Tommy Carroll- Blind Skateboarder

Inspirational skateboarder Tommy Carroll has been skateboarding since he was ten years old. The fact that this is another video about a great skateboarder may not be surprising. What may perk your ears up is the fact that Tommy has been blind since the age of two. Tommy loves to visit the skatepark early in the morning when no one is around and practice his love for skateboarding. When pro-skateboarder Tony Hawke heard of Tommy's story, he became inspired and decided to fly to Tommy's hometown for a visit with him. The two spent the entire day skateboarding.

Here is Tommy Carroll's story:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/01/21/tommy-carroll-blind-skate_n_2520601.html

If you cannot see the video there, please visit:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ncq27mZq6b4

Most Inspirational Duo in the Ironman Race

Dick and Rick Hoyt, better known as Team Hoyt, are a father and son duo who race in the Ironman. This is no ordinary father and son team. This team is arguably the most inspirational team to ever race. Rick was diagnosed as a spastic quadriplegic with cerebral palsy due to oxygen deprivation at the time of his birth. His parents, Dick and Judy, went against the advice to institutionalize him and
instead let him live his life as any other person would. In 1977, Rick told his dad he wanted to run in a 5-mile benefit run for a lacrosse player who had been paralyzed in an accident. After the race, Rick said, "Dad, when I'm running, it feels like I'm not handicapped." Since then, Team Hoyt have ran in over 1,000 races and have even biked and ran across the United States, completing 3,735 miles in 45 days. If this story has taught us anything, it is that perseverance and determination go a long way. There is no "I can't do it." There is only "Yes, you can!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDnrLv6z-mM

http://www.teamhoyt.com/index.html

Update: 04/24/13

Rick and Dick Hoyt were on mile 25 of the Boston Marathon when they realized something to be wrong. Team Hoyt was expecting last week's Boston Marathon to be their last time competing in the race, but because of the bombing, they will return next year to honor the victims.

Inspirational Video from Ellen Show

Ellen DeGeneres had a guest on her show recently, and the video clip from the show is touching. Ellen's guest, Sloan Churman, was deaf since childbirth and recently had a surgery, a procedure that costs $30,000 per ear, to allow her to hear for the first time. Ellen finally has a great surprise in the end for the guest and her family. Here is the video clip:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fp4usWroDew

The Sloan was invited onto the show after a video of her hearing herself for the first time went viral. Here is the link to that video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjU9U81O1n8

Inspirational People that have Disabilities

As part of our continuation to help inspire equality, we continue to have posts about people with disabilities that have surpassed the expectations set upon them by others. Today’s post addresses the creator of Pokémon, Satoshi Tajiri. Mr. Tajiri is an example of someone who is on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum. One of the main influences for the video game, Pokémon, was Tajiri’s autistic fixation with bugs. Here is part of an article by Susan Moffitt of the website Autism Key about the man who created one of the most popular video game franchises in the world:
“Whenever I feel nostalgic about my sons’ early years, Pokémon is always a large part of those memories. I can still see my one son, a vision of yellow, dressed as Pikachu for Halloween, or the excitement in his and his brother’s eyes when they each dug a pack of Pokémon cards from the toe of their Christmas stockings. The cards provided some of their few happy playground experiences interacting with their neurotypical peers due to the fact that all children shared the universal language of Pokémon.

I recently discovered that like my sons, the creator of Pokémon is on the high functioning end of the autism spectrum. Long thought to have Asperger’s Syndrome, Mr. Satoshi Tajiri has confirmed this information, yet does not speak of his condition in public. This reclusive and eccentric man, who is known to work twenty-four hours at a time, spawned the gaming phenomenon that took the world by storm through his special interest in insects…

Once again, we discover that the world is a richer place because of the fascinating contributions made by individuals on the autism spectrum. The fact that Satoshi Tajiri, who was both socially and emotionally challenged by his disorder, could bring such joy to so many children is both heartwarming and inspiring.”

http://www.autismkey.com/pokeman-creator-draws-creativity-from-autism/