My Disability Doesn't Control Me

By Riley Cochran, Second Year Student | October 27, 2015
Riley Cochran in class

Riley Cochran In Class

I went to a comedian show at the TSC in the International Lounge. The show was for the ADA week. ADA stands for Americans with Disabilities Act. The two comedians both had disabilities, one of them had a stutter and the other had Tourette’s. They were really funny! I learned that comedians can have disabilities just like anyone else. It made it an interesting night for everybody. I learned that disabilities can come from an accident, like the comedian with a stutter, or you can be born with a disability.

This event was important to me because I have a disability that makes it hard for me to read and it can be really hard for me sometimes. This event was cool for me to go to and see that people can further their dreams, even if they have a disability. Disabilities come in all different forms and are unique to each person and are what makes them who they are as an individual. The sooner someone figures out their disability doesn’t control them, they control their disability, then the sooner they can adapt to and work around their disability. I plan on furthering my dreams to become a photographer, no matter what it takes, even with a disability.

I feel that this helps us to be more culturally aware by knowing about the ADA and what it can do to help people with disabilities. People with disabilities have the same rights as any other person and sometimes they don’t always get treated the same way. That is what the ADA is for, to help people understand and protect people with disabilities.

Aggies Elevated at Utah State University believes that all individuals, regardless of ability, have the right to meaningful employment, lifelong learning, self-determination and full community inclusion. Utilizing the MyCLIMB (My Career Ladder to Independence, Maturity & Balance) person-centered planning model, Aggies Elevated students, along with invited family members and/or other stakeholders, will chart their own paths toward independence within an individualized framework of supports that identifies challenges, builds on individual strengths and encourages personal responsibility.