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Essay on Disability Is Not A Hindrance To Success

Students are often asked to write an essay on Disability Is Not A Hindrance To Success in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

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100 Words Essay on Disability Is Not A Hindrance To Success

Introduction.

Disability is a condition that makes certain activities tough for a person. But it’s not a roadblock to success. Many people with disabilities have achieved great things. They prove that success is not about physical perfection, but about willpower and determination.

Understanding Disability

Disability and success.

Success is about achieving goals. It’s not about how fast or easy you get there. People with disabilities often have to work harder and find unique ways to reach their goals. This makes their success even more special.

Role Models

There are many successful people with disabilities. For example, Stephen Hawking, a famous scientist, had a severe physical disability. Despite this, he made groundbreaking discoveries in physics. His story shows that disability is not a hindrance to success.

250 Words Essay on Disability Is Not A Hindrance To Success

Disability means when a person cannot do some things in the same way as most people. This might be due to a problem with the body or mind. It is important to know that having a disability does not stop someone from achieving success.

Success Beyond Disability

Success is not only about physical strength or mental sharpness. It is about the will to win, the desire to succeed, and the urge to reach one’s full potential. These are the keys that will unlock the door to personal achievement. A person with a disability can have these qualities as much as anyone else.

Real-life Examples

There are many people with disabilities who have achieved great things. Stephen Hawking, a famous scientist, had a disease that made his body very weak. But he did not let this stop him. He used his mind to explore the universe and became one of the most respected scientists in the world.

Importance of Attitude

The most important thing is not the disability, but the attitude of the person. If a person believes they can succeed, then they can overcome any obstacle. They may need to find different ways to do things, but with determination, they can reach their goals.

In conclusion, disability is not a hindrance to success. It is just a different way of experiencing the world. With the right attitude, anyone, regardless of disability, can achieve great things.

500 Words Essay on Disability Is Not A Hindrance To Success

A disability is a condition that makes it more difficult for a person to do certain activities or interact with the world around them. These disabilities might be physical, like not being able to walk or move a part of the body, or they may involve the brain, with conditions like learning disabilities, autism, or mental health disorders.

Challenges and Overcoming Them

People with disabilities often face many challenges. These might include problems with moving around, learning new things, or dealing with other people’s attitudes and misunderstandings about disabilities. But these challenges do not define a person or limit what they can achieve.

Success Stories

Then there’s Helen Keller, who was blind and deaf, yet she became a well-known writer and speaker. She used her voice to fight for the rights of people with disabilities.

The Role of Society

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

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Essay On Disability Is Not An Obstacle For Success

Essay On Disability Is Not An Obstacle For Success

Table of Contents

Introduction

Disability is when someone has a condition that makes it harder for them to do certain things. Some people might think that having a disability means you can’t be successful, but that’s not true. There have been many amazing people in history who have overcome their disabilities and achieved great things. In this Essay On Disability Is Not An Obstacle For Success Essay, we will learn about these inspiring individuals and see how disability is not a barrier to success. We will also talk about the importance of including everyone and how being determined and strong can help us overcome challenges.

The Triumph of the human spirit

1.1 Helen Keller: Overcoming Deafness and Blindness

Let’s start with Helen Keller. She was deaf and blind when she was young, which means she couldn’t hear or see. But that didn’t stop her from doing incredible things. She became a famous writer, fought for important causes, and even gave speeches to inspire others. Helen Keller showed us that having a disability doesn’t mean we can’t achieve great things if we believe in ourselves and work hard.

1.2 Stephen Hawking: A brilliant mind confined to a wheelchair

Another person who achieved a lot despite his disability was Stephen Hawking. He was a very smart physicist, but he had a disease that made it hard for him to move or speak. Even though his body didn’t work like most people’s, his mind was full of amazing ideas about space and the universe. Stephen Hawking showed us that our minds are powerful, and we can still make important discoveries even if our bodies are different.

Checkout this book:  Disability is Not Inability

II. The importance of inclusivity

2.1 Access to Education and employment opportunities

It’s really important that everyone, including people with disabilities, has the same chance to go to school and get a good job. When schools and workplaces are inclusive, it means they welcome and support all kinds of people. Inclusive schools make sure that students with disabilities can learn and grow just like everyone else. And inclusive workplaces give people with disabilities a chance to use their talents and skills. When we include everyone, we can create a better and more innovative society.

2.2 Challenging Stereotypes and promoting understanding

Sometimes people have wrong ideas about what people with disabilities can do. They might think that they can’t do certain things because of their disabilities. But it’s important to challenge these ideas and learn the truth. When we show the achievements of people with disabilities and talk about their successes, we can change how people think. Disability is just one part of who a person is, and it doesn’t stop them from being successful.

III. The power of determination and resilience

3.1 Overcoming Adversity through Resilience

People with disabilities face many challenges, but they don’t let those challenges define them. They are strong and keep going even when things are hard. Their determination and resilience help them overcome obstacles and reach their goals. They inspire others to believe in themselves and know that they can overcome anything too. With the right mindset, we can conquer any challenge, including disability.

3.2 Redefining Success and embracing personal achievements

Success doesn’t always mean being rich or famous. People with disabilities often redefine success by focusing on their own achievements, growth, and happiness. They find alternative paths to reach their goals and celebrate even small accomplishments. This shows us that success is about personal progress and finding fulfillment in what we do. We should celebrate all kinds of achievements and value the unique journeys of individuals with disabilities.

This Essay On Disability Is Not An Obstacle For Success Essay concludes that having a disability doesn’t mean you can’t be successful. We have seen how people like Helen Keller and Stephen Hawking overcame their disabilities and achieved great things. By including everyone, challenging stereotypes, and being determined and strong, we can create a society where people with disabilities can succeed and make a difference.

How disability is not an obstacle for success?

Disability is not an obstacle for success because many successful people with disabilities have proven that challenges can be overcome through determination, adaptability, and support.

Do you think disability is an obstacle?

While some may think disability is an obstacle, it doesn’t define a person’s potential. With the right mindset and resources, individuals with disabilities can achieve great success.

Can you be successful with a disability?

Absolutely! Success is not limited by disability. By focusing on strengths, setting goals, and seeking assistance when needed, individuals with disabilities can reach their full potential.

How can a disability be an advantage?

A disability can be advantageous by encouraging resilience, creativity, and unique perspectives that lead to innovative solutions and a diverse workforce.

How can disabilities be overcome?

Disabilities can be overcome through education, accessibility improvements, inclusive policies, and promoting understanding and acceptance, enabling individuals to thrive and succeed in various aspects of life.

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How Does Society Treat the Disabled People | Essay on Disability

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Disability Essay: Introduction

Disability in modern society, how does society treat the disabled person, disability essay: conclusion, works cited.

Disability is a mental or physical condition that restricts a person’s activities, senses or movements. Modern societies have recognized the problems faced by these individuals and passed laws that ease their interactions.

Some people, therefore, believe that life for the disabled has become quite bearable. These changes are not sufficient to eliminate the hurdles associated with their conditions.

The life of a person with a disability today is just as difficult as it was in the past because of the stigma in social relations as well as economic, mobility and motivational issues associated with such a condition.

