Power Grid Blog
Obstacles are Just Opportunities in Disguise
January 29, 2013 | Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt
For those of you I may not know, my name is Dr. Anjali Forber-Pratt. I am a two-time Paralympian in the sport of wheelchair racing, an advocate for the needs of persons with disabilities, and public speaker. I completed my Ph.D. from the Department of Education Policy, Organization & Leadership at the University of Illinois.
I was adopted from India as an infant. I acquired my disability, transverse myelitis, just two months after arriving in the United States; which left me paralyzed from the waist down. My disability is an integral part of who I am and has opened many doors for me. I am passionate about making the world a better place and helping to further the needs of persons with disabilities. For example, I co-wrote an educational coloring book: Color Learn and Play: All About Sports for Athletes with Physical Disabilities and have taken an active role in researching the issues surrounding bullying and disability (See: http://www.aapd.com/resources/power-grid-blog/bullying-disability.html).
My motto in life is: Dream. Drive. Do. This embodies who I am and captures why I do what I do. I am here to make a difference about perceptions of disability and to give hope to those who are left on the sidelines in life.
Being so young, when I acquired my disability, initially, I thought it was just a phase I would outgrow. I thought, to become an adult and to have dreams of my own, I first had to become able-bodied. As a preschooler, I remember watching the Boston Marathon and learning that those people in racing wheelchairs had jobs, had families, and had dreams of their own. This was a life-turning event, where I was now given the opportunity to dream. At age six, I was bold—I said I was going to go to college at the University of Illinois, win the Boston Marathon, compete in the Paralympic Games, and be on the cover of Sports Illustrated! I am astounded at how many of my childhood dreams have already come true. For many reasons—such as my disability or being abandoned at birth- I could have given up and not allowed myself to dream big.
The second part of my motto is “drive”. No matter what the dream one may be setting out to achieve, there will always be obstacles. I’ve faced obstacles; including injuries and naysayers with discriminatory attitudes. This is something many individuals with disabilities can relate to and why I feel this would be important to highlight. I have learned that obstacles are just opportunities in disguise. Somebody telling me “you can’t” fuels my drive more than anything. Every naysayer in my life- such as my English teacher who asked me why I was in an honors level class, because it wasn’t like I could go to college anyway- has made me want to prove them wrong. It’s the drive in me. Bigger than that, it’s about taking these moments to help motivate others to not give up on their dreams. I competed in the 2008 and 2012 Paralympic Games. Sometimes athletes with disabilities are perceived to be in some separate category in the disability world, but the truth is; I am no different than any other person with a disability. Even though I competed representing Team USA in the 2012 Paralympic Games, just ten days later, I found myself fighting for my life for a month after surgery, educating healthcare professionals about my disability, and advocating for my needs and making recommendations to those around me. I had to rely on my drive more than ever.
The last part of my theme is “do”. My athletic successes have afforded me with a platform to change the world. I am proud of my medals, but it is what I do with it that truly matters. Furthering my mission, with the help from AAPD, is where my dream truly takes off. I want to continue to provide hope to those left on the sidelines and to improve the lives of people with disabilities, through the sharing of stories. It all started with a dream. There will always be obstacles and challenges to drive through, but at the end of the day it’s what is done that matters.
Comments
Submitted by suzanne at 03:56 PM on January 29, 2013