Ten world famous people with disabilities. Famous people with physical disabilities. Reference

Most recently, December 3 was the International Day of Persons with Disabilities. In honor of this, I would like to say about some who, despite their limited capabilities, are not offended by life. On the contrary, they take everything she gives them.

It happens that people with disabilities are much more successful than people who were born fully functional.

Why is this happening? A disabled person feels that he is cut off from society, that, unfortunately, he cannot live fully, he cannot feel the feelings that ordinary people will experience.

Of course, such people strong will. And after this, such a person begins to work hard on himself so as not to feel disadvantaged; by this, the disabled person will show society that he is also a full-fledged member of society. These are the people we will be talking about in this article.

Nick Vujicic

In 1982, a child with the rare tetra-amelia syndrome was born into a Serbian family. He was born without limbs, but he had a foot with two toes.

Despite the absence of limbs, Nick can swim, skateboard, type on a computer and much more. In addition, Nick is motivational speaker. He performs mainly for youth and children.

For example, when small children ask him why he doesn’t have a limb, Nick answers that he didn’t clean his room or smoked a lot.

Began his activities in 1999. From that time on, he began speaking in prisons and churches, motivating people who had fallen in spirit that nothing was lost yet.

Been to Russia several times. Nick is also the father of two boys and, more recently, two twin girls. He wrote the book “Life without Borders: The Path to an Amazingly Happy Life.”

Mark Inglis

Man born in 1959. Since childhood I dreamed of rock climbing. In 1979 he began working as a search and rescue mountaineer in Aoraki National Park.

In 1982, an accident occurs resulting in Mark and his partner Philip getting stuck in a cave due to a strong storm. The climbers stayed there 13 days waiting for salvation. During this time, Mark froze his feet. After the rescue, it was decided to amputate his legs.

But even though the climber was left without legs, this did not deprive him of his dream of conquering Everest. He had to use prosthetics to achieve his dream.

There were long preparations for this ascent. And in the end, Mark conquered the highest mountain in the world. Its rise lasts 40 days. After returning home, he was personally congratulated by the Prime Minister of New Zealand.

Stephen Hawking

A world-famous theoretical physicist, he did extensive research on the theory of black holes and the Big Bang theory. In the early 1960s, signs of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis began to appear. This later led to paralysis.

In 1963, doctors believed Hawking had two years to live. In 1985, Stephen lost the ability to speak as a result of a series of operations, but his family gave him a speech synthesizer. Despite his disability, Stephen leads an active life. In 2007, a zero-gravity flight was carried out inside an airplane.

In 1965 he married Jane Wilde. But in 1990 he divorced. And in 1995 he married his nurse. He lived with her for 11 years and divorced in 2006. From first marriage 3 children were born.

Jessica Long (Tatyana Olegovna Kirillova)

Tatyana was born in the Irkutsk region. At birth, the fibula bones were missing. Her mother left her in an orphanage. After that, she was adopted by the Long family from America. At 18 months old, her legs had to be amputated.

She began using prosthetics to walk. Despite the absence of legs, Tatyana was involved in many sports. Since the beginning of 2002, she began training in her grandfather's pool. A year later she became the best swimmer of 2003. At the age of 12, she won three gold medals.

Long beat 18 world records 15 of them have not been beaten to this day. In 2013, she went to the Irkutsk region to see her biological parents.

Tatiana McFadden

Another Tatyana, also of Russian origin. Her fate has much in common with Long's. In 1989, at birth, her mother abandoned her, as a result of which Tatyana ended up in an orphanage. In 1994, she was adopted by Deborah McFadden.

The adoptive mother begins to introduce the girl to various sports to strengthen her body. At the age of 15 he competes in the Paralympic Games in Athens.

Eric Weihenmayer

Born in 1968 in New Jersey. At the age of 13, he lost his sight. But he did not despair and worked hard on himself. He achieved great results in wrestling. He competed on behalf of his state in the championship. Engaged in the following sports:

• Skiing;
• Parachuting;
• Diving;
• Rock climbing.

The first and last blind man to conquer Everest. In addition to all his achievements, Eric lectures and writes books, and popularizes sports.

I thank God for my injuries

who helped me find myself,

your work and your God.

H. Keller (deaf-blind writer)

The most famous and talented disabled people in history.

We would like to say a few words about those for whom physical limitations did not become an obstacle to fulfilling their dreams, about famous people with disabilities and people with disabilities who have achieved success.

