Successful people with disabilities. Famous people with physical disabilities. Reference

If you give up and do not have the strength to conquer the next peak, remember the historical figures and contemporaries with physical disabilities, who became famous throughout the world. To call them disabled is simply not the language. People with disabilities who have achieved success set an example for all of us of courage, resilience, heroism and determination.

World famous personalities

Surprise and inspire numerous stories of people with disabilities. Successful personalities are often known throughout the world: books are written about them, films are made. The German musician and composer, representative of the Viennese school, Ludwig van Beethoven, is no exception. Already being famous, he began to lose his hearing. In 1802, the man became completely deaf. Despite the tragic circumstances, it was from this period of time that Beethoven began to create masterpieces. Having received a disability, he wrote most of his sonatas, as well as the Heroic Symphony, the Solemn Mass, the opera Fidelio and the vocal cycle To the Distant Beloved.

The Bulgarian clairvoyant Vanga is another historical figure who deserves respect and admiration. At the age of 12, the girl fell into a sandstorm and became blind. At the same time, the so-called third eye, the all-seeing eye, opened inside it. She began to look into the future, predicting the fate of people. Vanga attracted attention for her activities during World War II. Then a rumor went around the villages that she was able to determine whether or not a warrior had died on the battlefield, where the missing person was and whether there was any hope of finding him.

People during World War II

In addition to Vanga, during the German occupation, there were other people with disabilities who were successful. In Russia and abroad, everyone knows the brave pilot Alexei Petrovich Maresyev. During the battle, his plane was shot down, and he himself was seriously injured. For a long time he got to his own, because of the developed gangrene he lost his legs, but, despite this, he managed to convince the medical board that he was able to fly even with prostheses. The brave pilot shot down many more enemy ships, constantly took part in combat battles and returned home as a hero. After the war, he constantly traveled to the cities of the USSR and everywhere defended the rights of the disabled. His biography formed the basis of The Tale of a Real Man.

Another key figure in World War II is Franklin Delano Roosevelt. The thirty-second president of the United States was also disabled. Long before that, he contracted polio and remained paralyzed. Treatment did not give positive results. But Roosevelt did not lose heart: he worked actively and achieved amazing success in politics and in the diplomatic field. Important pages of world history are connected with his name: the participation of the United States in the anti-Hitler coalition and the normalization of relations between the American country and the Soviet Union.

Russian heroes

The list of famous personalities includes other people with disabilities who have achieved success. From Russia, first of all, we know Mikhail Suvorov, a writer and teacher who lived in the second half of the 20th century. When he was 13 years old, he lost his sight from a shell explosion. This did not prevent him from becoming the author of sixteen collections of poems, many of which received wide recognition and were set to music. Suvorov also taught at a school for the blind. Before his death, he was awarded the title of Honored Teacher of the Russian Federation.

But Valery Andreevich Fefelov worked in a different field. He not only fought for the rights of the disabled, but was also an active participant in the Soviet Union. Prior to that, he worked as an electrician: he fell from a height and broke his spine, remaining chained to a wheelchair for the rest of his life. It was on this simple device that he traveled through the expanses of a vast country, inviting people, if possible, to help the organization he created - the All-Union Society of Disabled People. The activities of the dissident were considered by the USSR authorities to be anti-Soviet and, together with his family, he was expelled from the country. Refugees received political asylum in Germany.

Notable musicians

People with disabilities who have achieved success with their creative abilities are on everyone's lips. Firstly, this is a blind musician Ray Charles, who lived for 74 years and died in 2004. This man can rightfully be called a legend: he is the author of 70 studio albums recorded in the style of jazz and blues. He went blind at the age of seven due to sudden onset glaucoma. The disease did not become an obstacle to his musical abilities. Ray Charles received 12 Grammy awards, he was noted in numerous halls of the stave. Frank Sinatra himself called Charles "the genius of show business", and the famous magazine Rolling Stone entered his name in the top ten of his "List of Immortals".

Secondly, the world knows another blind musician. This is Stevie Wonder. The creative personality had a tremendous impact on the development of vocal art in the 20th century. He became the founder of the R'n'B style and classic soul. Steve became blind immediately after birth. Despite his physical handicap, he ranks second among pop artists in terms of the number of Grammy statuettes received. The musician was awarded this award 25 times - not only for career success, but also for life achievements.

Popular athletes

Special respect deserves people with disabilities who have achieved success in sports. There are a lot of them, but first of all I would like to mention Eric Weihenmeier, who, being blind, was the first in the world to climb the formidable and mighty Everest. The rock climber became blind at the age of 13, but managed to complete his studies, get a profession and a sports category. Eric's adventures during his famous mountain climb were made into a feature film called "Touch the Top of the World". By the way, Everest is not a single achievement of a man. He managed to climb seven of the most dangerous peaks in the world, including Elbrus and Kilimanjaro.