A person with a disability would live a hard life today owing to the emotional issues associated with the condition. His or her identity would revolve around his or her disability rather than anything else that the person can do.

It does not matter whether the individuals is handsome or talented, like Tom Cruise. At the end of the day, he will always be a disabled man. This attitude obscures one’s accomplishments and may even discourage some people from accomplishing anything.

Other able-bodied individuals would always categorize such a person as a second-class citizen. It would take a lot of will power and resolve to get past these labels and merely lives one’s life. Opponents of this argument would claim that some great inventors of modern society are disabled.

A case in point was Dr. Stephen Hawkings, whose mathematical inventions led to several breakthroughs in the field of cosmology (Larsen 87). While such accomplishments exist, they do not represent the majority.

Persons like Hawkings have to work harder because they have their handicaps to cope with alongside their other scientific work. A disabled scientist is more diligent than a normal one because he has two forms of hurdles to tackle.

It is not common to find such immense willpower in the general population. Therefore, disability leads to a tough life owing to its emotional demands on its subjects.

How the Society Can Be Helpful to the Disabled People

Modern life has created several technologies designed to simplify movement. For instance, modern cities have stairs, trains, cars, doors and elevators to achieve this. However, these technologies are not easy to use for disabled people.

Many of them find that they cannot climb stairs, drive cars or even access trains without help from someone else. Therefore, while the rest of the world is enjoying the benefits of technology, a disabled person would still have to overcome these challenges in order to move from place to place.

Some opponents of this assertion would claim that the life of a disabled person today is unproblematic because a lot of devices have been developed to facilitate movement and other interactions. For instance, a person with amputated legs can buy artificial limbs or use a wheelchair.

However, some of the best assistive technologies for the disabled are quite expensive, and average citizens cannot afford them.

Many of them would have to contend with difficult -to-use devices like wheelchairs, which may not always fit into certain spaces. They would also have to exert themselves in order to use those regular devices.

Social relations are a serious challenge for disabled people today. A number of them live isolated lives or only interact with persons who have the same condition. Social stigma is still rife today even though progress has been made.

Friends would simply be unwilling to dedicate much of their free time to help this disabled person move. Additionally, finding a life partner or marrying someone would also be a laborious process because of the physical and psychological implications.

If one’s handicap is physical, and affects their kinetics, then they would not engage in sexual activity.

Alternatively, psychical deformities may be off putting as many individuals find them sexually unattractive. These social stigmas can impede a disabled person’s ability to enjoy normal relationships with others.

Economic hurdles are also another cause of unfulfilled lives amongst the disabled. Some jobs do not require an investment in one’s image, so these would be tenable for the disabled. However, a number of positions take into account one’s physical image.

These include television anchoring, sports, politics, and even sales jobs. The practical demands of these jobs, such as sales and sports, would not allow a disabled person to engage in them meaningfully.

Alternatively, the positions may also place too much emphasis on physical appearance to the point of making disabled persons unsuitable for them. While the latter might seem like discrimination, it is a given fact that the world is increasingly becoming superficial.

Companies only want to focus on what sells, so they have little time to be proactive or fair. In essence, these attitudes close the door t many opportunities for the disabled as they pigeonhole them into passive professions.

Modern societies have not eradicated the obstacles that persons with disabilities face. This is evident in their attitudinal inclinations as most of them reduce a disabled person’s identity to their inability rather than their accomplishments.

Difficulties in mobility and use of technology among the disabled also testify to their hardships. Social stigma concerning their physical attractiveness and demands in friendships also limit their social relationships.

Finally, their economic prospects are neutralized by their mobility challenges as well as their physical image. All these hurdles indicate that disability causes its victims to live painstaking lives.

Larsen, Kristine. Stephen Hawking: A biography . Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Publishing, 2007. Print.

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IvyPanda. (2019, July 4). How Does Society Treat the Disabled People | Essay on Disability. https://ivypanda.com/essays/disability-in-modern-society/

"How Does Society Treat the Disabled People | Essay on Disability." IvyPanda , 4 July 2019, ivypanda.com/essays/disability-in-modern-society/.

IvyPanda . (2019) 'How Does Society Treat the Disabled People | Essay on Disability'. 4 July.

IvyPanda . 2019. "How Does Society Treat the Disabled People | Essay on Disability." July 4, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/disability-in-modern-society/.

1. IvyPanda . "How Does Society Treat the Disabled People | Essay on Disability." July 4, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/disability-in-modern-society/.

Bibliography

IvyPanda . "How Does Society Treat the Disabled People | Essay on Disability." July 4, 2019. https://ivypanda.com/essays/disability-in-modern-society/.

Disability is not an Obstacle to Success

Disability is not an Obstacle to Success

Disability refers to the condition of being physically or mentally disabled or challenged. Some are blind, dumb and deaf. Others are crippled or mentally abnormal. The physically disabled are those physically handicapped such as the crippled, the blind, the mute as well those having some form of physical deformities. Most often, they are dependent on other people. Those mentally disabled suffer from mental retardation such as cerebral palsy and down syndrome among others. They look upon themselves as the burden of their families and an inferiority complex dogs them as long as they live.

“Disability need not be an obstacle to success,” Stephen Hawking wrote in the first-ever world disability report back in 2011. There are thousands of disabled people in Asia and many face discrimination on a regular basis which takes many forms. Very few employers hire disabled people as the latter is considered more a liability than an asset in the organization. However, these fears are completely unfounded. People with physical disabilities are not neglected class of people. Many blind and hearing impaired persons have contributed tremendously to organizations they are attached to. In fact, there are many cases of how disabled personalities have done themselves proud by being their own bosses. Their success stories include those on how to run their own business such as shops, restaurants, handicraft centers in addition to those who have become teachers and professionals through sheer hard work and determination. Many have even become successful sportspersons participating in Paralympics Games and winning medals. It has been proved that physical disability cannot stand in the way of one’s flowering into a celebrity.

The government should introduce steps to ensure all disabled people have access to education and employment. The Government provides the physically disabled students with stipends for education. In fact, special legislation and laws ought to be introduced that make it compulsory for employers to allocate a certain number of jobs for the disabled. The Welfare department too should provide financial assistance and medical access to disabled persons who come from poor backgrounds.

Ongoing campaigns to educated society on the need to accept and live in harmony with the disabled, rather than treat them as burdens or pariahs, need to be launched. In fact, the awareness should start from a young age. Instead of setting up special schools for the disabled, the government should institute regulations that abolish such schools and the disabled children sent to regular schools. In this regard, the discrimination of people with disabilities persists because the power of prejudices and biases is very strong.

In addition, most of our public infrastructure, public transport, and government buildings are not disabled-friendly. There has to be a concerted effort to ensure the disabled have access to these places and not feel hampered in any way.

Thus, it is high time that we accept the disabled as an important component of our society. Despite their handicap, they play an important role in our lives and at the same time, they need our respect, acceptance, and understanding.