It was much more difficult for them to realize their dreams than for most of us, since the obstacle was various kinds of physical disabilities, congenital or acquired.

But this did not stop them from realizing what they dreamed of; on the contrary, this is what prompted them to act against all odds in order to prove to themselves and the world that they, too, can live a full life. And they can serve as an even more striking example for us, for those who do not have these limitations.

The story of the first blind pilot

One such example of disabled people who have rightfully achieved success is Miles Hilton-Barber, the world's first blind pilot.

His difficult path to his dream, in my opinion, is a vivid illustration of how sometimes it is necessary to break the vicious circle of limited ideas that hold back our inner strengths, preventing them from breaking through and creating their reality. Miles Hilton-Barber was born into a pilot's family (1948, Zimbabwe), and when he grew up, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps.

He tries to enroll in a flight school, however, he fails the medical examination for vision. And three years later he is told the terrible news that, due to a genetic predisposition, he will soon go blind. And so it happened - by the age of thirty, Miles completely lost his sight.

Start with a dream

It’s even difficult to imagine what was going on in his soul at the same time - a man in the full prime of his life found himself cut off from a full life, and the path to his dream, as it seemed to him then, was forever closed.

Miles moved to England, where he worked at the Royal National Institute for the Blind. Recalling that time, he admits that he was “afraid to walk four hundred meters to the nearest supermarket for a loaf of bread.”

The example of his younger brother Jeff forced him to radically reconsider his approach to life. He is also blind, however, this did not stop him on the way to achieving his goals, and he alone managed to sail on a yacht from Africa to Australia.

It was Jeff who managed to instill in Miles the idea that if you want to succeed in life, you don’t have to start with the fact that you are blind, start with what you want to do most in life. From your dreams.

Incredible achievements of blind people

Thus, Miles, who by that time was already fifty years old, returned to his youthful dream of becoming a pilot. When he tried to get training, he was first told: “How can you? After all, you’re blind!” To which he replied: “So what? All civil aviation pilots are taught to fly blind, but I am already blind! Already fit for the profession!

Since then, Miles has begun a new life. He began to participate in sports adventures that not every healthy person would dare to undertake, let alone blind people, such as marathons, running, rock climbing and flying in small airplanes.

He has a lot of achievements to his credit, for example, a marathon across the Sahara, conquering Mount Kilimanjaro, marathons in China and Siberia and much more.

In 2003, he became the first blind pilot to fly across the English Channel in a light aircraft. And through his personal example, he inspires many people around the world, encouraging them to do what they dream of and not let circumstances hold them back.

How to live life to the fullest despite physical limitations?

The lesson of this amazing story is, first of all, that when you really want something, you shouldn’t sit and wait for circumstances to change for the better, but you just need to go and act.

After all, as Miles himself admitted, he used to think that if God or medical technology cured him of blindness, then he would have dreams again, and he would begin to truly live.

However, he could have waited his whole life for this, but fortunately he did not do this. And this is a good example for those who believe that they can achieve something when, for example, the economic situation or anything else in the outside world changes for the better.

But, as you know, water will not leak under a lying stone, and as Miles himself admits, “with that attitude I would still be sitting at home like a sofa vegetable.” You always need to start with yourself, because when we ourselves change, the world around us changes.

“If you want to achieve something in life, start with your dreams, not with your circumstances. When was the last time you did something for the first time in your life? This was the last time you grew as a person... Life is not measured by the number of inhalations and exhalations, but by the events that capture our spirit. Don’t be afraid to go where your breath will be taken!” M. Hilton-Barber.

And these words, of course, are relevant not only for those who suffer from any physical injuries, but also for any of us.

Accept the challenge of fate

In the life of any of us, it often happens that on the way to a cherished dream there are obstacles that seem insurmountable, and you suddenly involuntarily begin to think that no, I will never achieve this.

However, if your desire is truly strong, then such obstacles can be perceived as a kind of challenge from fate, a kind of test, as if some higher power is testing whether you really want what you are striving for.

“At the heart of every difficulty lies opportunity,” Albert Einstein once said. In this regard, I would like to recall one more story, which can also serve as a striking example of the fact that even physical injury is not an obstacle to your dream, and that you should never be afraid to do something that no one has done before.

Blind doctor

David W. Hartman went blind when he was eight years old. He had a dream of becoming a doctor, but the Temple University School of Medicine told him that there was not a single blind graduate among its graduates.