Another world famous personality is Oscar Pistorius. Having become an invalid almost from the first days of his life, in the future he managed to turn the idea of ​​\u200b\u200bmodern sports. The man, having no legs below the knee, competed on an equal footing with healthy runners, and achieved great success and numerous victories. Oscar is a symbol of people with disabilities and an example of the fact that disability is not a hindrance to a normal life, including sports. Pistorius is an active participant in the program to support citizens with physical disabilities and the main promoter of active sports among this category of people.

strong women

Do not forget that people with disabilities who have achieved success in their careers are not exclusively members of the stronger sex. There are a lot of women among them - for example, Esther Verger. Our contemporary - the Dutch tennis player - is considered the greatest in this sport. At the age of 9, due to an unsuccessful operation on the spinal cord, she got into a wheelchair and managed to turn the tennis upside down. In our time, a woman is the winner of the Grand Slam and other tournaments, a four-time Olympic champion, seven times she became the leader in world competitions. Since 2003, she has not suffered a single defeat, becoming the winner of 240 sets in a row.

Helen Adams Keller is another name to be proud of. The woman was blind and deaf-mute, but, having mastered the iconic functions, having mastered the correct movements of the larynx and lips, she entered a higher educational institution and graduated with honors. The American became a famous writer who, on the pages of her books, talked about herself and people like her. Her story is the basis of William Gibson's play The Miracle Worker.

Actresses and dancers

Everyone has people with disabilities who have achieved success. Photos of the most beautiful women are often liked by tabloid print: among such talented and beautiful ladies it is worth noting In 1914, the French actress had her leg amputated, but she continued to appear on the stage of the theater. The last time grateful spectators saw her on the stage was in 1922: at the age of 80, she played a role in the play The Lady of the Camellias. Many prominent artists called Sarah a model of perfection, courage and

Another famous woman who captivated the public with her thirst for life and creativity is Lina Po, a ballerina and dancer. Her real name is Polina Gorenstein. In 1934, after suffering from encephalitis, she was left blind and partially paralyzed. Lina could no longer perform, but she did not lose heart - the woman learned to sculpt. She was accepted into the Union of Soviet Artists, the woman's work was constantly exhibited at the country's most famous exhibitions. The main collection of her sculptures is now in the museum of the All-Russian Society of the Blind.

Writers

People with disabilities who have achieved success did not live only in our time. Among them are many historical figures - for example, the writer Miguel Cervantes, who lived and worked in the 17th century. The author of the world-famous novel about the adventures of Don Quixote not only spent his time writing plots, he also served in the military in the navy. In 1571, having taken part in the Battle of Lepanto, he was seriously wounded - he lost his arm. Subsequently, Cervantes liked to repeat that disability was a powerful impetus for the further development and improvement of his talent.

John Pulitzer is another person who has become famous all over the world. The man went blind at the age of 40, but after the tragedy he began to work even harder. In the modern world, he is known to us as a successful writer, journalist, publisher. He is called the founder of the "yellow press". After his death, John bequeathed the $ 2 million he earned. Most of this amount went to the opening of the Graduate School of Journalism. With the rest of the money, they founded the prize for correspondents, which has been awarded since 1917.

Scientists

Among this category there are also people with disabilities who have achieved success in life. What is the famous English physicist Stephen William Hawking - the author of the theory of primordial black holes. The scientist suffers from amyotrophic sclerosis, which first deprived him of the ability to move, and then to speak. Despite this, Hawking is actively working: he controls a wheelchair and a special computer with the fingers of his right hand, the only moving part of his body. He now occupies a high position that three centuries ago belonged to Isaac Newton: he is a professor of mathematics at the University of Cambridge.

It is worth noting Louis Braille, a French typhlopedagogue. As a young boy, he cut his eyes with a knife, after which he forever lost the ability to see. To help himself and other blind people, he created a special embossed dot font for the blind. They are used all over the world today. Based on the same principles, the scientist also came up with special notes for the blind, which made it possible for blind people to play music.

conclusions

People with disabilities who have achieved success in our time and in past centuries can become an example for each of us. Their life, work, activity is a huge feat. Agree how hard it is sometimes to break the barriers on the way to a dream. Now imagine that they have these barriers more extensive, deeper and insurmountable. Despite the difficulties, they managed to pull themselves together, gather their will into a fist and take action.

To list all worthy personalities in one article is simply unrealistic. People with disabilities who have achieved success make up a whole army of citizens: each of them demonstrates his courage and strength. Among them are the famous artist Chris Brown, who has only one limb, the writer Anna MacDonald with a diagnosis of "intellectual disability", as well as TV presenter Jerry Jewell, poet Chris Nolan and screenwriter Chris Foncheka (all three are ill with cerebral palsy) and so on. What can we say about the many athletes without legs and arms, who take an active part in competitions. The stories of these people should become a standard for each of us, a symbol of courage and determination. And when you give up and it seems that the whole world is against you, remember these heroes and move on to your dream.

