that was right thank you when you see
someone like me what’s the first thing
that crosses your mind what would you
call someone like me
handicapped impaired disabled have you
ever stopped to think why why do we use
these words what impact if any do they
have these words carry very different
meanings an impairment is the actual
structural or functional abnormality for
example for me my impairment is my
spinal cord injury a disability is the
inability to perform a task normally as
compared to the average population
because of that impairment once again
for me my disability is I’m in it sorry
I’m unable to stand or walk because of
my impairment my spinal cord injury a
handicap is the inability to fulfill a
societal or environmental role because
of this impairment my handicap should be
that I can’t be a firefighter or a
lifeguard ii can’t perform those tasks I
guess normally where you would say that
a society we use these definitions to
come to compartmentalize and structure
our view of individuals with impairments
before a person
even opens his or her mouth our idea of
what they can or cannot do is largely
already made-up limits on their
abilities automatically surfaced in our
minds think about it I’ve ever been
inspired or amazed by a wheelchair user
who became a professional athlete or who
fathered children or in my case became a
doctor why are we astonished by the
individuals are they the exception or
are we the ones placing limits on their
abilities maybe we are the ones
emphasizing the handicap and in turn
creating the impairment for the first 22
years of my life I was completely
oblivious to these definitions I had no
obvious physical impairment I used to
lift weights run bike swim breakdance do
crazy things with my friends I still
loved pushing my body to the limits then
in 2009 when I was just 22 years old
everything changed I woke up two weeks
had suffered a t2 complete spinal cord
injury which meant that I was completely
paralyzed with no sensation or movement
at all some upper chest down I had had a
severe traumatic brain injury
the term traumatic means that it was due
to a physical injury and the term severe
is based off of a brain injury
classification scheme from mild to
moderate to severe and my condition
carried a very poor prognosis everything
I changed my whole life was totally
different at first I refused to accept
it every cell in my body believed that
this was just temporary and I was gonna
be walking again and able to move and
able to feel again I could even imagine
anything else though my impairment my
spinal cord injury and my disability the
fact that I was unable to walk
we’re obvious my family and I did not
let it become a handicap we do not let
it prevent me from doing the things I
for myself and for my family it was
never about if it was simply about when
and how so I made a decision early on to
looking at me you wouldn’t be able to
predict my biggest obstacles my biggest
obstacle was overcoming the inherent
bias of my colleagues strangers and even
my friends throughout medical school and
into my training as a resident physician
I’ve been treated differently before my
accident no one doubted that I could do
whatever I wanted to do I believed that
there was an infinite number of
possibilities and choices out there for
me just like there is for everyone in
this room as far as I could see there
was nothing wrong with me after my
accident things changed the late boxing
champ Muhammad Ali said it is in the
mountains ahead to climb that wear you
out
it’s the pebble in your shoe it’s the
little things that slowly almost
innocently brought me down I’ve been
patted on the head like a child people
have told me how how sorry they are that
I’m in a wheelchair and that this
happened to me as if this is the worst
thing in the world and that I needed to
be fixed
people have told my wife how she’s a
hero and how amazing she is even though
they’ve never even met her know all the
awesome things she’s accomplished but
simply because she married someone who’s
paralyzed and in a wheelchair some
people who don’t know me I seem like
she’s my caretaker not my wife sometimes
when people are standing around and
talking in a group they forget that I’m
there and just ignore me
one attending position I had in medical schools so all the struggles I was going
schools so all the struggles I was going through and told me I should consider a
through and told me I should consider a different profession
being treated as below others had a peculiar effect on me it drastically
peculiar effect on me it drastically decreased my self-esteem I ended up
decreased my self-esteem I ended up believing and acting as though I was
believing and acting as though I was below others a handicap had been created
below others a handicap had been created I didn’t perform as well as I could and
I didn’t perform as well as I could and I was not the doctor I could have been
I was not the doctor I could have been in medical school I didn’t participate
in medical school I didn’t participate or talk in our small groups where we
or talk in our small groups where we were supposed to work their cases and
were supposed to work their cases and problems together when I was in
problems together when I was in residency instead of taking charge and
residency instead of taking charge and acting like the doctor I was I was roll
acting like the doctor I was I was roll into a corner and watched the attending
into a corner and watched the attending physician interact with the patient I
physician interact with the patient I didn’t feel like my voice had any value
didn’t feel like my voice had any value it looked like I didn’t know anything my
it looked like I didn’t know anything my professors and my attending physicians
professors and my attending physicians expressed their concerns but it just
expressed their concerns but it just made things worse I felt weak
made things worse I felt weak like I wasn’t whole like I didn’t
like I wasn’t whole like I didn’t deserve to be there no matter how much I
deserve to be there no matter how much I tried then I got to work with an amazing
tried then I got to work with an amazing person an attending physician who cares
person an attending physician who cares mostly for patients who are born with
mostly for patients who are born with various physical impairments including
various physical impairments including spina bifida cerebral palsy muscular
spina bifida cerebral palsy muscular dystrophy but they continued to live
