but I keep going. If I can do it, you can do it. It really is that simple.”
Disability, Not Inability
The limitless possibilities of human achievement are often best illustrated by the disabled — who might be more aptly labeled the “differently-abled.” The following resources are dedicated to the idea that seeing past obstacles — our own as well as others’ — is key to achieving our goals.
Touch the Top of the World: A Blind Man’s Journey to Climb Farther Than the Eye Can See by Erik Weihenmayer (Plume; $14.00; audio cassette [abridged]; $24.95) tells the author’s story of his gradual loss of sight and how he went on to climb some of the world’s highest mountains.
Planet of the Blind by Stephen Kuusisto (Delta; $11.95) is an autobiographical account of one visually impaired man’s journey from self-destructive behavior to healthy self-acceptance.
The Websites of the World Association of Persons with Disabilities (www.wapd.org), iCan! Inc. (www.ican.com) and the American Association of People With Disabilities (www.aapd.com) offer excellent information, resources, and services for the disabled, and those that serve and support them. A great source to find other resources is The International Center for Disability Resources on the Internet (www.icdri.org).