Limited physical abilities cannot stop those who do not agree to admit their inferiority. History knows outstanding personalities who have not resigned themselves to fate: Theodore Roosevelt, Stephen William Hawking, Frida Kahlo, Beethoven.

If you were suddenly overtaken by the blues, and you began to sincerely doubt your own abilities, then you just need to read the biographies of famous people with disabilities, because they were able to overcome enormous problems and not only brought their own life as close as possible to a truly full one, but also left it in the history of mankind a significant trace.

Their fortitude and boundless faith in themselves and their own abilities are worthy of great admiration. Despite everything, they were able to achieve their goals and become successful.

1. Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Perhaps the most famous US president, who in 1921 was very seriously ill with polio. He tried his best to fight the disease, but still ended up in a wheelchair. However, even this absolutely did not prevent him from entering world history with his merits.

His name is associated with such important events as the struggle against the Nazi coalition during World War II and the significant normalization of international diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union.

2. Helen Adams Keller

The most famous American writer, teacher and political activist. She became the first deaf-blind person in history to earn a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree. Her wonderful teacher Annie Sullivan was able to "pull" her out of her own complete isolation, and, despite the absolute lack of language, taught her how to communicate with others.

As a result, Keller was able to travel widely, became the initiator of the founding of the American Civil Liberties Union, as well as an ardent fighter for labor rights, socialism and women's rights. Her difficult biography served as a vivid plot for the film "The Miracle Worker".

3. Louis Braille

The most famous typhlopedagogue in childhood accidentally injured his eye with a saddle knife, which became inflamed because of this, and then went blind. Subsequently, Braille came up with a special font for the blind and visually impaired, which is still used everywhere throughout the world. In addition, he developed a similar notation so that the blind could also learn the music that he himself taught them.

4. Stephen William Hawking

This extraordinary man is known to all. In his 20s, Hawking was completely paralyzed, then due to an unsuccessful operation on his throat, he lost the ability to speak. To control his chair, he just moves the fingers of his right hand, they also control a computer that makes speech sounds - “speaks” for his master.

All this did not prevent Hawking from becoming the most famous theoretical physicist and astrophysicist, creating his own primary theory about black holes, and also receiving the Nobel Prize. Now he holds the same position as 300 years ago, Isaac Newton - teaches mathematics at the University of Cambridge.

5. Frida Kahlo

The most famous Mexican artist, the author of numerous expressive and very vivid paintings, most of which were her own self-portraits. At the age of 6, she contracted polio, so her left leg was thicker than her right, and she also had spina bifida, which could at any time affect the functioning of the spinal cord.

The desire to live and move normally helped Frida recover as much as possible from injuries and even regain the ability to walk, but she was literally tied to hospitals throughout her life, as she suffered from relapses of severe pain. But, despite this, she worked a lot as an artist and many international museums of the world acquired her paintings with pleasure. The film "Frida" was made about her difficult life.

6. Ludwig van Beethoven

The story of this great man is hard to believe. Due to inflammation of the middle ear, this famous German composer suddenly began to lose his hearing at the peak of his career, which led him to complete and irreversible deafness at the age of 32.

But it was from this moment that Beethoven began to compose true masterpieces, it was in this state that he wrote the Solemn Mass and the Ninth Symphony.

7. Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra

The great Spanish writer, author of the famous novel about Don Quixote, lost his left arm after being seriously wounded during the Battle of Lepanto. This absolutely did not prevent him from becoming a world famous writer and writing his famous novel.

8. Vincent van Gogh

His name is rightfully included in a number of the greatest artists, and his magnificent works have become true gems and a colossal contribution to the fundamental foundations of contemporary art. In just ten years, he created 1,100 sketches and drawings, as well as 900 paintings, today their value exceeds tens of millions of dollars.

This great artist suffered from a severe form of depression, the treatment of which took place in a psychiatric hospital. His life ended sadly enough: he shot himself in the chest when he was only 37 years old, and two days later the artist died, uttering his last words that sadness would last forever.

9. Albert Einstein

A great physicist whose contribution to this science is truly colossal. The author of the theory of relativity and the second law of the photoelectric effect won the Nobel Prize. But when Einstein was a child, his parents did not even imagine that he would become the greatest scientist of the 20th century, because he could not speak at all until the age of three, and besides, he suffered from autism and dyslexia.

10. Eric Weichenmeier

The courage and desperate determination of this man are worthy of the most extraordinary admiration! Being completely blind, he was able to conquer Everest. He lost his precious vision as a teenager, but this did not stop him from studying further with even greater desire, and then he was able to become a successful and famous athlete. In addition to the highest peak in the world, he conquered the seven highest peaks of all the continents of the Earth, among them Aconcagua, McKinley and Kilimanjaro.

11. Christy Brown

The famous Irish writer, as well as a poet and even an artist. As a child, he was ill with cerebral palsy and could not control his own movements and speech. The doctors issued a sad verdict, they believed that the boy's brain would not be able to function normally, but his mother did not give up, she constantly talked to him, worked with her son, tried to teach him at least something.