dystrophy but they continued to live their life they found a way things
their life they found a way things weren’t about if they were about when
weren’t about if they were about when and how when I worked with this position
and how when I worked with this position he treated me unlike anyone else had to
he treated me unlike anyone else had to him I was just another doctor in
him I was just another doctor in training I was his colleague he
training I was his colleague he trusted me you recognized and told me
trusted me you recognized and told me that my knowledge was exceptional
that my knowledge was exceptional contrary to even what I believed he had
contrary to even what I believed he had a practice that was away from the
a practice that was away from the hospital and early in the morning he
hospital and early in the morning he would leave me in the hospital to take
would leave me in the hospital to take care of the patients and any issues by
care of the patients and any issues by myself by believing in me and treating
myself by believing in me and treating me as his equal
me as his equal he was unintentionally empowering me
he was unintentionally empowering me suddenly I started doing very well
my biggest impairment is not my spinal cord injury or then paralyzed
cord injury or then paralyzed my biggest impairment ended up being low
my biggest impairment ended up being low self-esteem which I didn’t even know I
self-esteem which I didn’t even know I had it was not created by physical
had it was not created by physical constraints it was created by mental
constraints it was created by mental constraints by the way people talk to me
constraints by the way people talk to me doubted me by treating me as though I
doubted me by treating me as though I was not on the same level with others a
was not on the same level with others a handicap was created in me by others in
handicap was created in me by others in my my own self it then manifested
my my own self it then manifested impairments which I had never known
impairments which I had never known insecurity and a lack of confidence
insecurity and a lack of confidence which then disabled me had I not been
which then disabled me had I not been treated as though I had a handicap these
treated as though I had a handicap these impairments would never have been
impairments would never have been realized I have seen this countless
realized I have seen this countless times with my patients what is it that I
times with my patients what is it that I allow some of us to face challenges and
allow some of us to face challenges and not let them break us but instead rise
not let them break us but instead rise above using whatever we are left with
above using whatever we are left with some of this may of course be attributed
some of this may of course be attributed to our nature the characteristics with
to our nature the characteristics with with which we are born equally if not
with which we are born equally if not more importantly sometimes I believe is
more importantly sometimes I believe is how we are natured how we are talked to
how we are natured how we are talked to and
and we are treated that creates us and makes
we are treated that creates us and makes us who we are
willpower courage grit these may not be things we are born with but they have to
things we are born with but they have to be developed and encouraged thus we are
be developed and encouraged thus we are all capable of great things one of the
all capable of great things one of the most prominent members of our society
most prominent members of our society with the physical impairment Stephen
with the physical impairment Stephen Hawking recently passed away in 2007 he
Hawking recently passed away in 2007 he took part in a zero gravity flight that
took part in a zero gravity flight that allowed him to experience weightlessness
allowed him to experience weightlessness Wooden asked why he took such risks he
Wooden asked why he took such risks he said I want to show that people need not
said I want to show that people need not be limited by physical handicaps as long
be limited by physical handicaps as long as they are not disabled in spirit
listen to that as long as they’re not disabled in spirit this is one of the
disabled in spirit this is one of the most intelligent human beings to have
most intelligent human beings to have ever lived and he perfectly explained
ever lived and he perfectly explained the major challenge that we face your
the major challenge that we face your impairment may be something that others
impairment may be something that others can see or something that you can hide
can see or something that you can hide the only difference between me and most
the only difference between me and most of you is that you can see my impairment
of you is that you can see my impairment so you see how I’m broken and treat me
so you see how I’m broken and treat me like I’m broken I challenge you to break
like I’m broken I challenge you to break through your own internal biases that
through your own internal biases that you may not even think are there when
you may not even think are there when you see someone who’s in a wheelchair
you see someone who’s in a wheelchair instead of feeling sorry for them
instead of feeling sorry for them empower them we’ve made great strides as
empower them we’ve made great strides as a society but we have a long way to go
a society but we have a long way to go we need to make our workplaces and our
we need to make our workplaces and our colleges more accessible our playgrounds
colleges more accessible our playgrounds and our places of recreation more
and our places of recreation more inclusive our transportation easier
inclusive our transportation easier but all of this starts with changing our
but all of this starts with changing our perceptions
remember when you leave from here the way you interact with others will have a
way you interact with others will have a profound effect on them should you
profound effect on them should you choose your words actions and attitudes
choose your words actions and attitudes carefully when you interact with each
carefully when you interact with each and every person you come across you
and every person you come across you have the choice to disable or enable
have the choice to disable or enable them choose to enable thank you
them choose to enable thank you [Applause]