This did not stop David, he courageously accepted the challenge of fate and began to study from audio recordings, and he had recordings from twenty-five medical textbooks. And so, at the age of twenty-seven, David became the first blind medical graduate.

Such examples, of course, make us remember the strength of spirit that is inherent in each of us, which is capable of overcoming any difficulties and finding a way out of seemingly dead-end situations.

After all, when before your eyes is an example of someone who, suffering from some kind of physical injury, still managed to achieve his goal, then you involuntarily feel that you can do everything, because, unlike him, you have no restrictions, and you healthy and capable of doing absolutely anything you want.

Artist without hands

In this regard, another striking example comes to mind - the Colombian artist Zuly Sanguino. Her paintings are very talented, filled with light and life, and carry such a flow of positive energy that, looking at them, you don’t think at all that their creator suffers from a congenital pathology (she has underdeveloped limbs, in fact, no arms and legs , and she draws, holding the brush in her teeth).

The life story of this girl, a disabled artist, is another striking example of the fact that our spirit is stronger than any injury, and even if an illness is insurmountable, it cannot be an obstacle to the fulfillment of a cherished dream.

But before Zuly became what it is today, it faced many challenges. The girl was born with a diagnosis of phocomelia, and seemed doomed to be bedridden for the rest of her life. However, her mother did not want to put up with this and made incredible efforts to teach her daughter to sit and even walk on her own.

The family lived in poverty, their home was an ordinary hut with an earthen floor, but mother and daughter persistently pursued their goal. There was another problem they faced - aggression from their father, who did not disdain insults and often raised his hand against his wife and children.

In the end, he committed suicide, which was the cause of the girl’s many years of depression; it seemed that she would never want to take care of her own body.

Can people with disabilities succeed?

The mother had to put a lot of effort into restoring her daughter’s joy in life. She taught Zuly to write and draw, and the girl gradually realized her purpose and found a purpose in life.

At the age of fifteen, she realized that she wanted to devote herself to drawing, that it was worth living for, and she made enormous efforts to master the basics of painting. The girl gained the ability to embody her world on paper through blood and sweat, but since then she began a new, bright streak. After all, she realized her purpose - to give people light and joy through her painting.

But when you strive to bring joy to someone, your own suffering fades into the background, and you see and feel, first of all, the beautiful - in yourself and in the world around you.

Now Zuly is 24 years old, and she has learned to do almost everything on her own: she dresses herself, applies makeup, mops the floors and, of course, draws.

In addition, she takes an active part in environmental initiatives: together with her brothers and sisters, she regularly collects garbage in her neighborhood, in her free time she helps her mother with her younger children or babysits neighbor kids.

Moreover, she gives motivational lectures in private companies, schools and even prisons. Of course, she, unlike most of us, has to overcome herself every day, faced with her own physical limitations, and what is a simple action for us is a small feat for her, but her example makes it all the more clear that when we If we show fortitude, we can overcome anything.

“The human spirit cannot be paralyzed. You breathe, which means you can dream.” M. Brown

The most famous and talented disabled people in history

And we can give many more examples of famous people who accepted the challenge of fate and achieved amazing success, while having disabilities and other deviations from a healthy physical body.

• John Milton, the famous poet and writer, was blind.
• Itzhak Perlman, the famous world-class violinist, is paralyzed in the lower half of his body.
• James Thurber, cartoonist and humorist, had very poor eyesight.
• Heather Whiston, Miss America 94, is deaf.
• Rafer Johnson, decathlon champion, was born with a crippled foot.
• Eduard Golderness, a Russian poet and translator who lived in Georgia, was terminally ill from the age of fifteen.

But at the same time, as his beloved woman recalls:

“I have never seen a more heroic, restless fate around me. The point is not only that he was a poet, wrote sonnets, translated - he carried out “the connection between man and man,” he created new higher forms of human communication, he ennobled those who lived next to him.”

And this list could go on. After all, the main thing that unites all these people is the strength and fortitude of spirit, the ability not to resign themselves to circumstances, to live and create, embodying their cherished desires.

Live sincerely and you will achieve everything despite limitations.

“Fate is not given to a person from the outside, but matures every day in his heart,” said the famous Buddhist philosopher Daisaku Ikeda. In other words, each of us creates our own destiny every day, carefully growing it, like a sprout from a seed. After all, what you put into yourself eventually grows.