And her extraordinary efforts were rewarded: Christie was able to move his left leg at the age of 5. This leg became his means of communication with the world. Based on this touching story, a wonderful film "My Left Leg" was shot, which received a large number of awards at various competitions.

12. Sudha Chandran

A well-known Indian dancer lost her leg in a car accident in 1981, but despite this, she did not give up her favorite job. Moreover, she was able to continue to dance professionally on a prosthesis. It was very difficult for her, but she did not give up, although she believes that dancing in itself is not only a magnificent technique, but also a graceful beauty. This is exactly what the great dancer is trying to embody on stage, and whoever does not know her history does not even suspect about her features.

13. Esther Vergeer

Dutch wheelchair tennis player. When she had a spinal cord operation at the age of 9, her legs were paralyzed, but this misfortune was the beginning of her extraordinary career in tennis. Esther became the world champion seven times, won the Olympic Games four times, won the Grand Slam tournaments several times, and since January 2003 she won all the sets in which she participated, in total there were 240 of them.

Her determination, extraordinary skill and high professionalism were awarded in 2002, and then in 2008, with the "Best Disabled Athlete" award, which is presented by the Laureus World Sports Academy.

December 3 - International Day of Persons with Disabilities. It was proclaimed by the UN General Assembly in 1992.

Miguel Cervantes(1547 - 1616) - Spanish writer. Cervantes is best known as the author of one of the greatest works of world literature - the novel The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha. In 1571, Cervantes, being in military service in the navy, took part in the battle of Lepanto, where he was seriously wounded by a shot from an arquebus, due to which he lost his left arm. He later wrote that "by depriving me of my left hand, God made my right hand work harder and harder."

Ludwig van Beethoven(1770 - 1827) - German composer, representative of the Viennese classical school. In 1796, already a well-known composer, Beethoven began to lose his hearing: he developed tinitis, an inflammation of the inner ear. By 1802, Beethoven was completely deaf, but it was from that time that the composer created his most famous works. In 1803-1804, Beethoven wrote the Heroic Symphony, in 1803-1805 - the opera Fidelio. In addition, at this time, Beethoven wrote piano sonatas from the Twenty-eighth to the last - Thirty-second; two sonatas for cello, quartets, vocal cycle "To a Distant Beloved". Being completely deaf, Beethoven created two of his most monumental works - the Solemn Mass and the Ninth Symphony with Chorus (1824).

Louis Braille(1809 - 1852) - French tiflopedagogue. At the age of 3, Braille injured his eye with a saddlery knife, which caused sympathetic inflammation of the eyes and made him blind. In 1829, Louis Braille developed the embossed dotted font for the blind, which is still used throughout the world today - Braille. In addition to letters and numbers, on the basis of the same principles, he developed musical notation and taught music to the blind.

Sarah Bernard(1844‑1923) - French actress. Many prominent theater figures, such as Konstantin Stanislavsky, considered Bernard's art to be a model of technical perfection. In 1914, after an accident, her leg was amputated, but the actress continued to perform. In 1922, Sarah Bernhardt took to the stage for the last time. She was in her late 80s and was playing "Lady of the Camellias" while sitting in a chair.

Joseph Pulitzer(1847 - 1911) - American publisher, journalist, founder of the "yellow press" genre. Blind at 40. After his death, he left $2 million to Columbia University. Three-quarters of these funds went to the creation of the Graduate School of Journalism, and the remaining amount was established by the award for American journalists, which has been awarded since 1917.

Helen Keller(1880‑1968) - American writer, teacher and public figure. After an illness suffered at the age of one and a half years, she remained deaf-blind-mute. Since 1887, a young teacher at the Perkins Institute, Ann Sullivan, has been studying with her. In the course of many months of hard work, the girl mastered the sign language, and then began to learn to speak, having mastered the correct movements of the lips and larynx. Helen Keller entered Radcliffe College in 1900 and graduated summa cum laude in 1904. She has written and published more than a dozen books about herself, her feelings, studies, worldview and understanding of religion, including The World I Live In, Helen Keller's Diary, and others. Helen's story was the basis for Gibson's famous play, The Miracle Worker (1959), which was adapted into a 1962 film.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt(1882‑1945) - 32nd President of the United States (1933‑1945). In 1921, Roosevelt became seriously ill with polio. Despite years of trying to beat the disease, Roosevelt remained paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. One of the most significant pages in the history of US foreign policy and diplomacy is associated with his name, in particular, the establishment and normalization of diplomatic relations with the Soviet Union and the US participation in the anti-Hitler coalition.

