Retired Staff Sergeant Eric Alva was the first American soldier injured in the Iraq War. Hailed as an American hero, Alva was decorated and visited by Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney, and President George W. Bush. However, he was only able to be true to himself after... More
Roger Crawford was born with severe physical disabilities that impaired all four limbs, but has consistently triumphed over these limitations. As a young man, he became the first and only athlete with four impaired limbs to compete in an NCAA Division One college sport and to be certified by the... More
Award-Winning Actor and Parkinson's Disease Advocate
Michael J. Fox is an award-winning television and film actor whose enduring career as a performer has made him an icon to countless fans around the globe. In 1991, at age 29, he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease, news he shared with the public in 1998. In 2000, to help advance scientific progress... More
Disability Policy Expert, Attorney and Cancer Survivor
Since losing one of his legs to bone cancer at the age of 12, Ted Kennedy, Jr. has devoted his life to work as an influential advocate for the disabled. Kennedy is the executive director of Facing the Challenge, a nonprofit advocacy and public policy office for disability-related issues, and a teaching... More
Inspirational Athlete, Entrepreneur, and Author of No Excuses
On first sight, Maynard is obviously exceptional. He is a quadruple congenital amputee, which means that his arms end at the elbows, and his legs extend to just past his knees. His adamant refusal to accept the limitations of this condition, however, is what truly sets him apart. Maynard began his... More
Co-Star of AMC's Breaking Bad and Equality and Diversity Activist
RJ Mitte plays Walt, Jr. the son of the cancer-stricken science teacher-turned-drug manufacturer Walter White (played by Bryan Cranston) on the Emmy-winning AMC drama Breaking Bad. Like his character on the show, Mitte has cerebral palsy, although his is a milder form of the disability... More
Lying on a bed paralyzed, with a bullet hole in his chest, Mike Schlappi promised that if he survived, he would share his unique story all over the world and help as many people as he could. Injured in a tragic shooting accident at age 14, doctors told him he would... More
Inspirational Survivor of the 1996 Mount Everest Tragedy
Motivational speaker Dr. Beck Weathers miraculously survived the deadliest day in the history of Mount Everest. An amateur climber, he lay unconscious during a violent 1996 storm that... More
Quadriplegic Rugby Player and Star of the Documentary Film, Murderball
Mark Zupan is the star of the film Murderball, the critically-acclaimed winner of the 2005 Sundance Film Festival's documentary audience award. Zupan was paralyzed in a car accident while in high school. A dedicated athlete, he began playing "quad rugby" in college. In 2004 he led team More
