Historical Spotlight: Wilma Rudolph

Known for being an Olympic gold medalist in sprinting, Wilma Rudolph was born prematurely in St. Bethlehem, Tennessee, on June 23, 1940. The 20th of her father's 22 children, Rudolph was sickly as a child and wasn't expected to walk again after contracting polio. However, she overcame this setback by wearing leg braces and doing physical and massage therapy until she was 11 years old. In high school, Rudolph played basketball, setting state records, and began sprinting. She was noticed by the Tennessee State University women's track coach with whom she trained during summer vacations. At age 16, Rudolph helped her three teammates win bronze in the 400-meter relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne, Australia. Four years, she became more famous after winning the 100-meter dash, 200-meter dash, and 400-meter relay at the Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. This made her the first American woman to win three gold medals at one Olympic. After retiring from sprinting in 1963, Rudolph completed her elementary education degree. She then taught at an elementary school and coached track and field at her high school while being a mother of four. She published her autobiography Wilma in 1977 and established the Wilma Rudolph Foundation among other endeavors. On this day 24 years ago, Rudolph died of a brain tumor at home in Brentwood, Tennessee. To learn more about this woman who didn't let disability slow her down, go to https://www.notablebiographies.com/Ro-Sc/Rudolph-Wilma.html.

Wilma Rudolph winning a race

(image via Wikimedia Commons)

Spotlight: Danielle Cares for Chairs

When she was 17 years old last year, Danielle Rothchild (with the assistance of her friend Delaney Martin) founded Danielle Cares for Chairs, a nonprofit that collects bread tags. These tags are on bags of foods such as fruits and vegetables as well as bread. The bread tags are taken to a recycling plant, and the proceeds go toward the purchase of wheelchairs and other mobility products. Rothchild, who has made dresses out of recycled materials, was inspired to establish her organization by her involvement with Family, Career and Community Leaders of America (FCCLA). (I was a FCCLA member in the eighth grade.) Since she graduated from high school in Carmel, Indiana, earlier this year, she's been volunteering for REVERB (an environmental sustainability company) and started college. However, she still makes time for Danielle Cares for Chairs and was featured as the top story on Teen Kids News last month. For more information, go to https://daniellecaresforch.wixsite.com/daniellecareforchair.

Danielle Cares for Chairs' logo

(image via Wix)

Spotlight: Averie Mitchell

Averie Mitchell, an eleven-year-old from Oklahoma, is a gymnast who isn't hindered by her leg prosthetic. She was diagnosed with pseudarthrosis, which caused her right leg to have a false joint. Mitchell's leg was amputated below the knee when she was two years old. She quickly adjusted to her first prosthetic and became interested in gymnastics in which she trains three hours a day, four days a week. Mitchell competed with 13 of her teammates in the AAU National Gymnastic Championship in Tampa last June. She engages in outdoors activities with her family and has a dog named Hattie, a black Labrador mix that's also missing part of one of her right legs. Mitchell, an honor roll student, eventually wants to study physical therapy and be on the gymnastics team at the University of Oklahoma. For more information about Mitchell, go to https://newsok.com/article/5603309/eleven-year-old-hugo-gymnast-averie-mitchell-is-an-inspiration.

Averie Mitchell

(image via NBC News)

Arc of Florida Dental Services Scholarship

With Halloween coming up next week, we should keep in mind eating a lot of candy isn't good for our teeth. Speaking of teeth, The Arc of Florida is offering dental services scholarships to individuals who participate in the following Agency for Persons with Disabilities (APD) programs: Medicaid Individual Budgeting Waiver, Medicaid Waiver Waitlist, and Consumer Directed Care Plus. (However, funding in the individual's APD cost plan for dental must be applied before the scholarship money can be spent.) In addition to cleanings and X-rays, the procedures covered by the scholarship include fillings, crowns, and root canals. People interested in the scholarship must fill out an application (available at http://www.arcflorida.org/dental/) and send it by email, fax, or mail to The Arc of Florida. Hundreds of applications are received every month, so applicants won't get an immediate response. This scholarship is making many people smile!

(image via Pexels)

Spotlight: Stephen Wiltshire

Stephen Wiltshire MBE of London, England, is an autistic savant who is able to draw from memory detailed cityscapes after just one brief look at pictures of cities. When he was three years old, he was diagnosed with autism, and his father died in a motorbike accident. Not speaking fully until he was nine years old, Wiltshire began to draw while he attended Queensmill School for children with autism. He soon became well-known for his talent and later studied Fine Art at City & Guilds Art College. In 2006, Wiltshire was named by Queen Elizabeth II a Member of the Order of the British Empire for his contributions to the arts. He also opened a gallery at the Royal Opera Arcade in London. To learn more about Wiltshire, go to his website at https://www.stephenwiltshire.co.uk/.

Stephen Wiltshire after receiving his MBE medallion

(image via Wikimedia)

The Plastic Straw Ban's Impact on People with Disabilities

In an effort to reduce pollution, plastic straws are being banned at restaurants in some cities in the United States, Canada, and Europe. This poses a problem for people with certain disabilities, who are unable to pick up a cup and use plastic straws because other straws break apart or melt in hot liquids. Last Sunday night, Emma Cohen and Miles Pepper, co-founders of FinalStraw, promoted their product, the first collapsible metal straw, on the Season 10 premiere of Shark Tank. FinalStraw appears to be a good alternative to plastic straws. However, metal, which isn't bendable, can get too hot or too cold and can be painful to use for people with certain medical conditions. For more details on the plastic straw ban debate, go to https://www.eater.com/2018/7/19/17586742/plastic-straw-ban-disabilities. I believe restaurants should offer both plastic and environmentally friendly straws. What do you think about the plastic straw ban?

Plastic straws

(image via Wikimedia)

Spotlight: The AbleGamers Foundation

The AbleGamers Foundation is a nonprofit that makes it possible for people with physical disabilities in financial need to play video games. Based in West Virginia, AbleGamers assesses the kind of gaming equipment needed and provides assistive technology, including mouth controllers and eye-tracking. The charity has been able to do this since 2004, thanks to donations. I'm pleased to see an organization like AbleGamers because I played video games during my childhood, which I believe helped me improve my hand-eye coordination while having fun. Nowadays, I have a Nintendo Wii, which I haven't played in a while. Maybe it's time I pick up the controller again. For more information about AbleGamers, go to https://ablegamers.org/.

The AbleGamers Foundation logo

(image via Flickr)