soviet Artists. Currently, individual works by Lina Po are available in collections Tretyakov Gallery and other museums in the country. But the main collection of sculptures is in the memorial hall of Lina Poe, opened in the museum of the All-Russian Society of the Blind.

Alexey Maresyev(1916 - 2001) - legendary pilot, Hero 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."

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.

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, 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.

Stephen Hawking(1942) - 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 the fingers of his right hand move, with which he controls his chair and a special computer that speaks for him.

Stephen Hawking currently holds the position of Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a position held by Isaac Newton three centuries ago. Despite serious illness Hawking leads an active life. In 2007, he flew in zero gravity on a special plane and announced that he intended to make a suborbital flight in a spaceplane in 2009.

Valery Fefelov(1949) - participant in the dissident movement in the USSR, fighter for the rights of the disabled. 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. His 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.

Stevie Wonder(1950) - American musician, singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. Lost my sight in infancy. Too much oxygen was supplied to the oxygen box where the child was placed. The result is pigmentary degeneration of the retina and blindness. He is called one of the greatest musicians of our time: he received a Grammy Award 22 times; became one of the musicians who actually defined the popular styles of “black” music - rhythm and blues and soul of the mid-20th century. Wonder's name is immortalized in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Composers Hall of Fame in the USA. During his career, he recorded more than 30 albums.

Christopher Reeve(1952‑2004) - American theater and film actor, director, screenwriter, public figure. In 1978, he gained worldwide fame for his role as Superman in the American film of the same name and its sequels. In 1995, during a race, he fell from his horse, was seriously injured and was left completely paralyzed. Since then, he has devoted his life to rehabilitation therapy and, together with his wife, opened a center to teach paralyzed people how to live independently. Despite the injury, Christopher Reeve last days continued to work on television, in films and participate in social activities.

Marlee Matlin(1965) - American actress. She lost her hearing at the age of one and a half years, and despite this, at the age of seven she began acting in a children's theater. At age 21, she won an Oscar for her debut film, Children of a Lesser God, becoming the youngest Oscar winner in history for Best Actress.

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.

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, as a result of an operation on spinal cord her legs were paralyzed. Esther Vergeer - multiple winner Grand Slam tournaments, seven-time world champion, 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.

The material was prepared based on information from open sources

Most recently, December 3 was the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. In honor of this, I would like to say about some who, despite their limited capabilities, are not offended by life. On the contrary, they take everything she gives them.

It happens that people with disabilities are much more successful than people who were born fully functional.

Why is this happening? A disabled person feels that he is cut off from society, that, unfortunately, he cannot live fully, he cannot feel the feelings that he will experience ordinary people.

Of course, such people strong will. And after this, such a person begins to work hard on himself so as not to feel disadvantaged; by this, the disabled person will show society that he is also a full-fledged member of society. It’s about these people people will go speech in this article.

Nick Vujicic

In 1982, a child with the rare tetra-amelia syndrome was born into a Serbian family. He was born without limbs, but he had a foot with two toes.

Despite the absence of limbs, Nick can swim, skateboard, type on a computer and much more. In addition, Nick is motivational speaker. He performs mainly for youth and children.

For example, when small children ask him why he doesn’t have a limb, Nick answers that he didn’t clean his room or smoked a lot.

Began his activities in 1999. From that time on, he began speaking in prisons and churches, motivating people who had fallen in spirit that nothing was lost yet.

Been to Russia several times. Nick is also the father of two boys and, more recently, two twin girls. He wrote the book “Life without Borders: The Path to an Amazingly Happy Life.”

Mark Inglis

Man born in 1959. Since childhood I dreamed of rock climbing. In 1979 he began working as a search and rescue climber in national park Aoraki.

In 1982, an accident occurs resulting in Mark and his partner Philip getting stuck in a cave due to a strong storm. The climbers stayed there 13 days waiting for salvation. During this time, Mark froze his feet. After the rescue, it was decided to amputate his legs.

But even though the climber was left without legs, this did not deprive him of his dream of conquering Everest. He had to use prosthetics to achieve his dream.

There were long preparations for this ascent. And in the end Mark conquered the most high mountain in the world. Its rise lasts 40 days. After returning home, he was personally congratulated by the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Stephen Hawking

World famous theoretical physicist, did extensive research on the theory of black holes and the theory big bang. In the early 1960s, signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis began to appear. This later led to paralysis.

In 1963, doctors believed Hawking had two years to live. In 1985, Stephen lost the ability to speak as a result of a series of operations, but his family gave him a speech synthesizer. Despite his disability, Stephen leads an active life. In 2007, a zero-gravity flight was carried out inside an airplane.

In 1965 he married Jane Wilde. But in 1990 he divorced. And in 1995 he married his nurse. He lived with her for 11 years and divorced in 2006. From first marriage 3 children were born.

Jessica Long (Tatyana Olegovna Kirillova)

Tatyana was born in the Irkutsk region. Small children were absent at birth tibia. Her mother left her in an orphanage. After that, she was adopted by the Long family from America. At 18 months old, her legs had to be amputated.

She began using prosthetics to walk. Despite the absence of legs, Tatyana was involved in many sports. Since the beginning of 2002, she began training in her grandfather's pool. A year later she became the best swimmer of 2003. At the age of 12, she won three gold medals.