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126 Disability Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

Inside This Article

Living with a disability can present unique challenges and obstacles, but it can also provide individuals with a different perspective on life and the world around them. Writing about disability can help raise awareness, promote understanding, and advocate for change. If you're looking for inspiration for your next essay on disability, here are 126 topic ideas and examples to get you started:

  • The impact of disability on daily life
  • Overcoming obstacles as a person with a disability
  • The importance of accessibility for individuals with disabilities
  • Disability representation in the media
  • Disability rights and advocacy
  • The history of disability rights movements
  • Disability and discrimination
  • Disability and intersectionality
  • Invisible disabilities and the challenges they present
  • The stigma surrounding disabilities
  • The social model of disability vs. the medical model
  • Disability and employment
  • Disability and education
  • Disability and healthcare access
  • Disability and technology
  • Disability and transportation
  • Disability and sports
  • Disability and mental health
  • Disability and relationships
  • Disability and parenting
  • Disability and creativity
  • Disability and activism
  • Disability and social justice
  • Disability and poverty
  • Disability and aging
  • Disability and chronic illness
  • Disability and trauma
  • Disability and resilience
  • Disability and spirituality
  • Disability and intersectional identities
  • Disability and gender
  • Disability and race
  • Disability and sexuality
  • Disability and class
  • Disability and religion
  • Disability and immigration
  • Disability and language barriers
  • Disability and cultural differences
  • Disability and environmental factors
  • Disability and genetics
  • Disability and medical advancements
  • Disability and assistive technology
  • Disability and adaptive equipment
  • Disability and mobility aids
  • Disability and communication devices
  • Disability and sensory aids
  • Disability and service animals
  • Disability and emotional support animals
  • Disability and therapy animals
  • Disability and accessibility laws
  • Disability and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • Disability and the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA)
  • Disability and the Rehabilitation Act
  • Disability and the Social Security Disability Insurance (SSDI) program
  • Disability and the Supplemental Security Income (SSI) program
  • Disability and the Ticket to Work program
  • Disability and the Vocational Rehabilitation program
  • Disability and the Special Olympics
  • Disability and the Paralympic Games
  • Disability and adaptive sports programs
  • Disability and inclusive recreation opportunities
  • Disability and adaptive dance programs
  • Disability and adaptive music programs
  • Disability and adaptive art programs
  • Disability and adaptive theater programs
  • Disability and adaptive gaming programs
  • Disability and adaptive outdoor activities
  • Disability and adaptive travel experiences
  • Disability and accessible tourism
  • Disability and adaptive leisure activities
  • Disability and adaptive social events
  • Disability and adaptive volunteer opportunities
  • Disability and adaptive employment options
  • Disability and adaptive housing solutions
  • Disability and adaptive transportation options
  • Disability and adaptive technology solutions
  • Disability and adaptive communication strategies
  • Disability and adaptive learning techniques
  • Disability and adaptive teaching methods
  • Disability and adaptive parenting strategies
  • Disability and adaptive caregiving techniques
  • Disability and adaptive healthcare practices
  • Disability and adaptive therapy approaches
  • Disability and adaptive counseling methods
  • Disability and adaptive social work practices
  • Disability and adaptive advocacy efforts
  • Disability and adaptive policy initiatives
  • Disability and adaptive research studies
  • Disability and adaptive training programs
  • Disability and adaptive education resources
  • Disability and adaptive employment opportunities
  • Disability and adaptive housing options
  • Disability and adaptive transportation services
  • Disability and adaptive technology tools
  • Disability and adaptive communication devices
  • Disability and adaptive community programs
  • Disability and adaptive support groups
  • Disability and adaptive mentoring programs
  • Disability and adaptive coaching services
  • Disability and adaptive networking opportunities
  • Disability and adaptive professional development
  • Disability and adaptive leadership training
  • Disability and adaptive entrepreneurship programs
  • Disability and adaptive financial planning
  • Disability and adaptive legal services
  • Disability and adaptive advocacy organizations
  • Disability and adaptive research institutions
  • Disability and adaptive healthcare providers
  • Disability and adaptive education specialists
  • Disability and adaptive technology experts
  • Disability and adaptive therapy practitioners
  • Disability and adaptive counseling professionals
  • Disability and adaptive social work practitioners
  • Disability and adaptive policy makers
  • Disability and adaptive community

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Guest Blog: How to Effectively Write About a Disability in a College Essay

Diane Diamantis June 13, 2016 Blog Posts , Non-Profit

write an essay disability is not an obstacle for success

Today we are pleased to feature a guest blog by Shirag Shemmassian, Ph.D. We met Dr. Shemmassian at the 2016 national conference of the Tourette Association of America. His work as a consultant helping students with disabilities fits well with our goal of helping college students who have Tourette Syndrome. Here, he covers a topic that can benefit students with all types of disabilities. We hope you find it useful!

–Dollars 4 Tic Scholars

How to Effectively Write about a Disability in a College Essay

by Shirag Shemmassian, Ph.D.

Parents often ask me whether their student’s college admissions chances will be hurt if they discuss a disability in their college essay.

The answer is a resounding “No.” In fact, disclosing a disability in a college essay or elsewhere on a college application can help your student gain admission to their dream school .

Colleges aim to recruit a diverse student body, and disability is seen as one form of diversity. Disclosing a disability can provide admissions committee members with the proper context in which to evaluate your student’s academic and personal achievements.

Nevertheless, I am a firm believer that there is no such thing as a good or bad college essay topic, only strong or poor execution . Therefore, merely disclosing a disability won’t be enough to get your student into great colleges. They will have to go a step further and discuss specifically how their disability makes them them .

So, how can your student produce a standout essay about their disability? Following the dos and don’ts listed below will help your student avoid common mistakes and wow admissions committees the nation over.

  • Don’t write a story with the intention to make the admissions committee feel bad for you. Do write a story that demonstrates your unique qualities and how you will be a good fit with a particular school.

Every time an admissions committee member reads a college essay, the question in the back of their mind is: “Will this applicant be a good fit at our school?” The best way for your student to demonstrate fit with a college is to tell a compelling story that conveys their positive traits, such as grit, resilience, and optimism. On the other hand, telling a story that exclusively highlights the challenges your student faced with their disability will unfortunately lead the reader to doubt whether they will be able to handle the rigors associated with college life.

  • Don’t simply write about how you dealt with your disability. Do communicate how working through your disability has transformed you or helped you grow.

Your student’s disability, and the way they have dealt with it, have likely contributed significantly to their identity development. Admissions committees want to know how your student’s experiences with their disability has shaped them into the wonderful person they are today. For example, overcoming the teasing and self-advocating for my educational rights associated with my Tourette Syndrome diagnosis has helped me embrace the fact I am just as capable as anyone else and to help others do the same. How has your student been transformed positively because of their disability experiences?

  • Don’t present yourself as someone who has overcome every issue related to your disability. Do present yourself as someone who makes the most of every difficult situation you face.

Your student’s disability may impact their friendships, schoolwork, and relationships with family members. And while your student is likely an incredibly resilient individual who has overcome multiple barriers at school, at home, and in the community, they inevitably continue to face challenges due to their disability or otherwise. Therefore, your student’s goal for their college essay should be to authentically discuss their responses to life’s challenges, regardless of whether or not they have figured everything out. I mean, which of us has?

