Tag: celebrities

Football’s Role Reversal

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

This week’s story has a cute twist. I’d found out about it a few months ago. When I finally got a chance to sit down and write it, who would’ve known it had gotten even better.

As a kid, and even a teen, I remember writing fan letters to different celebrities in the hopes of receiving a response. Unfortunately, I was never lucky enough to get that response back, much less have a disabled celebrity that I could send a letter to. In those days, there weren’t many celebrities that had a disability.

While on the Internet I found out about a deaf fan who wrote to Derrick Coleman.   He’s a football player who plays for the Seattle Seahawks and happens to be deaf. This young fan wrote to him because she wanted to give him encouragement and let him know he was inspiring others. It’s not often you see children uplifting adults, but it can, and does happen. When it does, it makes you think twice about why you may be feeling down at that time or even think differently about situations in your own life that may be troubling. The letter probably gave him an idea of the impact he’s having on the lives of others because he plays professional football.

To amplify the impact of this letter, Derrick actually responded to his fan. It’s wonderful to see that despite what I imagine to be a very busy schedule, he was willing and able to take time to respond to her. Celebrities have their jobs because there are other people who follow and believe in them. It’s great to see those celebrities actually show their appreciation by the actions they take to also support their fans in any way they can.

Thanks for reading..

cr

http://msn.foxsports.com/buzzer/story/hearing-impaired-fan-s-letter-to-derrick-coleman-is-awesome-012114

New “Dancing with the Stars” Cast Announced

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

Today, while checking out “Good Morning America”, I saw the announcement for the new cast of “Dancing with the Stars”.  If you’ve followed my posts before, you know that I’ve commented on the happenings of the show as it relates to disability awareness.  Any show that’s going to positively impact the way the disabled population is viewed by the general public should receive praise.  The show is always giving people with disabilities the spotlight as people first.

One of the new celebrities for this season is Jack Osbourne, the son of Sharon and Ozzy Osbourne.  Since the ending of the reality show “The Osbourne’s” on MTV, the public has learned that he was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis not too long ago.  In the past, “Dancing with the Stars” has had such celebrities with disabilities like Marlee Matlin and Heather Mills-McCartney, so they’re no stranger to making accommodations for the disabled celebrity when necessary.  It’ll be interesting to see what accommodations or obstacles Jack will overcome in order to compete on the show.

I know that Multiple Sclerosis affects everyone differently, just like every other disability but, I’m hoping that Jack’s appearance on the show can make those who have any disability see that just because you have a disability doesn’t mean that your dreams aren’t attainable or even that you still can’t participate in fun activities because that’s far from the truth.

Kudos, yet again, to “Dancing with the Stars” for being an inclusive show.  Also for demonstrating to the world that no matter what your limitations, not only will they give you the opportunity to compete but, that dancing can make a difference in anyone’s life.

Seeing shows like “Dancing with the Stars”, how have they helped you realize your potential?

Thanks for reading..

cr

For more on this story, you can go to:

http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/dancing-stars-2013-season-17-cast-announced/story?id=20145315

Derek Hough Dances with Brilynn Rakes

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

I was watching “Dancing with the Stars” last night and heard that the “AT&T Spotlight Performance” was going to feature Derek Hough and a legally blind dancer.  If you follow my posts, I’ve talked a lot about different adaptive sports.  Adaptive sports are a way for people who are disabled to go out and participate in different activities such as basketball, bowling and martial arts.  I feel like it’s important to get out there and be as active as you can, no matter your limitations.

When, I saw Brilynn dance with Derek, it was amazing!  Hearing her story about how she adjusted to learning dance, because she can’t see in mirrors at the studio was just great.  She didn’t go to any adaptive dancing classes but, instead, made modifications to the way she learned to dance on her own.  The way she’s found alternatives to accomplishing her goals just shows how we can all be inventive when we have something we want to achieve.  She even has problems with her balance but, that didn’t stop her either.

No matter what obstacles she’s faced in life, she found a way to make her dream of becoming a dancer come true.  We shouldn’t limit ourselves in what we want to do.  There are always ways to reach our goals.  Sometimes it just takes the encouragement of those who love us most and a belief in ourselves to make it happen.

To find out more information about Brilynn Rakes you can go to the link below:

http://beta.abc.go.com/shows/dancing-with-the-stars/spotlight-performances/s16-brilynn-rakes-bio

Thanks for reading..

cr

Role Models

by caste551, posted in Uncategorized

Who is your role  model?  This is a question teachers use around the 5th grade or so when they are trying to teach their students  how to write an essay.  Most of the time, the answer is my mom or dad, or favorite teacher. 

As we get older, people say their role models are sports figures like Michael Jordan or LeBron James.  What are the qualities that make these celebrities role models? What makes people role models?  Is it their attempt at being the greatest in their craft or maybe the way they have persevered in their lives to get where they are today?  Is it the way they dress or maybe even the lifestyle they lead?  Even so, most of the time, the most important role models in our lives are our family members or close friends.

At some point, as we get older, our role models become our family and friends again, just like when we were kids.  This is not a bad thing at all.  Be proud of who you are and what you have accomplished.  Sometimes we don’t even realize that people in our lives consider us to be their role models and aspire to emulate what we do.

What qualities have your role models helped you implement in your life?   How have your role models changed your life?

Thanks for reading..

cr