Translate The Content in Your Local Language

Sunday 25 October 2015

Disability is no barrier to sucess: Just meet these people

When Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis at the age of 21, little did he know that he would one-day conduct ground breaking scientific research despite being completely paralyzed. His book a Brief History of Time was a phenomenal success on the British Sunday Times best-seller list. Apart from being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he is an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts and a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.



-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis at the age of 21. We all know what he has done since!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

As Star Movies Select HD gets ready to premiere a movie on Hawking's life 'The Theory of Everything' on October 24, we look at five other celebrities who overcame disability to achieve considerable success:


Sudha Chandran:

Sudha Chandran is an accomplished Bharatanatyam dancer who lost her leg in an accident on one of her return trips from Mumbai to Chennai. She lost her right leg and was given an artificial leg. She overcame her disability with the help of a Jaipur foot. She was honoured with several awards and was invited to all parts of the world after her story went viral. She continues to provide inspiration to many disabled people who aspire to dance.



Robin Williams:

Many people might be surprised to know this, but the deceased Hollywood star suffered from Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) as a child. He took to comedy as a young man and started his career as a stand-up comic. He went on to win the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor as Dr. Sean Maguire in Good Will Hunting. Throughout his acting career, he also won two Primetime Emmy Awards, , six Golden Globe Awards, two Screen Actors Guild Awards, and four Grammy Awards.

Due to his condition, he never turned down a medically-related role in his career. Some of his most memorable performances have come in such movies - Awakenings, Patch Adams etc.


Marlee Matlin:

Marlee Matlin is an American actress and an Academy Award winner. She lost all hearing in her right ear and 80% of her hearing in her left ear at the age of 18 months. She made her film debut in the film 'Children of a Lesser God', for which she won the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama and the Academy Award for Best Actress at the age of 21, making her the youngest to do so. She also became the only Deaf performer to win the award.


She is also the author of four novels and a huge contributor to deafness-related charities.


Sadhna Dhand:

Suffering from brittle bone disease, Sadhna Dhand only stands 3' 3 inches tall and lost her hearing at the age of 12. Osteogenesis imperfecta, the scientific name for the disease, which makes bones fragile and susceptible to frequent fractures, could not crush her spirit as she was chosen for 'National Awards for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities 2012' under role model category (female). She has won a national award for her painting skills. Apart from this, she has received many state and national level awards for painting and photography. She is also an active social worker, who donates to organizations working with mentally and physically disabled children.

Tanni Grey-Thompson:

For those of you who don't know her, Tanni Grey-Thompson is a former wheelchair racer who was born with the condition spina bifida, a parliamentarian and a television presenter. She competed in the Paralympic Games since 1988 with her last appearance coming at Athens in 2004. She won a total of 16 medals (11 gold, four silvers and a bronze).

Post-retirement, she took up television presenting as a career - including BBC TWO's From the Edge disability magazine programme. She was also introduced in the House of Lords on 29 March.



Source : Economic Times , 20th Oct 2015
When Stephen Hawking was diagnosed with Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis at the age of 21, little did he know that he would one-day conduct ground breaking scientific research despite being completely paralyzed. His book a Brief History of Time was a phenomenal success on the British Sunday Times best-seller list. Apart from being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, he is an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts and a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences.

As  ..

No comments:

Post a Comment