Transcending Disabilities

I grew up with a birth defect known as spina bifida, a disability that
affects my sense of balance, causing me to walk with a limp. Not only
does it affect the function of the legs, but it also has an impact on
the kidneys, causing them to deteriorate.

The disability has had its ups and downs. As a young child, I can
remember the way other children would look at me and stare because of
the way that I walked. There were many times that my schoolmates would
laugh at me and call me names simply because of their lack of
understanding of why I was a little different, especially back in the
mid 70s and early 80s. Children then were just unwilling to take the
time to learn why one of their classmates might walk, speak or seem
noticeably different from themselves.

Now that I am an adult, I have noticed that the stares and names have
begun to fade, and judgments that once were negative have begun to turn
toward acceptance. The signing of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act)
has played a great part in breaking down some of those barriers that, as a child,
left me to fight a war that seemed to have no end. Now I look beyond what I can't
do and focus on what I CAN.

I have learned that limitations open doors that have been closed,
showing other ways to meet our needs. I have always looked at life as a
challenge, grasping each obstacle with open arms. There is nothing in
this world that comes easy. I must stand tall and look forward, to be
ever so ready for what still lies ahead.

People often feel sorry for those who were born with some type of
disability. But their compassion is misplaced. Yes, I may not be able to
run as fast or perform certain tasks, but my disability gives me a
better look at life and all that's around me. I want to be seen not as a
disability but as a person who has, and will continue to, bloom. So I
decided to become an advocate on behalf of disabled Americans; to fight
for our rights that for so long have been ignored.

I feel that it only takes one powerful voice to change the minds of many
nations, and as long as I have a mouth to use and a mind to think, I will
continue to work to bring peace upon the disabled community.

The above submission was written by Robert M. Hensel, who was born in Rota, Spain in
1969. He is currently a resident of Oswego, N.Y., and is an international poet-writer. On
October 1st of 2000, Robert was honored when the mayor of his home town declared a
week for the disabled, "Beyond Limitations Week", in his name.