And the examples of those we talked about can be a clear confirmation of this idea - that each of us, ultimately, is the creator of our own destiny, and there is a way out of any, even the most dead-end situation, when you know what to do strive.

It is precisely such people with disabilities from birth or who have become disabled as a result of an accident who teach us to more appreciate what we have and to reveal the capabilities God has given us.

After all, as the Russian woman Vera Kotelyanets, who was born without arms and learned to do everything with the help of her legs, says, including caring for children: “When I hear that someone complains about life, I think: “I would like your hands, I would like the world.” turned them over!

There is nothing to add to this, as they say.

Stop complaining that you don’t have enough money or good contacts, because if you start living sincerely, improving yourself and every day taking at least a small step towards your destiny and what you love most (your dream), then soon your happiness will and there will be no barriers left for you, and you will be able to achieve whatever you want, despite any physical or material limitations.

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December 3 is International Day of Persons with Disabilities. The RIA Novosti photo gallery is dedicated to those who, faced with a big problem, managed to find the strength to continue living life to the fullest.

Hero of the Soviet Union pilot Alexey Petrovich Maresyev, despite his disability, continued to fly. Due to severe wounds during the Great Patriotic War, both legs were amputated. During the war, Alexey made 86 combat missions and shot down 11 enemy aircraft: four before being wounded and seven after. Maresyev is the prototype of the hero of Boris Polevoy’s story “The Tale of a Real Man.”

French actress Sarah Bernhardt was called “the most famous actress in history” at the beginning of the 20th century. Sarah achieved success on the stages of Europe, and then triumphantly toured in America. Her repertoire consisted mainly of serious dramatic roles, which is why the actress received the nickname “Divine Sarah.” However, in 1905, during a tour in Rio de Janeiro, Bernard severely injured her right leg, which had to be amputated in 1915. But “The Divine Sarah” did not give up her stage activities: during the First World War she performed at the front and was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.

The 32nd President of the United States, who led America during the global economic crisis and World War II, as well as the only American President elected for more than two terms, Franklin Delano Roosevelt fell ill with polio in 1921 and was no longer in a wheelchair. Without the help of steel tires weighing ten pounds, he could not stand, he could only move on crutches, but at the same time he forbade himself from feeling sorry for himself, and from showing any sentimentality to those around him.

American actress Marlee Matlin became the first and only deaf actress to win an Oscar. She received the award for Best Actress in the film “Children of a Lesser God.” Her subsequent work in film and television earned her a Golden Globe Award and two more nominations, as well as four Emmy nominations. For her career achievements, Matlin was awarded her own star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Ray Charles is an American blind musician, the author of 70 studio albums and one of the world's most famous performers of soul, jazz and rhythm and blues music. Ray has been awarded 17 Grammy Awards, has been inducted into the rock and roll, jazz, country, and blues halls of fame, and his recordings have been included in the Library of Congress. Paul McCartney, Elton John, Stevie Wonder, Tom Cruise, Bruce Willis, Billy Preston, Van Morrison admired his talent. And Frank Sinatra called Ray “the only true genius in show business.”

Another American blind soul singer, composer, pianist, drummer, harper, music producer and public figure is Stevie Wonder. Stevie is constantly included in "lists of the best vocalists of all time." He went blind shortly after birth, and at the age of eleven he signed his first contract with Motown Records and continues to perform and record with it to this day.

The famous Dutch tennis player Esther Vergeer fell ill with paraplegia at the age of 8 and had to undergo a very risky operation. During rehabilitation, the girl learned to play volleyball, basketball and tennis while in a wheelchair. She played basketball at the club level for several years before joining the national wheelchair basketball team. Together with the Dutch team, Vergeer won the European Championship in 1997. By 1998, the athlete was completely focused on tennis. Vergeer competed at the 2000 Summer Paralympics, where she won a gold medal in singles and with partner Maaika Smith in doubles.

Italian singer (tenor) and classical music performer Andrea Bocelli became blind at the age of 12 after he was hit in the head with a ball while playing football. While still a teenager, Andrea wins several vocal competitions and also becomes a soloist in the school choir. 1992 becomes a decisive year for the young tenor. Andrea successfully auditions for the Italian “rock star” Zucchero. A demo recording of the song ends up with Luciano Pavarotti. In 1994, Bocelli successfully debuted at the Sanremo music festival. Now Andrea is very revered in the USA. The average price of a ticket to his concert is $500.