someone like me what’s the first thing
that crosses your mind what would you
call someone like me
handicapped impaired disabled have you
ever stopped to think why why do we use
these words what impact if any do they
have these words carry very different
meanings an impairment is the actual
structural or functional abnormality for
example for me my impairment is my
spinal cord injury a disability is the
inability to perform a task normally as
compared to the average population
because of that impairment once again
for me my disability is I’m in it sorry
I’m unable to stand or walk because of
my impairment my spinal cord injury a
handicap is the inability to fulfill a
societal or environmental role because
of this impairment my handicap should be
that I can’t be a firefighter or a
lifeguard ii can’t perform those tasks I
guess normally where you would say that
a society we use these definitions to
come to compartmentalize and structure
our view of individuals with impairments
before a person
even opens his or her mouth our idea of
what they can or cannot do is largely
already made-up limits on their
abilities automatically surfaced in our
minds think about it I’ve ever been
inspired or amazed by a wheelchair user
who became a professional athlete or who
fathered children or in my case became a
doctor why are we astonished by the
individuals are they the exception or
are we the ones placing limits on their
abilities maybe we are the ones
emphasizing the handicap and in turn
creating the impairment for the first 22
years of my life I was completely
oblivious to these definitions I had no
obvious physical impairment I used to
lift weights run bike swim breakdance do
crazy things with my friends I still
loved pushing my body to the limits then
in 2009 when I was just 22 years old
everything changed I woke up two weeks
had suffered a t2 complete spinal cord
injury which meant that I was completely
paralyzed with no sensation or movement
at all some upper chest down I had had a
severe traumatic brain injury
the term traumatic means that it was due
to a physical injury and the term severe
is based off of a brain injury
classification scheme from mild to
moderate to severe and my condition
carried a very poor prognosis everything
I changed my whole life was totally
different at first I refused to accept
it every cell in my body believed that
this was just temporary and I was gonna
be walking again and able to move and
able to feel again I could even imagine
anything else though my impairment my
spinal cord injury and my disability the
fact that I was unable to walk
we’re obvious my family and I did not
let it become a handicap we do not let
it prevent me from doing the things I
for myself and for my family it was
never about if it was simply about when
and how so I made a decision early on to
looking at me you wouldn’t be able to
predict my biggest obstacles my biggest
obstacle was overcoming the inherent
bias of my colleagues strangers and even
my friends throughout medical school and
into my training as a resident physician
I’ve been treated differently before my
accident no one doubted that I could do
whatever I wanted to do I believed that
there was an infinite number of
possibilities and choices out there for
me just like there is for everyone in
this room as far as I could see there
was nothing wrong with me after my
accident things changed the late boxing
champ Muhammad Ali said it is in the
mountains ahead to climb that wear you
out
it’s the pebble in your shoe it’s the
little things that slowly almost
innocently brought me down I’ve been
patted on the head like a child people
have told me how how sorry they are that
I’m in a wheelchair and that this
happened to me as if this is the worst
thing in the world and that I needed to
be fixed
people have told my wife how she’s a
hero and how amazing she is even though
they’ve never even met her know all the
awesome things she’s accomplished but
simply because she married someone who’s
paralyzed and in a wheelchair some
people who don’t know me I seem like
she’s my caretaker not my wife sometimes
when people are standing around and
talking in a group they forget that I’m
there and just ignore me
one attending position I had in medical schools so all the struggles I was going
schools so all the struggles I was going through and told me I should consider a
through and told me I should consider a different profession
being treated as below others had a peculiar effect on me it drastically
peculiar effect on me it drastically decreased my self-esteem I ended up
decreased my self-esteem I ended up believing and acting as though I was
believing and acting as though I was below others a handicap had been created
below others a handicap had been created I didn’t perform as well as I could and
I didn’t perform as well as I could and I was not the doctor I could have been
I was not the doctor I could have been in medical school I didn’t participate
in medical school I didn’t participate or talk in our small groups where we
or talk in our small groups where we were supposed to work their cases and
were supposed to work their cases and problems together when I was in
problems together when I was in residency instead of taking charge and
residency instead of taking charge and acting like the doctor I was I was roll
acting like the doctor I was I was roll into a corner and watched the attending
into a corner and watched the attending physician interact with the patient I
physician interact with the patient I didn’t feel like my voice had any value
didn’t feel like my voice had any value it looked like I didn’t know anything my
it looked like I didn’t know anything my professors and my attending physicians
professors and my attending physicians expressed their concerns but it just
expressed their concerns but it just made things worse I felt weak
made things worse I felt weak like I wasn’t whole like I didn’t
like I wasn’t whole like I didn’t deserve to be there no matter how much I
deserve to be there no matter how much I tried then I got to work with an amazing
tried then I got to work with an amazing person an attending physician who cares
person an attending physician who cares mostly for patients who are born with
mostly for patients who are born with various physical impairments including
various physical impairments including spina bifida cerebral palsy muscular
spina bifida cerebral palsy muscular dystrophy but they continued to live