Lina Po- the pseudonym that Polina Mikhailovna Gorenstein (1899‑1948) took, when in 1918 she began to perform as a ballerina, dancer. In 1934, Lina Po fell ill with encephalitis, she was paralyzed, she completely lost her sight. After the tragedy, Lina Po began to sculpt, and already in 1937 her works appeared at an exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts. A.S. Pushkin. In 1939, Lina Po was admitted to the Moscow Union of Soviet Artists. Currently, individual works by Lina Poe are in the collections of the Tretyakov Gallery and other museums in the country. But the main collection of sculptures is in the memorial hall of Lina Po, opened in the museum of the All-Russian Society of the Blind.

Alexey Maresyev(1916 - 2001) - legendary pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union. On April 4, 1942, in the area of ​​​​the so-called "Demyansky cauldron" (Novgorod region), in a battle with the Germans, the plane of Alexei Maresyev was shot down, and Alexei himself was seriously wounded. For eighteen days, the pilot, wounded in the legs, crawled his way to the front line. Both of his legs were amputated at the hospital. But he, having been discharged from the hospital, again sat at the helm of the aircraft. In total, during the war he made 86 sorties, shot down 11 enemy aircraft: four before being wounded and seven after being wounded. Maresyev became the prototype of the hero of Boris Polevoy's story "The Tale of a Real Man".

Mikhail Suvorov(1930 - 1998) - author of sixteen collections of poetry. At the age of 13, he lost his sight from a mine explosion. Many of the poet's poems have been set to music and have received wide recognition: "Red Carnation", "Girls Sing about Love", "Don't Be Sad" and others. For more than thirty years, Mikhail Suvorov taught at a specialized part-time school for working youth for the blind. He was awarded the title of Honored Teacher of the Russian Federation.

Ray Charles(1930 - 2004) - American musician, legendary man, author of more than 70 studio albums, one of the world's most famous performers of music in the styles of soul, jazz and rhythm and blues. He went blind at the age of seven - presumably due to glaucoma. Ray Charles is the most famous blind musician of our time; he was awarded 12 Grammy Awards, was inducted into the Rock and Roll, Jazz, Country and Blues Halls of Fame, the Georgia State Hall of Fame, and his recordings were included in the US Library of Congress. Frank Sinatra called Charles "the only real genius in show business." In 2004, Rolling Stone ranked Ray Charles number 10 on their "List of Immortals" - the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.

Stephen Hawking(1942) - famous English theoretical physicist and astrophysicist, author of the theory of primordial black holes and many others. In 1962 he graduated from Oxford University and began studying theoretical physics. At the same time, Hawking began to show signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, which led to paralysis. After a throat operation in 1985, Stephen Hawking lost the ability to speak. He only moves the fingers of his right hand, with which he controls his chair and a special computer that speaks for him.

Stephen Hawking is currently the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge, a position held three centuries ago by Isaac Newton. Despite a serious illness, Hawking leads an active life. In 2007, he flew in zero gravity in a special aircraft and announced that he intends to make a suborbital flight in a spaceplane in 2009.

Valery Fefelov(1949) - a member of the dissident movement in the USSR, a fighter for the rights of the disabled. While working as an electrician, in 1966 he received an industrial injury - he fell from a power line support and broke his spine - after which he remained disabled for life, he could only move in a wheelchair. In May 1978, together with Yuri Kiselev (Moscow) and Faizulla Khusainov (Chistopol, Tatarstan), he created the Initiative Group for the Protection of the Rights of the Disabled in the USSR. The group called the creation of the All-Union Society of the Disabled as its main goal. The activities of the Initiative Group were considered anti-Soviet by the authorities. In May 1982, a criminal case was opened against Valery Fefelov under the article "resistance to the authorities." Under the threat of arrest, Fefelov agreed to the KGB demand to go abroad and in October 1982 left for Germany, where in 1983 he and his family received political asylum. Author of the book "There are no disabled people in the USSR!", published in Russian, English and Dutch.

Stevie Wonder(1950) - American musician, singer, composer, multi-instrumentalist, arranger and producer. Lost his sight in infancy. Too much oxygen was supplied to the oxygen box where the child was placed. The result is retinitis pigmentosa and blindness. He is called one of the greatest musicians of our time: he won the Grammy Award 22 times; became one of the musicians who actually determined the popular styles of "black" music - rhythm and blues and soul of the middle of the 20th century. Wonder's name is immortalized in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Composers Hall of Fame in the United States. During his career, he recorded over 30 albums.

Christopher Reeve(1952‑2004) - American theater and film actor, director, screenwriter, public figure. In 1978, he gained worldwide fame thanks to the role of Superman in the American film of the same name and its sequels. In 1995, during a race, he fell off a horse, was seriously injured and remained completely paralyzed. Since then, he has devoted his life to rehabilitation therapy and, together with his wife, opened a center for teaching the paralyzed the skills of independent existence. Despite the injury, Christopher Reeve continued to work in television, film and social activities until the last days.

Marley Matlin(1965) - American actress. She lost her hearing at the age of one and a half, and, despite this, at the age of seven she began to play in the children's theater. At 21, she received an Oscar for her debut film, Children of a Lesser God, becoming the youngest Oscar winner in history for Best Actress.