Final Thoughts

Your student should not shy away from discussing their disability when completing their college applications. Doing so may help them present a side of themselves that is likely a major part of the person they uniquely are. Nevertheless, there are multiple fine lines your student must straddle when discussing their disability to come across as authentic and resilient, and to demonstrate fit with their dream schools.

Shirag-Shemmassian Bio Photo

Dr. Shemmassian channeled his passion for empowering families to found Shemmassian Academic Consulting , through which he helps students with disabilities get into America’s top colleges. His work has been featured on television, conferences, and various blogs and podcasts. You can receive Dr. Shemmassian’s top 10 college admissions secrets for free to help your student get into their dream school—without the stress—by clicking here .

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Life of a Blind Girl

disability , Uncategorized · March 17, 2019

Let’s talk about success and disability

When you think about success and disability, what’s the first thing that springs to mind? Do you put the two hand-in-hand or think they’re separate?

There is a common notion surrounding success and disability that disabled people can’t achieve the same things as non-disabled people because of our disability, well this isn’t true at all. I’m going to put things straight: disabled people can succeed. Ok, so it may take us longer to do certain tasks and we may need adaptions in order for us to do things just like non-disabled people, but this isn’t something negative or something to be ashamed of, we’re just making tasks accessible so that we can complete them to the same standard as everyone else

I talk about my achievements on my blog, I’m open and honest with you all, I don’t do any of this to show off, I do it because I want to help others and tackle the common misconceptions surrounding sight loss and disability, I think success and disability is a topic that needs to be discussed.

Is there a link between success and disability?

Disabled people work just as hard as non-disabled people, in fact, it could be argued that we have to work even harder because we often face access barriers or have to find alternative ways of completing tasks. Having alternative methods for completing tasks doesn’t mean that we do them differently to non-disabled people, we just do them in a different way. The world is not fully accessible, society doesn’t always see disability for what it is, but this doesn’t mean that we can’t achieve and succeed.

There is sometimes a common stigma that disabled people succeed and achieve their goals because of pity and that we achieve because ‘we’re disabled’, let me tell you, this is not the case at all. We achieve our goals in spite of our disabilities, not because of them. Did I get good grades, get a degree and get my job because of my disability? No I didn’t. People didn’t think ‘oh I feel sorry for her, so I’ll let her achieve whatever she wants’, I achieved all of this because I put the work in and was determined. Having a disability has nothing to do with our achievements and it doesn’t define them either.

Granted, my vision impairment has given me many unique skills such as being a confident braillist, a cane user and the ability to use a wide range of assistive technology, all of these skills help me in my life and may well be detrimental for my future, but they aren’t the only reasons I achieve my goals. They present me with many unique skills which do look good, but it’s all about how I use these skills in order to succeed and how I use them effectively.

A photo of a braille display, there is a vase with two roses in and a candle behind it

Yes, my disability has given me skills, but my achievements aren’t because of my vision impairment and I certainly haven’t achieved them solely on the basis that I’m blind, that’s far from it. Having a disability doesn’t automatically mean that a person will achieve whatever they want to, we have to work hard, just like everyone else.

Whilst our disability may be the reason we have some specialist skills, our success isn’t based on our disability and we don’t achieve things because of it.

Exceeding expectations

Public attitudes surrounding disability can often be negative, these stigmas are so far from reality but can put doubt and questions in disabled people’s minds, but we shouldn’t let these wrongly perceived ideas define our capabilities and stop us from succeeding.

I’ve been blind all my life due to a condition called Retinopathy of Prematurity, I’ve met many people that didn’t think I could succeed because I’m blind. I’ve been through some challenging chapters, there’s been times where I’ve wanted to give up but I don’t deserve to be condemned to a life where people believe I’m incapable and can’t succeed just because I have a disability, and neither does anyone else.

Things haven’t always been easy, in school my Teaching Assistants weren’t often given work in time for them to put it into an accessible format so that I could do the work like everyone else, we always adapted in the best ways we could, but we shouldn’t have had to do that. Myself and my parents had to fight for basic provisions and this is still the case today. People didn’t think that I would get the grades, but guess what? I worked extremely hard and proved people wrong. I got a good set of GCSE’s, did better than I thought in my A-levels and I got the grades to go to my first choice University, I then graduated University with a BA Honours degree in Children, Young People and Families and now work as an Assistive Technology Advisor. Some might say that I exceeded expectations, but others might not. I’ve proved that by working hard, having the right mindset and being determined, you can achieve what you want to, whether you have a disability or not.

Holly stood up holding her purple cane, she is wearing a black coat, black leggings and long grey boots. The city walls and York Minster are in the background

Having a disability is not an obstacle for success

We need to teach the younger generation that having a disability does not mean that they can’t get good grades, can’t go onto college/University or get their dream job because they can. Having a disability can come with its limitations but doesn’t everything? It’s about how you look beyond them and realise your capabilities. Stereotypes, stigmas and people’s attitudes and wrongly perceived ideas may try to throw a person off their path, but this doesn’t mean to say that disabled people can’t achieve. It’s all about embracing how we achieve our goals, we may need adaptions, but this isn’t something to be ashamed of.

Why do society have such negative attitudes surrounding success and disability? Why do non-disabled people think that we can’t achieve what we want to, and expect less of us because of our disability. We should be pushed to achieve our goals and encouraged to do so.

It’s often our disability that isn’t a barrier, it’s people’s perceptions on disability and success that are the problem. Attitudes and perceptions are creating even more barriers for disabled people in all aspects of life, and it’s about time that we changed those.

According to disability charity  Scope , disabled people are more than twice as likely to be unemployed than non-disabled people. Obviously, people’s attitudes aren’t the only thing that has an impact on unemployment rates and other aspects of life for disabled people, but attitudes certainly play a part. Accessibility and opportunities also play a role, but changing attitudes on disability can help.

Research by the  RNIB  found that one of the biggest and most common barriers that blind and vision impaired people face is people’s lack of knowledge and understanding on sight loss and their outdated attitudes on blind and vision impaired people. The research also found that 50% of the general public think that people with a vision impairment would struggle to hold down a job. These statistics show that attitudes and outdated stereotypes are often some of the biggest barriers that disabled people face, which can lead to other consequences such as affecting a disabled person’s education or employment opportunities. Personally, I think that the misconceptions and outdated ideologies can be more of a barrier than our disabilities or impairments themselves.

People have told me that I may not get to where I want to be in life because of my vision impairment, although these comments can be demoralising, they motivated me to work hard and prove people wrong.

I realised that I had a choice – to let my disability define me and dictate my life, or to strive to get to where I want to be, block out the wrongly preconceived ideas and prove those people wrong, I think we all know that I chose the latter. I surround myself with people that encourage me, motivate me and push me to work hard, those people see my capabilities, not my limitations. I will not surround myself with people that think I can’t succeed because of my vision impairment or those that think I can’t live the life I want to, I will never conform to those ideas because that’s not me, and it doesn’t have to be you either.

I’m a blogger, an Assistive Technology Advisor, a University graduate and so many more things that I’m proud to be.