Long beat 18 world records 15 of them are not beaten until today. In 2013 she went to Irkutsk region see your biological parents.

Tatiana McFadden

Another Tatyana, also of Russian origin. Her fate has much in common with Long's. In 1989, at birth, her mother abandoned her, as a result of which Tatyana ended up in an orphanage. In 1994, she was adopted by Deborah McFadden.

The adoptive mother begins to introduce the girl to various types sports to strengthen her body. At the age of 15 he competes in the Paralympic Games in Athens.

Eric Weihenmayer

Born in 1968 in New Jersey. At the age of 13, he lost his sight. But he did not despair and worked hard on himself. He achieved great results in wrestling. He competed on behalf of his state in the championship. I was studying the following types sports:

• Skiing;
• Parachuting;
• Diving;
• Rock climbing.

The first and last blind man to conquer Everest. In addition to all his achievements, Eric lectures and writes books, and popularizes sports.

10 remarkable stories of disabled people living life to the fullest.

December 3 is marked on the calendar as International Day of Persons with Disabilities. According to experts, currently over 650 million people have various shapes disability. More than 500 thousand people with disabilities live in Kazakhstan. And many of them can give any healthy person a head start in the love of life.

We'll tell you incredible stories from the life of disabled people. The difficulties and trials they experienced strengthened their spirit.

The 22-year-old from Astana, despite minus 17 vision, successfully competes in international competitions and wins medals and cups for his country. Anuar is a professional swimmer and plans to defend the honor of Kazakhstan at the Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, for which he is already preparing.

Nick Vujicic was born with Tetra-Amelia syndrome - a rare hereditary disease leading to the absence of all limbs. Now Nick is one of the most famous and popular motivational speakers in the world, has a beautiful wife and son. And by its very existence it gives hope for a normal, fulfilling life to thousands of people.

Hawking is born healthy person, but in his early youth doctors discovered he had Charcot's disease or amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. The disease progressed rapidly, and soon almost all of Hawking's muscles were paralyzed. He is not just confined to a wheelchair, he is completely paralyzed, mobility is preserved only in his fingers and individual facial muscles. In addition, after throat surgery, Stephen lost the ability to speak. He uses a speech synthesizer to communicate.

All this did not prevent Hawking from becoming a world famous scientist and being considered one of the smartest people on the planet. But Hawking not only conducts scientific work in a laboratory away from people. He writes books and actively popularizes science, gives lectures, and teaches. Hawking was married twice and has children. Despite his condition and venerable age (the scientist is already 71 years old), he continues to conduct social and scientific activities, and a couple of years ago he even went on a special flight with a session simulating weightlessness.

The world-famous composer Ludwig van Beethoven began to lose his hearing in 1796 at the age of 26: he developed tinitis, an inflammation of the inner ear. By 1802, Beethoven was completely deaf, but it was from this time that the composer created his most famous works. Beethoven wrote the Heroic Symphony, the opera "Fidelio", in addition, he composed 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.

The Russian has been married to Kazakh Anna Stelmakhovich for more than three years. Anna is healthy and could live a full life, like all ordinary people, but the girl chose a different life, filled with worries and troubles. But they are pleasant for her, and she tries to do everything with love for the sake of her husband. Gregory has been disabled since childhood. At 26 years old, he weighs only 20 kilograms and is unable to take care of himself. His wife does everything for him; she cooks, cleans, dresses, and washes him. But the couple does not complain about life and endures all hardships with dignity. Grisha works as a system administrator and creates websites, and Anna sells fashion items through an online store.

19-year-old Carrie Brown is a carrier of Down syndrome. Not long ago, thanks to the active support of her friends and the Internet, she became a model for one of the American youth clothing manufacturers. Carrie began posting photos of herself wearing Wet Seal clothing on her page on social network, which became so popular that she was invited to become the face of the brand.

This story true love spread all over the Internet. A veteran of the war in Afghanistan was blown up by a bomb, lost his limbs, but miraculously survived. Upon returning home, his fiancée Kelly not only did not leave her beloved, but also helped him literally get back on his feet.

New Zealander Mark Inglis conquered Everest in 2006, having lost both legs twenty years earlier. The climber froze them off in one of the previous expeditions, but did not give up his dream of Everest and climbed to the top, which is difficult even for ordinary people.

One not very good day, Lizzie saw a video posted on the Internet called “The Most scary woman in the world" with many views and corresponding comments. It’s easy to guess that the video showed... Lizzie herself, who was born with a rare syndrome, because of which she completely lacks adipose tissue. Lizzie's first impulse was to rush into unequal battle with commentators and tell them what she thinks about them. But instead, she pulled herself together and proved to the whole world that you don’t have to be beautiful to inspire people. She has already published two books and is a successful motivational speaker.

Irishman Christy Brown was born with disabilities - he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Doctors considered it unpromising - the child could not walk or even move, and was developmentally delayed. But the mother did not abandon him, but cared for the baby and did not give up hope of teaching him to walk, talk, write, and read. Her act deserves deep respect - Brown's family was very poor, and the father did not accept his son as flawed, in his opinion.

Brown had full control only with his left leg. And it was with this that he began to draw and write, mastering first chalk, then a brush, then a pen and a typewriter. He not only learned to read, speak and write, but also became a famous artist and short story writer. The film “Christy Brown: My Left Foot” was made about his life, the script for which was written by Brown himself.