Eric Weichenmeier(1968) - the world's first rock climber who reached the summit of Everest, being blind. Eric Weichenmeier lost his sight when he was 13 years old. Onako he completed his studies and then became a high school teacher himself, then a wrestling coach and a world-class athlete. About Weichenmeier's journey, director Peter Winter made a live-action television film "Touch the Top of the World". In addition to Everest, Weihenmayer has conquered the seven highest mountain peaks in the world, including Kilimanjaro and Elbrus.

Esther Vergeer(1981) - Dutch tennis player. Considered one of the greatest wheelchair tennis players in history. She has been bedridden since the age of nine, when her legs were paralyzed as a result of spinal cord surgery. Esther Vergeer is a multiple Grand Slam winner, seven-time world champion, four-time Olympic champion. In Sydney and Athens, she excelled both independently and in pairs. Since January 2003, Vergeer has not suffered a single defeat, winning 240 sets in a row. In 2002 and 2008, she became the winner of the "Best Disabled Athlete" award presented by the Laureus World Sports Academy.

The material was prepared on the basis of information from open sources

It's no secret that in the modern world there is a certain "standard of beauty." And if you want to succeed, to become famous, please live up to that standard. However, it is very pleasant that from time to time there are people who send all these standards and conventions to hell and just go to their goal no matter what. Such people deserve respect.

Winnie Harlow

A professional model from Canada who suffers from vitiligo, a skin pigmentation disorder associated with a lack of melanin. This disease is expressed practically only in the external effect and is almost not treated. Since childhood, Winnie dreamed of becoming a model and stubbornly walked towards her goal. As a result, she became the first girl in a serious modeling business with such a disease.

Peter Dinklage

He is best known for his role as Tyrion Lannister in Game of Thrones. Dinklage was born with a hereditary disease - achondroplasia, leading to dwarfism. His height is 134 cm. Despite the fact that both of his parents are of average height, as well as his brother Jonathan.

RJ Mitt

He is best known for his role as Walter White Jr. on the television series Breaking Bad. Like his character in Breaking Bad, Mitt suffers from cerebral palsy. Due to cerebral palsy, signals reach the brain more slowly, since at birth his brain was damaged as a result of a lack of oxygen. As a result, his musculoskeletal system and ability to control his muscles were impaired. For example, the hand twitches uncontrollably. However, this does not in the least prevent the 23-year-old guy from acting in films and producing films.

Henry Samuel

Better known under the alias of Seal. British singer-songwriter, winner of three Grammy music awards and several Brit Awards. The scars on his face are the result of a skin condition known as discoid lupus erythematosus (DLE). He suffered this disease as a teenager and suffered greatly because of the scars that appeared on his face. Now the singer is sure that they give him a certain charm.

Forest Whitaker

American actor, director, producer. Winner of Oscar, Golden Globe, BAFTA and Emmy awards. He became the fourth African American to win an Oscar for Best Actor. Forest suffers from ptosis of the left eye, a congenital disease of the oculomotor nerve. However, many critics and viewers often note that this gives it a certain mystery and charm. At the same time, the actor himself is considering the possibility of corrective surgery. True, according to his statement, the purpose of the operation is not at all cosmetic, but purely medical - ptosis worsens the field of vision and contributes to the degradation of vision itself.

Jamel Debbouz

French actor, producer, showman of Moroccan origin. In January 1990 (that is, at the age of 14), Jamel injured his hand while playing on the train tracks in the Paris Metro. As a result, the hand has ceased to develop, and he cannot use it. Since then, he almost always keeps his right hand in his pocket. However, this does not in the least prevent him from remaining one of the most sought-after actors in France to this day.

Donald Joseph Qualls

Better known as DJ Qualls, is an American actor and producer. Qualls' most popular role is the title role in Edward Decter's The Tough Guy. Many who see him in the movies cannot fail to note the unusual thinness of Qualls. The reason for this is cancer. At the age of 14, Qualls was diagnosed with Hodgkin's lymphogranulomatosis (a malignant neoplasm of lymphoid tissue). The treatment turned out to be quite successful, and after two years of fighting the disease, a remission ensued. This episode in his life was the beginning of DJ's activities to support the foundation, which is engaged in the fight against this disease.

Zinovy ​​Gerdt

Magnificent Soviet and Russian theater and film actor, People's Artist of the USSR. In addition to his acting career, Zinovy ​​Efimovich, like many in those days, had to engage in other, not so peaceful activities, he is a participant in the Great Patriotic War. On February 12, 1943, on the outskirts of Kharkov, while clearing enemy minefields for the passage of Soviet tanks, he was seriously wounded in the leg by a fragment of a tank shell. After eleven operations, Gerdt retained the injured leg, which has since been 8 centimeters shorter than the healthy one and forced the artist to limp heavily. Even just walking was difficult for him, but the actor did not give up and did not spare himself on the set.

