02 Understanding Disabilities

As a young man, Hawking showed remarkable academic talent, and was consistently at the top of his class during his time at the University of Oxford. Unfortunately, at the age of 21, Hawking was diagnosed with Muscular Atrophic Lateral Sclerosis (MALS), which caused him to gradually lose control of his body.

His muscle wasting worsened and he eventually lost the ability to speak, relying only on his fingers to express his thoughts and communicate with others. However, Hawking didn’t give up on himself. Even though his body was deteriorating every day, his mind continued to race.Although he was physically handicapped, this did not hinder his scientific research. He produced many important ideas and theories on the study of black holes and became one of the world’s greatest physicists.

Helen Keller lost her sight and hearing to illness when she was 19 months old. At the age of 7, she learnt to read by having her teacher write on her palm, and within a year she was signing, reading and writing Braille. At the age of 10, Helen Keller learnt to speak by feeling her teacher’s tongue and lips with her hands and trying to imitate the shape of her teacher’s mouth. Since then, Helen Keller has been an enthusiastic student and learnt five languages. In 1904, she received a Bachelor of Arts degree from Harvard University, becoming the first deaf-blind person to graduate from an institution of higher education.

In 1924, Helen Keller founded the Helen Keller International. In 1946, she became the International Relations Advisor for the American Foundation for the Blind. She travelled around the world and visited 35 countries, campaigning for the establishment of schools for the blind around the world. She visited patients in hospitals to share her experiences. She also campaigned for the rights of various disadvantaged groups. Her strong will and dedication have made her a role model for the world to follow.

Thomas Edison is one of the world’s most famous scientists, with patents for several important inventions, including the phonograph and the electric light bulb. There are many different stories about Edison’s hearing loss, but he had already lost most of his hearing by the age of 12. Rather than being discouraged by his hearing loss, Edison saw it as an asset that allowed him to focus on his experiments and research. Despite Edison’s hearing loss, he still managed to invent the phonograph, which some say was able to play material for the blind, similar to today’s “audiobooks”.

Edison’s hearing loss didn’t stop him from succeeding, and his inventions have touched the lives of generations of people around the world. He is an inspirational role model morewho has motivated people all over the world.