A photo of Holly holding the 2018 Shaw Trust Disability Power 100 list publication, there is a garden in the background

People have told me that my blog has become a huge success, but when I started blogging, I never thought that these sort of opportunities would come my way. I’m lucky enough to have taken part in various campaigns for organisations such as the RNIB and Scope, be listed as one of the top 100 most influential disabled people in the UK in the Shaw Trust 2018 Disability Power 100 list and be featured in a newspaper.

Holly's article in the Yorkshire Post

However, I don’t think I’m successful, I’m just living my life and working hard.

Do these things make me successful? I’ll let you decide…

Success is different for everyone; some people want to be in the spotlight whilst others are quietly achieving amazing things in the background, but it doesn’t make them any less successful.

If you feel like the odds are against you, I want you to know that it is possible to defy them, when you achieve those goals, it’ll be an incredible feeling!

Why let people’s attitudes stop you from succeeding,

Go out there, strive to succeed, live life the way you want to and never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something because of your disability.

Remember that you can succeed and achieve your goals, don’t let anything hold you back.

What are your thoughts on success and disability? Let me know in the comments.

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March 19, 2019 at 4:15 pm

A really empowering post as always. There’s definitely a lot of stigma surrounding success and disability and it’s important to show people that it is possible to achieve amazing things. You’re definitely doing just that xxx

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March 20, 2019 at 8:58 pm

Thank you so much lovely, that means the world xxx

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March 7, 2021 at 4:48 am

I have a worsening visual disability along with a few traumatic life events that have left me unable to obtain meaningful work. I wonder if you could advise me on any accessibility solutions to help.

March 22, 2021 at 7:31 pm

In terms of assistive technology, I’d recommend exploring different options of screen readers and magnification software (depending on which is right for your level of vision). I’d also recommend contacting local and national charities as they offer lots of advice and support

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Holly

lifeofablindgirl

Award-winning Disability Blogger and Freelance Writer | Social Media Officer | often chatting all things accessibility | #DisabilityPower100

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  • Personal Essay

How I Embraced the Beauty of My Disability After Struggling With Self-Confidence

Natalie Trevonne attends the 10th Annual Easterseals Disability Film Challenge at Sony Pictures Studios on May 04, 2023, in Culver City, California. Her full body is pictured as she wears a fur coat, tan shoes, and poses with a purse and cane.

When I was younger, I felt like I had all the confidence in the world. If you were to ask my parents to describe me in one word as a child, they would both say fearless. My family loves to tell the story of how my uncle got all us cousins together and told us he would give money to the best dancer. So, of course, little Natalie got out there and danced until she won the money. That was me: a little girl with big dreams and a lot of guts. But trauma has a way of stripping you of all the things that made you strong and leaving you with just a shell of who you used to be.

Trauma has a way of stripping you of all the things that made you strong and leaving you with just a shell of who you used to be.

I've been thinking about that a lot as we've been celebrating Disability Pride Month this July. If I'm being honest, I haven't always had disability pride. In fact, I spent many years wanting to hide and trying to make myself as invisible as possible. When I first started losing my vision around 12 years old, there wasn't any representation in the media of young blind people. And whenever you did see someone blind, they were always portrayed with the stereotypical dark sunglasses — alongside a woe-is-me narrative. I didn't relate to that version of blindness, which only added to a feeling that I didn't belong.

I really started to notice my self-esteem dwindling in middle school. My eye disease, which the doctors called uveitis, was affecting me in such a chaotic way. They said the uveitis stemmed from my juvenile rheumatoid arthritis (JRA), which I was diagnosed with at the age of 1. My vision fluctuated in those pre-teen years, and I would sometimes have six good months of eyesight and sometimes six bad months. During the bad months, my vision would appear as if I were looking through a dark cloud and objects would constantly go in and out of focus. I was on Enbrel, a medication my mom had to inject into me via a needle, and I was also on prednisone, a corticosteroid. This caused me to have unflattering marks on my legs; I gained weight, and developed chubby cheeks, which made me a target for bullying and teasing.

One day particularly stands out: I showed up to middle school in one of our cheer outfits, which consisted of a matching shirt and shorts. One of my fellow cheerleaders took one look at me and said, "Wow, you look different," and then proceeded to snicker with a group of other girls. This is when I realized I was now on the outside. And from that day on, things got worse. It didn't matter what I wore, what I said, or how I wore my hair; someone was going to find something to make fun of me about.

Looking back, I didn't know how to process all of that, and I didn't even realize I was depressed at the time. I just knew having to show up every day for school in such a negative environment was draining me mentally and emotionally.

I continued cheerleading in high school. (I know what you're thinking: I should've just stayed far away from cheer. We never learn our lesson.) One day, another cheerleader made a nasty remark — she said that I looked like I had a disease. I'd just gotten through explaining why I wouldn't be able to run the extra mile that day because of a JRA flareup.

It was devastating for me. That statement stuck with me for a long time; in truth, I feel I'm still recovering from it. After those experiences, I started to develop social anxiety. I believed that everyone saw me as the girl who looked like her disease.

I was somehow unconsciously able to fight against hiding my disability.

The most interesting thing about my self-confidence journey is that I have never tried to hide my eyes. After all the things that I went through, I still managed to show up, my eyes visible, every single time. When I fully lost my vision at 18, I didn't have a high sense of self. I had completely let the words of others beat me down and it made me insecure about the way I looked. But I was somehow unconsciously able to fight against hiding my disability, especially once I got comfortable using my white cane.

But what really helped me on my disability pride journey was learning that a month for us even existed. In 2020, when we celebrated the 30-year anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, I saw a huge influx of disability representation online. I also was invited to be part of an ADA 30 celebration article highlighting disabled creatives. It was then that I met and could appreciate other disabled individuals who were fun, exciting, and sexy. I never saw myself as an attractive person, but that opportunity allowed me to see myself in a different light.

I was viewing beauty based on society's perception of blindness. But what I wasn't taking into consideration was how I felt about myself. And when I became more confident in my disability and started to be more independent, I really started looking inward. I was able to be more passionate about fashion and wearing things that made me feel sexy — sexy meaning the way I carried myself, how I showed up in a given space. I believe that energy was felt by those around me. People started to compliment my clothing, accessories, and even my eyes. I can't tell you how many people have asked if my eyes were contacts and where I got them because they're so pretty.

This is why disability representation in media and storytelling is so important. We need to see ourselves portrayed authentically. And we are authentically brilliant, interesting, powerful, sexy. So, if you are disabled and not feeling especially prideful this month, let me encourage you that that's OK. It's all a process, and you don't have to get to the finish line right away. As you can see, it took me a while, too.

There's a beautiful Bible verse that talks about receiving beauty for ashes, which has always deeply spoken to me. I feel I'm in a place where I can finally trade in the ashes I've been carrying around for so long and embrace the beauty that has always been within me.

Natalie Trevonne is a writer, fashion designer, and accessibility consultant who has been featured for her work by Essence, Cosmopolitan, Fox Business, and PS. As a legally blind writer and creator, Natalie uses her disability to speak up/speak out for equal representation in the entertainment and fashion industries. She's a LinkedIn top voice for disability advocacy and was the first blind fashion designer in the metaverse.