Sylvester Stallone

A vivid example of the fact that any disadvantage, if desired, can be made into a virtue. At the birth of Sylvester, doctors, using obstetrical forceps, inflicted an injury on him, damaging his facial nerves. The result is partial paralysis of the lower left side of the face and slurred speech. It would seem that you can forget about an acting career with such problems. However, Sly still managed to break through, choosing the role of a brutal guy who does not need to talk much in the frame, his muscles will say everything for him.

Famous disabled people in history

Do you have a disability or serious illness? You are not alone. Many people with disabilities have contributed to society. Among them are actors, actresses, celebrities, singers, politicians and many other famous people.

There are, of course, millions of unknown people who live, fight and overcome their disease every day.

Here is some list of famous disabled people to prove that it is possible to overcome the so-called disability barrier.

Vanga(Vangelia Pandeva Gushterova, nee Dimitrova; January 31, 1911, Strumitsa, Ottoman Empire - August 11, 1996 Petrich, Bulgaria) - Bulgarian clairvoyant. Born in the Ottoman Empire in the family of a poor Bulgarian peasant. At the age of 12, Vanga lost her sight due to a hurricane, during which a whirlwind threw her hundreds of meters away. She was found only in the evening with her eyes clogged with sand. Her family was unable to provide treatment, and as a result, Vanga became blind.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt 32nd President of the United States (1933-1945) (sick with polio in 1921).

Kutuzov(Golenishchev-Kutuzov) Mikhail Illarionovich (1745-1813)

Most Serene Prince Smolensky(1812), Russian commander, Field Marshal General (1812) (blindness of one eye).

Composer Ludwig van Beethoven(he lost his hearing with age).

Musician Stevie Wonder(blindness).

Sarah Bernard, actress (lost her leg as a result of an injury in a fall).

Marley Matlin, (deafness).

Christopher Reeve, an American actor who played the role of Superman, was paralyzed after falling from a horse.

Ivan IV Vasilyevich(Grozny) (Russian Tsar) - epilepsy, severe paranoia

Peter I Aleseevich Romanov(Russian Tsar, later Russian Emperor) - epilepsy, chronic alcoholism

I.V. Dzhugashvili(Stalin) (generalissimo, second head of the USSR) - partial paralysis of the upper limbs

Cerebral paralysis

Cerebral paralysis- this term refers to a group of non-progressive non-communicable diseases associated with damage to areas of the brain, most often causing movement disorders.

Celebrities with CPU

Jeri Jewell(09/13/1956) - comedian. She made her debut in the TV show "Life Facts". Jeri shows from personal experience that the behavior and actions of cirrhotic patients are often misunderstood. Jerry is called a pioneer among disabled comedians.

Anna McDonald is an Australian writer and disability rights activist. Her illness developed as a result of a birth trauma. She was diagnosed with an intellectual disability, and at the age of three, her parents placed her in the Melbourne Hospital for the Seriously Disabled, where she spent 11 years without education and treatment. In 1980, in collaboration with Rosemary Crossley, she wrote the story of her life, "Anna's Exit", subsequently filmed.

Christy Brown(06/5/1932 - 09/06/1981) - Irish author, artist and poet. The film "My Left Leg" was made about his life. For years, Christy Brown was unable to walk or speak on his own. Doctors considered him mentally handicapped. However, his mother continued to talk to him, develop him and tried to teach him. At the age of five, he took a piece of chalk from his sister with his left foot - the only limb that obeys him - and began to draw on the floor. His mother taught him the alphabet, and he diligently copied each letter, holding the chalk between his toes. He eventually learned to speak and read.

Chris Foncheska- comedian. He worked at the American Comedy Club and wrote material for comedians such as Jerry Seinfeld, Jay Leno and Roseanne Arnold. Chris Foncheska is the first (and only) person with a clear disability to work on Late Night with David Letterman in the show's 18-year history. Many stories of Chris are devoted to his illness. He notes that this helps break down many preconceived barriers about cerebral palsy.

Chris Nolan- Irish author. He was educated in Dublin. He acquired cerebral palsy as a result of a two-hour oxygen starvation after birth. His mother believed that he understood everything, and continued to teach him at home. Eventually, a drug was discovered that allowed him to move one muscle in his neck. Thanks to this, Chris was able to learn how to type. Nolan never said a word in his life, but his poetry has been compared to Joyce, Keats and Yeats. He published his first collection of poems at the age of fifteen.

Stephen Hawking- World famous physicist. He defied time and the doctor's claims that he would not live two years after he was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, also known as Charcot's disease. Hawking cannot walk, speak, swallow, has difficulty in raising his head, he has difficulty breathing. Hawking, 51, was told of the illness 30 years ago when he was an unknown college student.