dystrophy but they continued to live their life they found a way things
their life they found a way things weren’t about if they were about when
weren’t about if they were about when and how when I worked with this position
and how when I worked with this position he treated me unlike anyone else had to
he treated me unlike anyone else had to him I was just another doctor in
him I was just another doctor in training I was his colleague he
training I was his colleague he trusted me you recognized and told me
trusted me you recognized and told me that my knowledge was exceptional
that my knowledge was exceptional contrary to even what I believed he had
contrary to even what I believed he had a practice that was away from the
a practice that was away from the hospital and early in the morning he
hospital and early in the morning he would leave me in the hospital to take
would leave me in the hospital to take care of the patients and any issues by
care of the patients and any issues by myself by believing in me and treating
myself by believing in me and treating me as his equal
me as his equal he was unintentionally empowering me
he was unintentionally empowering me suddenly I started doing very well
my biggest impairment is not my spinal cord injury or then paralyzed
cord injury or then paralyzed my biggest impairment ended up being low
my biggest impairment ended up being low self-esteem which I didn’t even know I
self-esteem which I didn’t even know I had it was not created by physical
had it was not created by physical constraints it was created by mental
constraints it was created by mental constraints by the way people talk to me
constraints by the way people talk to me doubted me by treating me as though I
doubted me by treating me as though I was not on the same level with others a
was not on the same level with others a handicap was created in me by others in
handicap was created in me by others in my my own self it then manifested
my my own self it then manifested impairments which I had never known
impairments which I had never known insecurity and a lack of confidence
insecurity and a lack of confidence which then disabled me had I not been
which then disabled me had I not been treated as though I had a handicap these
treated as though I had a handicap these impairments would never have been
impairments would never have been realized I have seen this countless
realized I have seen this countless times with my patients what is it that I
times with my patients what is it that I allow some of us to face challenges and
allow some of us to face challenges and not let them break us but instead rise
not let them break us but instead rise above using whatever we are left with
above using whatever we are left with some of this may of course be attributed
some of this may of course be attributed to our nature the characteristics with
to our nature the characteristics with with which we are born equally if not
with which we are born equally if not more importantly sometimes I believe is
more importantly sometimes I believe is how we are natured how we are talked to
how we are natured how we are talked to and
and we are treated that creates us and makes
we are treated that creates us and makes us who we are
willpower courage grit these may not be things we are born with but they have to
things we are born with but they have to be developed and encouraged thus we are
be developed and encouraged thus we are all capable of great things one of the
all capable of great things one of the most prominent members of our society
most prominent members of our society with the physical impairment Stephen
with the physical impairment Stephen Hawking recently passed away in 2007 he
Hawking recently passed away in 2007 he took part in a zero gravity flight that
took part in a zero gravity flight that allowed him to experience weightlessness
allowed him to experience weightlessness Wooden asked why he took such risks he
Wooden asked why he took such risks he said I want to show that people need not
said I want to show that people need not be limited by physical handicaps as long
be limited by physical handicaps as long as they are not disabled in spirit
listen to that as long as they’re not disabled in spirit this is one of the
disabled in spirit this is one of the most intelligent human beings to have
most intelligent human beings to have ever lived and he perfectly explained
ever lived and he perfectly explained the major challenge that we face your
the major challenge that we face your impairment may be something that others
impairment may be something that others can see or something that you can hide
can see or something that you can hide the only difference between me and most
the only difference between me and most of you is that you can see my impairment
of you is that you can see my impairment so you see how I’m broken and treat me
so you see how I’m broken and treat me like I’m broken I challenge you to break
like I’m broken I challenge you to break through your own internal biases that
through your own internal biases that you may not even think are there when
you may not even think are there when you see someone who’s in a wheelchair
you see someone who’s in a wheelchair instead of feeling sorry for them
instead of feeling sorry for them empower them we’ve made great strides as
empower them we’ve made great strides as a society but we have a long way to go
a society but we have a long way to go we need to make our workplaces and our
we need to make our workplaces and our colleges more accessible our playgrounds
colleges more accessible our playgrounds and our places of recreation more
and our places of recreation more inclusive our transportation easier
inclusive our transportation easier but all of this starts with changing our
but all of this starts with changing our perceptions
remember when you leave from here the way you interact with others will have a
way you interact with others will have a profound effect on them should you
profound effect on them should you choose your words actions and attitudes
choose your words actions and attitudes carefully when you interact with each
carefully when you interact with each and every person you come across you
and every person you come across you have the choice to disable or enable
have the choice to disable or enable them choose to enable thank you
them choose to enable thank you [Applause]
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