On October, 28th, 2007, Neil Sauter, who has cerebral palsy, completed the Grand Rapids Marathon on stilts in record time, helping raise awareness and funds for UCP Michigan.
Walking since May 5th, 2008, starting at New Bedford Academy in Lambertville, MI, Neil will continue his fundraising campaign for UCP Michigan by walking across the state of Michigan - an 830-mile journey from the Southern border of the state to the Western edge of Michigan's Upper Peninsula — all on stilts! He will cross the Michigan border into Wisconsin on June 28th.
Along the way he will be visiting schools, organizations, camps, churches, festivals, etc., using interactive story telling to advocate for people with disabilities, to encourage children to become active leaders in their communities, and to raise awareness and funds for UCP Michigan.
Neil's mission is to inspire youth to rise above challenges, stand up for what they believe, and advocate for others. He shares his message by describing how he overcame the challenges associated with cerebral palsy to become a world record stilt walker. He has also created a series of short stories incorporating balloon animals, juggling, magic, and audience participation, which captivate children and teach clear moral messages about becoming a leader in one's community.
Why undertake this adventure? Sauter says,
"After I graduated from college I wanted to do something adventurous and productive before settling into a career. I had my heart set on the Peace Corps but was unable to go due to medical difficulties. At the time I found out that the Peace Corps was out of the question I had just begun my stilt-walking career. Then the idea just came to me; I would find an adventure and a cause of my own that I wouldn't have to listen to anybody who told me I couldn't go. I would take a stand for people with disabilities right here in Michigan."
Neil is a graduate of Grand Valley State University, an adjunct professor at Jackson Community College and works with people with disabilities in a rehabilitation setting. After the walk, he will enroll in a Master's degree program in Natural Resources Management.
Two people with disabilities were among Time Magazine's 100 Most Influential People this year. Oscar Pistorius, a South African double amputee Paralympian athlete who runs on carbon blades, and Jill Bolte Taylor, a neuroanatomist professor at Indiana University School of Medicine and author of A Stroke of Insight, who studied her own stroke and recorded her personal experiences.
Erik Weihenmayer, the only visually impaired person to climb Mt. Everest, wrote the article about Oscar Pistorius, whose lower legs were amputated at the age of one but now challenges world-class sprinters. He is so good at running that the International Assocation of Athletics Federations (IAAF) recently ruled that he couldn't compete against "able-bodied" athletes at the Olympic games this year in Beijing, China because they felt that his carbon blades gave him an unfair advantage.
In fact, as Weihenmayer reported, "An IAAF initated study found that more energy is returned to Pistorius' upper legs from his blades than from ankles and calf muscles and that he uses less oxygen."
Weihenmayer closes, "we mustn't lose sight of what makes an athlete great... It's too easy to credit Pistorius' success to technology. Through birth or circumstance, some are given certain gifts, but it's what one does with those gifts... that is at the true heart of a champion."
TV host and personality Dick Clark writes about Jill Bolte Taylor. In 1996, she realized she was experiencing a brain hemorrhage as it was happening. She took this experience and the following decade to recover and chronicle her experiences, publishing her study in her new book, A Stroke of Insight. Clark writes, "Through her writings and lectures, she has done perhaps more than anyone else to explain, both to the healthy and the stricken, what a stroke is."
Are you or somone you know caring for an elderly family member or person with disabilities? Do you know someone getting paid to perform this function? What does this activity mean for you, your family, community and beyond? Tell us about it and you can win a trip to Washington, D.C. in September 2008 to join others in letting Congress know, personally.
Announcing DSP TV Online... an exciting opportunity for Direct Support Professionals (DSPs), caregivers, people with disabilities, families, self-advocates, and supporters of people with disabilities and the direct support workforce to share their stories in front of the camera!
The DSP TV Online contest is hosted as a part of http://www.youneedtoknowme.org/, and it is open to anyone. The only catch is that the videos must be about the direct support workforce.
We want Direct Support Professionals, caregivers, people with disabilities, families, providers and supporters/advocates to relate stories of the direct support workforce in their own voice—why the workforce is so important, why do DSPs deserve additional compensation and how are DSPs making a difference?
So here's the scoop. DSP TV Online works just like YouTube.
1. Shoot a short video on your camcorder, cell phone, or digital camera.
2. Go to the DSP TV Online Web site and follow the short steps to upload the video.
3. Be entered to win one of several prizes including $500 for the best video per category and a grand prize of $1000 for the overall best video and a free trip to Washington, D.C. this September!
It's that easy... just point... shoot... and post.
You have until June 15th to upload your video and be entered to win a prize! So grab your camera and shine a light on the work of DSPs and the immeasurable value they bring to the lives of people with disabilities.
And, don't worry about production quality or script, just face the camera and tell your story!