Miguel Cervantes(1547 - 1616) - Spanish writer. Cervantes is best known as the author of one of the greatest works of world literature - the novel The Cunning Hidalgo Don Quixote of La Mancha. In 1571, Cervantes, being in military service in the navy, took part in the battle of Lepanto, where he was seriously wounded by a shot from an arc:) zy, due to which he lost his left arm.

Pavel Luspekaev, actor (Vereshchagin from "The White Sun of the Desert") - Amputated feet.

Grigory Zhuravlev, the artist - from birth was without arms and legs. He painted with a brush in his mouth.

Admiral Nelson- without hands and eyes.

Homer(blindness) ancient Greek poet, author of the Odyssey

Franklin Roosevelt(polio) 32nd President of the United States

Ludwig Beethoven(deafness with age) great German composer

Stevie Wonder(blindness) American musician

Marlin Matlin(deafness) American actress. She became the first and only deaf actress to win an Academy Award for Best Actress for Children of a Lesser God.

Christopher Reeve(paralysis) American actor

Grigory Zhuravlev(lack of legs and arms) Russian artist (more)

Elena Keller(deaf-blind) American writer, teacher

Maresyev Alexey(leg amputation) ace pilot, Hero of the Soviet Union

Oscar Pistorius(legless) athlete

Diana Gudaevna Gurtskaya- Russian Georgian singer. Member of the SPS.

Valentin Ivanovich Dikul. In 1962, Valentin Dikul fell from a great height while performing a stunt in a circus. The doctors' verdict was ruthless: "Compression fracture of the spine in the lumbar region and traumatic brain injury." . One of the main achievements of Dikul was his own method of rehabilitation, protected by copyright certificates and patents. In 1988, the "Russian Center for the Rehabilitation of Patients with Spinal Cord Injuries and the Consequences of Infantile Cerebral Palsy" was opened - the Dikul Center. In subsequent years, 3 more V.I. Dikul centers were opened in Moscow alone. Then, under the scientific guidance of Valentin Ivanovich, a number of rehabilitation clinics appeared throughout Russia, in Israel, Germany, Poland, America, etc.

Honored Master of Sports, athlete of the Omsk Paralympic Training Center Elena Chistilina. She won a silver medal at the XIII Paralympic Games in Beijing and two bronze medals at the 2004 Paralympic Games in Athens, and repeatedly won Russian championships. In 2006, by the Decree of the President of Russia, the athlete was awarded the medal of the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" II degree.

Taras Kryzhanovsky(1981). He was born without two feet. Honored Master of Sports in cross-country skiing among the disabled, champion and prize-winner of the IX Paralympic Games in Turin (nomination "For outstanding achievements in sports").

Andrea Bocelli. Italian opera singer Andrea Bocelli was born in 1958 in Lajatico in the province of Tuscany. Despite his blindness, he has become one of the most memorable voices in modern opera and pop music. Bocelli is equally good at performing classical repertoire and pop ballads. He has recorded duets with Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, Eros Razazzotti and El Jarre. The latter, who sang "The Night Of Proms" with him in November 1995, said of Bocelli: "I had the honor of singing with the most beautiful voice in the world"...

Stephen William Hawking(Eng. Stephen William Hawking, born January 8, 1942, Oxford, UK) is one of the most influential theoretical physicists of our time in the scientific sense and known to the general public. Hawking's main area of ​​research is cosmology and quantum gravity.
For three decades now, the scientist has been suffering from an incurable disease - multiple sclerosis. This is a disease in which motor neurons gradually die and the person becomes more and more helpless ... After a throat operation in 1985, he lost the ability to speak. Friends gave him a speech synthesizer that was installed on his wheelchair and with which Hawking can communicate with others.
Married twice, three children, grandchildren.

Daniela Rozzek- "wheelchair", paralympic woman of Germany - fencing. In addition to playing sports, she studies at a design school and works in a center for helping the elderly. Raising a daughter. Together with other German Paralympians, she starred for an erotic calendar.

Zhadovskaya Yulia Valerianovna- July 11, 1824 - August 8, 1883, poetess, prose writer. She was born with a physical handicap - without a hand of one hand. She was a very interesting, talented person, she communicated with a large circle of talented people of her era.

Sarah Bernard- March 24, 1824 - March 26, 1923, actress ("divine Sarah"). Many prominent theater figures, such as K. S. Stanislavsky, considered the art of Bernard a model of technical perfection. However, virtuoso skill, sophisticated technique, artistic taste were combined in Bernard with deliberate showiness, some artificiality of the game. In 1905, while on tour in Rio de Janeiro, the actress injured her right leg, and in 1915 her leg had to be amputated. Nevertheless, Bernard did not leave the stage. During World War I, Bernard served at the front. In 1914 she was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.

Stevie Wonder- May 13, 1950 American soul singer, songwriter, pianist and record producer. He is called the greatest musician of our time, achieved impressive success in the musical field, being blind from birth, received the Grammy Award 22 times, Wonder's name is immortalized in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Composers Hall of Fame.