American theater and film actor, director, screenwriter, public figure Christopher Reeve (pictured left), who gained worldwide fame after playing the role of Superman in the 1978 American film of the same name and its sequels, fell from a horse on May 27, 1995 during a race in Virginia , broke his cervical vertebrae and was paralyzed. Doctors were unable to get the actor back on his feet, but saved his life by performing a unique operation. He was paralyzed from the shoulders down, could not breathe on his own, and could only speak with the help of a device inserted into his trachea. Since then, he has devoted his life to rehabilitation therapy and, together with his wife Dana (pictured on the right), opened a center to teach paralyzed people how to live independently. Despite the injury, Reeve continued to work in television, film and social activities.

Today, May 5, is the International Day for the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Unfortunately, in our country it is customary to ignore disabled people and even pretend that they do not exist at all. Seeing the rare disabled person who dares to leave the house, many shyly look away. The fact that these people can be full-fledged members of society is still out of the question.

However, we really hope that this shameful situation for society will begin to change. Today we want to start small and invite you not to take your eyes off, but to look at people with disabilities and learn the stories of their lives, the usefulness of which many people with “unlimited” physical capabilities may envy.

(Total 7 photos)

Nick Vujicic

Nick Vujicic was born with Tetra-Amelia syndrome, a rare inherited disorder that results in the absence of four limbs. At the age of 10, he tried to drown himself in a bathtub so as not to cause any more inconvenience to his loved ones. Now Nick is one of the most famous and popular motivational speakers in the world, has a beautiful wife and son. And by its very existence it gives hope for a “normal” life to thousands of people.

Carrie Brown

17-year-old Carrie Brown is a carrier of Down syndrome. Not so long ago, thanks to the active support of my friends and the Internet, one of the American manufacturers of youth clothing. Carrie posted photos of herself wearing Wet Seal clothing on a social network page, which became so popular that the girl was invited to become the face of the brand.

Taylor Morris

This one made the rounds on the internet a few years ago. A veteran of the war in Afghanistan lost all his limbs after being blown up by a bomb, but miraculously survived. Upon returning home, his 23-year-old fiancée Kelly not only did not leave her beloved, but also helped him literally “get back on his feet,” even though he no longer has legs.

Jessica Long

The little resident of the Irkutsk orphanage, Tanya Kirillova, was lucky - at 13 months old, she, born without the fibula and foot bones, was adopted by an American family. This is how Jessica Long appeared - the famous swimmer, winner of 12 Paralympic gold medals and world record holder among athletes without legs.

Mark Inglis

New Zealander Mark Inglis in 2006, having lost both legs twenty years earlier. The climber froze them off in one of the previous expeditions, but did not give up his dream of Everest and climbed to the top, which is difficult for even “ordinary” people to achieve.

Tatiana McFadden

Tatiana is another Russian-born American disabled athlete who is paraplegic. She is a multiple winner of women's wheelchair races, including the 2013 Boston Marathon. Tatyana really wanted to go to the Paralympic Games in Sochi and for this purpose she specially mastered a completely new sport for herself - cross-country skiing and biathlon.

Lizzie Velasquez

One not-so-wonderful day, Lizzie saw a video posted on the Internet entitled “The most terrible woman in the world” with many views and corresponding comments. It’s easy to guess that the video showed... Lizzie herself, who was born with a rare syndrome due to which she completely lacks fat tissue. Lizzie’s first impulse was to rush into an unequal “battle” with the commentators and answer them everything she thought about them. But instead, she pulled herself together and proved to the whole world that you don’t have to be beautiful to inspire people. She has already published two books and is a successful motivational speaker.

Of course, there are not seven of them. There are many more such people who have an incredible will to live and are capable of infecting others with it. And there are even more people around us who really need to be finally noticed, and when they are noticed, they do not turn away with horror or disgust, but try to help and support.

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, struggle and overcome their illness 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, née Dimitrova; January 31, 1911, Strumitsa, Ottoman Empire - August 11, 1996 Petrich, Bulgaria) - Bulgarian clairvoyant. She was born in the Ottoman Empire into the family of a poor Bulgarian peasant. At the age of 12, Vanga lost her sight due to a hurricane, during which the whirlwind threw her hundreds of meters. She was found only in the evening with her eyes filled with sand. Her family was unable to provide treatment, and as a result Vanga went blind.