Entering this Web-based video contest is quick and easy. To learn how, click here.
UCP is hosting an online auction in conjunction with the 2008 Believable Hope Conference to help raise awareness and funds to support the services UCP National provides UCP affiliates. All proceeds from the auction benefit the United Cerebral Palsy.
Participating in the auction is your chance… chance to create real hope, hope to transform the lives of people with disabilities and hope for a future where our children can live Life Without Limits.
Founded in 1948 to help people with cerebral palsy, today United Cerebral Palsy (UCP) is a pivotal advocate for the rights of all people with disabilities. As one of the largest health charities in America, UCP is dedicated to advancing the independence, productivity and full citizenship of people with disabilities.
Professor, Pianist Overcomes Disabilities Augusta Chronicle Augusta,GA,USA 5/30/08 When Marcus Clayton was 13, he lost his right arm and his sight, but his zeal for life remained.
Blind New York Governor Embraces his Disability Associated Press Albany,NY,USA 5/29/08 As a young man, David Paterson never looked for dropped change because he didn't want people to see a blind man crawling on the floor for nickels and dimes.
"Labeled Disabled" Film Challenges Myths of Physical Disability Cambridge Friends School Cambridge,MA,USA 5/27/08 [A] new documentary film by Maggie Doben, a first-grade teacher at Cambridge Friends School, shows how children can understand physical disability through personal experiences with disabled people.
UNC School of Medicine establishes Carolina Institute for Developmental Disabilities WRAL.com Chapel Hill, NC,USA 5/27/08 The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Medicine has established a new institute to advance research, training and treatment efforts aimed at aiding children and adults with developmental disabilities.
Maysoon Zayid: Comedian without borders Punchline Magazine USA 5/26/08 Onstage, her jokes find their way into the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, her traditional Palestinian father and the facts that she’s Muslim, has cerebral palsy and is still a virgin in her early 30s.
A league of their own Press-Register - al.com Mobile,AL,USA 5/26/08 Last year the Westside Little League board of directors decided to add a Challenger Division for children with disabilities. Nationally, the Little League Challenger Division has been around since 1989.
Cerebral palsy not stopping Gregory from living a dream USA Today Savannah,GA,USA 5/20/08 The "sports nut" from Savannah, Ga., is following his dream to live life on the Tour, driven to navigate every hole of every round of every tournament with a different player each week this year.
Children with disabilities to play dream softball game The Reporter Fond du Lac,WI,USA 5/17/08 "The motto of the game is 'everyone bats, everyone runs, and everyone scores.' Every child is paired up with a buddy, who will assist the child as they bat and play the field," said Softball Association President Eric Everson
Amputee runner wins right to try for Olympic spot Associated Press Lausanne,Switzerland 5/16/08 Double-amputee sprinter Oscar Pistorius won his appeal Friday and can compete for a place in the Beijing Olympics.
A Walking Inspiration at The Players ABC 25 First Coast News Ponte Vedra Beach,FL,USA 5/10/08 (Video) D.J. Gregory is traveling to every tournament on the PGA Tour schedule and walking along every single hole.
For these basketball players, it's more than a game Chicago Tribune Chicago,IL,USA 5/9/08 Steering and pumping her wheelchair forward with one hand while dribbling a basketball with the other, Neil Elementary School 8th grader Diamond Baldwin maneuvered through a gaggle of wheelchairs Thursday.
Allie Watkins of Highland Park: Bringing down barriers Dallas Morning News Dallas,TX,USA 5/8/08 Coffee Park is breaking physical barriers, with aspirations to create a playground with equipment accessible by all including those facing their own barriers with mobile disabilities.
Successful House Hearing on Telephone and Television Accessibility Justice for All (Blog) USA 5/6/08 On May 1, 2008, the U.S. House of Representatives Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet held a lively hearing on "Enhancing Access to Broadband Technology and Services for Persons with Disabilities."
Persons with disabilities and seniors now have a guide to help them prepare for possible disasters 7thSpace Interactive New York,NY,USA 5/5/08 The guide, titled Are you Ready? Nova Scotia's Guide to Disaster Preparedness: Tips for Persons with Disabilities, Tips for Frail or Older Seniors, provides education on disaster preparedness tailored to meet the needs of persons with various disabilities and frail and older seniors.
Amputee Du Toit qualifies for Beijing Reuters USA 5/3/08 South African amputee Natalie Du Toit qualified for the Beijing Olympics on Saturday after she finished fourth in the 10km race in the Open Water World Championships.
AT&T unrolls iPhone plan for people with disabilities Sacramento Business Journal Sacramento,CA,USA 4/29/08 AT&T Inc. has adopted a new Internet and messaging plan for Apple Inc.'s iPhone designed to help people who are deaf or have a speech or hearing impairment stay connected.
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