  • Organizational Psychology

Obstacles to Success in the Workplace for People With Disabilities: A Review and Research Agenda

  • Human Resource Development Review 13(2):158-180
  • 13(2):158-180

Mukta Kulkarni at Indian Institute of Management Bangalore

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write an essay disability is not an obstacle for success

How to Write the “Overcoming Challenges” Essay + Examples

What’s covered:.

  • What is the Overcoming Challenges Essay?
  • Real Overcoming Challenges Essay Prompts
  • How to Choose a Topic
  • Writing Tips

Overcoming Challenges Essay Examples

  • Where to Get Your Essay Edited

While any college essay can be intimidating, the Overcoming Challenges prompt often worries students the most. Those students who’ve been lucky enough not to experience trauma tend to assume they have nothing worth saying. On the other hand, students who’ve overcome larger obstacles may be hesitant to talk about them.

Regardless of your particular circumstances, there are steps you can take to make the essay writing process simpler. Here are our top tips for writing the overcoming challenges essay successfully.

What is the “Overcoming Challenges” Essay?

The overcoming challenges prompt shows up frequently in both main application essays (like the Common App) and supplemental essays. Because supplemental essays allow students to provide schools with additional information, applicants should be sure that the subject matter they choose to write about differs from what’s in their main essay.

Students often assume the overcoming challenges essay requires them to detail past traumas. While you can certainly write about an experience that’s had a profound effect on your life, it’s important to remember that colleges aren’t evaluating students based on the seriousness of the obstacle they overcame.

On the contrary, the goal of this essay is to show admissions officers that you have the intelligence and fortitude to handle any challenges that come your way. After all, college serves as an introduction to adult life, and schools want to know that the students they admit are up to the task. 

Real “Overcoming Challenges” Essay Prompts

To help you understand what the “Overcoming Challenges” essay looks like, here are a couple sample prompts.

Currently, the Common Application asks students to answer the following prompt in 650 words or less:

“The lessons we take from obstacles we encounter can be fundamental to later success. Recount a time when you faced a challenge, setback, or failure. How did it affect you, and what did you learn from the experience?”

For the past several years, MIT has prompted students to write 200 to 250 words on the following:

“Tell us about the most significant challenge you’ve faced or something important that didn’t go according to plan. How did you manage the situation?”

In both cases, the prompts explicitly ask for your response to the challenge. The event itself isn’t as important as how it pushed you to grow.

How to Choose a Topic for an Essay on Overcoming Challenges

When it comes to finding the best topic for your overcoming challenges essays, there’s no right answer. The word “challenge” is ambiguous and could be used to reference a wide range of situations from prevailing over a bully to getting over your lifelong stage fright to appear in a school musical. Here are some suggestions to keep in mind when selecting an essay subject.

1. Avoid trivial or common topics

While there aren’t many hard-and-fast rules for choosing an essay topic, students should avoid overdone topics.

These include:

  • Working hard in a challenging class
  • Overcoming a sports injury
  • Moving schools or immigrating to the US
  • Tragedy (divorce, death, abuse)

Admissions officers have read numerous essays on the subject, so it’s harder for you to stand out (see our full list of cliché college essay topics to avoid ). If events like these were truly formative to you, you can still choose to write about them, but you’ll need to be as personal as possible. 

It’s also ideal if you have a less traditional storyline for a cliché topic; for example, if your sports injury led you to discover a new passion, that would be a more unique story than detailing how you overcame your injury and got back in the game.

Similarly, students may not want to write about an obstacle that admissions committees could perceive as low stakes, such as getting a B on a test, or getting into a small fight with a friend. The goal of this essay is to illustrate how you respond to adversity, so the topic you pick should’ve been at least impactful on your personal growth.

2. Pick challenges that demonstrate qualities you want to highlight

Students often mistakenly assume they need to have experienced exceptional circumstances like poverty, an abusive parent, or cancer to write a good essay. The truth is that the best topics will allow you to highlight specific personal qualities and share more about who you are. The essay should be less about the challenge itself, and more about how you responded to it.

Ask yourself what personality traits you want to emphasize, and see what’s missing in your application. Maybe you want to highlight your adaptability, for example, but that isn’t clearly expressed in your application. In this case, you might write about a challenge that put your adaptability to the test, or shaped you to become more adaptable.

Here are some examples of good topics we’ve seen over the years:

  • Not having a coach for a sports team and becoming one yourself
  • Helping a parent through a serious health issue
  • Trying to get the school track dedicated to a coach
  • Having to switch your Model UN position last-minute

Tips for Writing an Essay About Overcoming Challenges

Once you’ve selected a topic for your essays, it’s time to sit down and write. For best results, make sure your essay focuses on your efforts to tackle an obstacle rather than the problem itself. Additionally, you could avoid essay writing pitfalls by doing the following:

1. Choose an original essay structure

If you want your overcoming challenges essay to attract attention, aim to break away from more traditional structures. Most of these essays start by describing an unsuccessful attempt at a goal and then explain the steps the writer took to master the challenge. 

You can stand out by choosing a challenge you’re still working on overcoming, or focus on a mental or emotional challenge that spans multiple activities or events. For example, you might discuss your fear of public speaking and how that impacted your ability to coach your brother’s Little League team and run for Student Council. 

You can also choose a challenge that can be narrated in the moment, such as being put on the spot to teach a yoga class. These challenges can make particularly engaging essays, as you get to experience the writer’s thoughts and emotions as they unfold.

Keep in mind that you don’t necessarily need to have succeeded in your goal for this essay. Maybe you ran for an election and lost, or maybe you proposed a measure to the school board that wasn’t passed. It’s still possible to write a strong essay about topics like these as long as you focus on your personal growth. In fact, these may make for even stronger essays since they are more unconventional topics.

2. Focus on the internal

When writing about past experiences, you may be tempted to spend too much time describing specific people and events. With an Overcoming Challenges essay though, the goal is to focus on your thoughts and feelings.

For example, rather than detail all the steps you took to become a better public speaker, use the majority of your essay to describe your mental state as you embarked on the journey to achieving your goals. Were you excited, scared, anxious, or hopeful? Don’t be afraid to let the reader in on your innermost emotions and thoughts during this process.

3. Share what you learned 

An Overcoming Challenges essay should leave the reader with a clear understanding of what you learned on your journey, be it physical, mental, or emotional. There’s no need to explicitly say “this experience taught me X,” but your essay should at least implicitly share any lessons you learned. This can be done through your actions and in-the-moment reflections. Remember that the goal is to show admissions committees why your experiences make you a great candidate for admission. 

Was I no longer the beloved daughter of nature, whisperer of trees? Knee-high rubber boots, camouflage, bug spray—I wore the g arb and perfume of a proud wild woman, yet there I was, hunched over the pathetic pile of stubborn sticks, utterly stumped, on the verge of tears. As a child, I had considered myself a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes, who was serenaded by mourning doves and chickadees, who could glide through tick-infested meadows and emerge Lyme-free. I knew the cracks of the earth like the scars on my own rough palms. Yet here I was, ten years later, incapable of performing the most fundamental outdoor task: I could not, for the life of me, start a fire. 