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

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

His Serene Highness Prince Smolensky(1812), Russian commander, Field Marshal General (1812) (blindness in one eye).

Composer Ludwig van Beethoven(I lost my hearing with age).

Musician Stevie Wonder(blindness).

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

Marlee Matlin, (deafness).

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

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

Peter I Aleseyevich 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-contagious diseases associated with damage to areas of the brain, most often causing movement disorders.

Celebrities with CPU

Geri Jewell(09/13/1956) - comedienne. She made her debut in the television show “Life Facts”. Geri shows from personal experience that the behavior and actions of people with CP are often misunderstood. Geri has been called a pioneer among disabled comedians.

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

Christy Brown(06/05/1932-09/06/1981) - Irish author, artist and poet. The film “My Left Foot” was made about his life. For many years, Christy Brown was unable to move or speak on his own. Doctors considered him mentally disabled. However, his mother continued to talk to him, develop him and try to teach him. At the age of five, he took a piece of chalk from his sister with his left leg - the only limb that obeyed him - and began to draw on the floor. His mother taught him the alphabet, and he carefully copied each letter, holding the chalk between his toes. He eventually learned to speak and read.

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

Chris Nolan- Irish author. He was educated in Dublin. I acquired cerebral palsy as a result of a two-hour oxygen deprivation after birth. His mother believed that he understood everything and continued to teach him at home. Eventually a cure was discovered that allowed him to move one muscle in his neck. Thanks to this, Chris was able to learn 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 his 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 raising his head, and has difficulty breathing. Hawking, 51, was told about the disease 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, while serving in the navy, took part in the Battle of Lepanto, where he was seriously wounded by a shot from an arcade, as a result of which he lost his left arm.

Pavel Luspekayev, actor (Vereshchagin from “White Sun of the Desert”) - Amputated feet.

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

Admiral Nelson- without a hand and an eye.

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

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

Ludwig Beethoven(deafness with age) great German composer

Stevie Wonder(blind) American musician

Marlene 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(absence 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 Gudayevna Gurtskaya- Russian Georgian singer. Member of the Union of Right Forces.

Valentin Ivanovich Dikul. In 1962, Valentin Dikul fell from a great height while performing a stunt in the circus. The doctors’ verdict was merciless: “Compression fracture of the lumbar spine and traumatic brain injury.” . One of Dikul’s main achievements was his own rehabilitation method, protected by copyright certificates and patents. In 1988, the Russian Center for Rehabilitation of Patients with Spinal Injuries and Consequences of 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 leadership 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 silver at the XIII Paralympic Games in Beijing and two bronze medals at the 2004 Athens Paralympic Games, and has repeatedly won Russian championships. In 2006, by Decree of the President of Russia, the athlete was awarded the medal of the Order of Merit for 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 Lagiatico in the province of Tuscany. Despite his blindness, he became one of the most memorable voices of modern opera and pop music. Bocelli is equally good at performing classical repertoire and pop ballads. He recorded duets with Celine Dion, Sarah Brightman, Eros Razazzotti and Al Jarre. The latter, who sang “The Night Of Proms” with him in November 1995, said about Bocelli: “I had the honor of singing with the most beautiful voice in the world”...

Stephen William Hawking(English: Stephen William Hawking, born January 8, 1942, Oxford, UK) is one of the most scientifically influential theoretical physicists of our time 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 increasingly helpless... After throat surgery in 1985, he lost the ability to speak. Friends gave him a speech synthesizer, which was installed on his wheelchair and with the help of which Hawking can communicate with others.
Married twice, three children, grandchildren.

Daniela Rozzek- “wheelchair rider”, German Paralympian - fencing. In addition to playing sports, she studies at a design school and works at a center for helping the elderly. Raises 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 disability - without one hand. She was a very interesting, talented person, communicated with a large circle of talented people of her era.

Sarah Bernhardt- March 24, 1824 - March 26, 1923, actress (“divine Sarah”). Many outstanding theater figures, for example K. S. Stanislavsky, considered Bernard's art a model of technical excellence. However, Bernard combined virtuoso skill, sophisticated technique, and artistic taste with deliberate showiness and a certain artificiality of play. In 1905, during a tour in Rio de Janeiro, the actress injured her right leg; in 1915, the leg had to be amputated. Nevertheless, Bernard did not leave the stage. During the First World War, Bernard performed at the front. In 1914 she was awarded the Order of the Legion of Honor.

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