Furiously I rubbed the twigs together—rubbed and rubbed until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers. No smoke. The twigs were too young, too sticky-green; I tossed them away with a shower of curses, and began tearing through the underbrush in search of a more flammable collection. My efforts were fruitless. Livid, I bit a rejected twig, determined to prove that the forest had spurned me, offering only young, wet bones that would never burn. But the wood cracked like carrots between my teeth—old, brittle, and bitter. Roaring and nursing my aching palms, I retreated to the tent, where I sulked and awaited the jeers of my family. 

Rattling their empty worm cans and reeking of fat fish, my brother and cousins swaggered into the campsite. Immediately, they noticed the minor stick massacre by the fire pit and called to me, their deep voices already sharp with contempt. 

“Where’s the fire, Princess Clara?” they taunted. “Having some trouble?” They prodded me with the ends of the chewed branches and, with a few effortless scrapes of wood on rock, sparked a red and roaring flame. My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame. 

In the tent, I pondered my failure. Was I so dainty? Was I that incapable? I thought of my hands, how calloused and capable they had been, how tender and smooth they had become. It had been years since I’d kneaded mud between my fingers; instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano, my hands softening into those of a musician—fleshy and sensitive. And I’d gotten glasses, having grown horrifically nearsighted; long nights of dim lighting and thick books had done this. I couldn’t remember the last time I had lain down on a hill, barefaced, and seen the stars without having to squint. Crawling along the edge of the tent, a spider confirmed my transformation—he disgusted me, and I felt an overwhelming urge to squash him. 

Yet, I realized I hadn’t really changed—I had only shifted perspective. I still eagerly explored new worlds, but through poems and prose rather than pastures and puddles. I’d grown to prefer the boom of a bass over that of a bullfrog, learned to coax a different kind of fire from wood, having developed a burn for writing rhymes and scrawling hypotheses. 

That night, I stayed up late with my journal and wrote about the spider I had decided not to kill. I had tolerated him just barely, only shrieking when he jumped—it helped to watch him decorate the corners of the tent with his delicate webs, knowing that he couldn’t start fires, either. When the night grew cold and the embers died, my words still smoked—my hands burned from all that scrawling—and even when I fell asleep, the ideas kept sparking—I was on fire, always on fire.

This essay is an excellent example because the writer turns an everyday challenge—starting a fire—into an exploration of her identity. The writer was once “a kind of rustic princess, a cradler of spiders and centipedes,” but has since traded her love of the outdoors for a love of music, writing, and reading. 

The story begins in media res , or in the middle of the action, allowing readers to feel as if we’re there with the writer. One of the essay’s biggest strengths is its use of imagery. We can easily visualize the writer’s childhood and the present day. For instance, she states that she “rubbed and rubbed [the twigs] until shreds of skin flaked from my fingers.”

The writing has an extremely literary quality, particularly with its wordplay. The writer reappropriates words and meanings, and even appeals to the senses: “My face burned long after I left the fire pit. The camp stank of salmon and shame.” She later uses a parallelism to cleverly juxtapose her changed interests: “instead of scaling a white pine, I’d practiced scales on my piano.”

One of the essay’s main areas of improvement is its overemphasis on the “story” and lack of emphasis on the reflection. The second to last paragraph about changing perspective is crucial to the essay, as it ties the anecdote to larger lessons in the writer’s life. She states that she hasn’t changed, but has only shifted perspective. Yet, we don’t get a good sense of where this realization comes from and how it impacts her life going forward. 

The end of the essay offers a satisfying return to the fire imagery, and highlights the writer’s passion—the one thing that has remained constant in her life.

“Getting beat is one thing – it’s part of competing – but I want no part in losing.” Coach Rob Stark’s motto never fails to remind me of his encouragement on early-morning bus rides to track meets around the state. I’ve always appreciated the phrase, but an experience last June helped me understand its more profound, universal meaning.

Stark, as we affectionately call him, has coached track at my high school for 25 years. His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running. When I learned a neighboring high school had dedicated their track to a longtime coach, I felt that Stark deserved similar honors.

Our school district’s board of education indicated they would only dedicate our track to Stark if I could demonstrate that he was extraordinary. I took charge and mobilized my teammates to distribute petitions, reach out to alumni, and compile statistics on the many team and individual champions Stark had coached over the years. We received astounding support, collecting almost 3,000 signatures and pages of endorsements from across the community. With help from my teammates, I presented this evidence to the board.

They didn’t bite. 

Most members argued that dedicating the track was a low priority. Knowing that we had to act quickly to convince them of its importance, I called a team meeting where we drafted a rebuttal for the next board meeting. To my surprise, they chose me to deliver it. I was far from the best public speaker in the group, and I felt nervous about going before the unsympathetic board again. However, at that second meeting, I discovered that I enjoy articulating and arguing for something that I’m passionate about.

Public speaking resembles a cross country race. Walking to the starting line, you have to trust your training and quell your last minute doubts. When the gun fires, you can’t think too hard about anything; your performance has to be instinctual, natural, even relaxed. At the next board meeting, the podium was my starting line. As I walked up to it, familiar butterflies fluttered in my stomach. Instead of the track stretching out in front of me, I faced the vast audience of teachers, board members, and my teammates. I felt my adrenaline build, and reassured myself: I’ve put in the work, my argument is powerful and sound. As the board president told me to introduce myself, I heard, “runners set” in the back of my mind. She finished speaking, and Bang! The brief silence was the gunshot for me to begin. 

The next few minutes blurred together, but when the dust settled, I knew from the board members’ expressions and the audience’s thunderous approval that I had run quite a race. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough; the board voted down our proposal. I was disappointed, but proud of myself, my team, and our collaboration off the track. We stood up for a cause we believed in, and I overcame my worries about being a leader. Although I discovered that changing the status quo through an elected body can be a painstakingly difficult process and requires perseverance, I learned that I enjoy the challenges this effort offers. Last month, one of the school board members joked that I had become a “regular” – I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Just as Stark taught me, I worked passionately to achieve my goal. I may have been beaten when I appealed to the board, but I certainly didn’t lose, and that would have made Stark proud.

While the writer didn’t succeed in getting the track dedicated to Coach Stark, their essay is certainly successful in showing their willingness to push themselves and take initiative.

The essay opens with a quote from Coach Stark that later comes full circle at the end of the essay. We learn about Stark’s impact and the motivation for trying to get the track dedicated to him.

One of the biggest areas of improvement in the intro, however, is how the essay tells us Stark’s impact rather than showing us: His care, dedication, and emphasis on developing good character has left an enduring impact on me and hundreds of other students. Not only did he help me discover my talent and love for running, but he also taught me the importance of commitment and discipline and to approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

The writer could’ve helped us feel a stronger emotional connection to Stark if they had included examples of Stark’s qualities, rather than explicitly stating them. For example, they could’ve written something like: Stark was the kind of person who would give you gas money if you told him your parents couldn’t afford to pick you up from practice. And he actually did that—several times. At track meets, alumni regularly would come talk to him and tell him how he’d changed their lives. Before Stark, I was ambivalent about running and was on the JV team, but his encouragement motivated me to run longer and harder and eventually make varsity. Because of him, I approach every endeavor with the passion and intensity that I bring to running.

The essay goes on to explain how the writer overcame their apprehension of public speaking, and likens the process of submitting an appeal to the school board to running a race. This metaphor makes the writing more engaging and allows us to feel the student’s emotions.

While the student didn’t ultimately succeed in getting the track dedicated, we learn about their resilience and initiative: I now often show up to meetings to advocate for a variety of causes, including better environmental practices in cafeterias and safer equipment for athletes.

Overall, this essay is well-done. It demonstrates growth despite failing to meet a goal, which is a unique essay structure. The running metaphor and full-circle intro/ending also elevate the writing in this essay.

Where to Get Your Overcoming Challenges Essay Edited

The Overcoming Challenges essay is one of the trickier supplemental prompts, so it’s important to get feedback on your drafts. That’s why we created our free Peer Essay Review tool , where you can get a free review of your essay from another student. You can also improve your own writing skills by reviewing other students’ essays. 

If you want a college admissions expert to review your essay, advisors on CollegeVine have helped students refine their writing and submit successful applications to top schools. Find the right advisor for you to improve your chances of getting into your dream school!

Related CollegeVine Blog Posts

write an essay disability is not an obstacle for success

  • High School

Do you think disability is an obstacle to achieve success in life?substantiate your argument citing evidences from nick vujicic biographical account 'attitude is altitude'.

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Disability is not necessarily an obstacle to achieve success in life. Nick Vujicic's 'Attitude is Altitude' provides evidence of this.

Disability is not necessarily an obstacle to achieve success in life. A biographical account that supports this argument is Nick Vujicic's 'Attitude is Altitude'.

Nick Vujicic was born without arms and legs, which could be seen as a significant disability. However, he has been able to achieve immense success in his life through his positive attitude and determination.

Through his book and motivational speeches, Vujicic shares his experiences and teachings on how to overcome obstacles and find success despite disabilities. He is living proof that disability does not have to define one's potential or limit their achievements.

Learn more about Disability here:

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  • Secondary School

Write a essay disability is not an obstacle for success​

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E ssay on disability is not an obstacle for success

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Disability is not an obstacle for success.

Disability is not inability.Disability is there for only limbs and senses but not for the spirit.

As long as one can possess the strong and healthy will no kind of physical ability can stop them from achieving great things provided they are courageous, determined, perservere and silliness diligent.

This is true that disability is never an obstacle on the path of success . Many great people in spite of disabilities excelled in their life with their hard work, determination, courage and perseverance.

Helen killer, Stephen Hawking, Aisha Chandran, Michael stone and Nick vujicic are some great people who had not allowed their fate to have the last word. Thinking that disabilities are obstacle in the path of success is wrong.

The people who have disabilities forget about their disabilities and work hard continuously to achieve their goals. By doing so they inspire other disabled people. They give hope and courage to them to achieve great things. Once they over come the depression, deflection, despair, they can more than the abled people. They will be more dexterous, elegant, and impeccable in their tasks than the abled people.

They are the real heroes because they are triumphant of their fate asks they are the examples for their invincible spirit. The abled people lacking spirit, the killing instinct,and strong determination,are unable to achieve anything in their life. Though limbless, the disabled can achieve great tasks with their spirit, killing instinct , strong will courage This we can say limbless are not called the disabled but those who don't have sent will, purpose and goals in there life and who don't make their dreams the burning desires and who don't have killing instinct are called the disabled.

The great people who ascended the peaks of success in spite of their disability are called the abled heroes who conquered their fate. They are the purposeful souls created but God to show the path of success to the depressed people...

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  5. Disability is not an obstacle to success. These inspirational leaders

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  6. Stephen Hawking Quote: “Disability need not be an obstacle to success.”

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  1. His disability triggered police but was saved by doctor. #short #shortvideo #subscribe #viral

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  4. it's a disability, not a disease #autism #asd #actuallyautistic

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  6. May 19th disabled man repairs council house continued. An obstacle to profit

COMMENTS

  1. Essay on Disability Is Not A Hindrance To Success

    250 Words Essay on Disability Is Not A Hindrance To Success Understanding Disability. Disability means when a person cannot do some things in the same way as most people. This might be due to a problem with the body or mind. It is important to know that having a disability does not stop someone from achieving success. Success Beyond Disability

  2. Disability is not an obstacle to success. These inspirational leaders

    "Disability need not be an obstacle to success," Stephen Hawking wrote in the first ever world disability report back in 2011. As one of the most influential scientists of modern times, the wheelchair-bound physicist is certainly proof of that. ... Today, the Helen Keller archives contain almost 500 speeches and essays on topics as varied ...

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    In this Essay On Disability Is Not An Obstacle For Success Essay, we will learn about these inspiring individuals and see how disability is not a barrier to success. We will also talk about the importance of including everyone and how being determined and strong can help us overcome challenges. Essay On Disability Is Not An Obstacle For Success

  4. Disability is not Inability: A Different Perspective Essay

    Get a custom essay on Disability is not Inability: A Different Perspective. The same disposition is evident when most people encounter other people with disabilities. We all have heard of someone who did not go to a certain school, get a certain job, or join a certain sport because of a certain disability. We have even heard of parents who hide ...

  5. How Does Society Treat the Disabled People

    Disability is a mental or physical condition that restricts a person's activities, senses or movements. Modern societies have recognized the problems faced by these individuals and passed laws that ease their interactions. Get a custom essay on How Does Society Treat the Disabled People | Essay on Disability. 192 writers online.

  6. Disability is not an Obstacle to Success

    Essay. Disability refers to the condition of being physically or mentally disabled or challenged. Some are blind, dumb and deaf. Others are crippled or mentally abnormal. The physically disabled are those physically handicapped such as the crippled, the blind, the mute as well those having some form of physical deformities.

  7. 126 Disability Essay Topic Ideas & Examples

    Writing about disability can help raise awareness, promote understanding, and advocate for change. If you're looking for inspiration for your next essay on disability, here are 126 topic ideas and examples to get you started: The impact of disability on daily life. Overcoming obstacles as a person with a disability.

  8. Disability not an obstacle to success

    Disability not an obstacle to success. Every year, the International Day of Persons with Disabilities is marked on December 3. First proclaimed in 1992 by the United Nations General Assembly, the ...

  9. Guest Blog: How to Effectively Write About a Disability in a College Essay

    The answer is a resounding "No.". In fact, disclosing a disability in a college essay or elsewhere on a college application can help your student gain admission to their dream school. Colleges aim to recruit a diverse student body, and disability is seen as one form of diversity. Disclosing a disability can provide admissions committee ...

  10. Let's talk about success and disability

    We should be pushed to achieve our goals and encouraged to do so. It's often our disability that isn't a barrier, it's people's perceptions on disability and success that are the problem. Attitudes and perceptions are creating even more barriers for disabled people in all aspects of life, and it's about time that we changed those ...

  11. How I Gained Self-Confidence With a Disability

    A blind writer talks about her struggle with body image and self-confidence, and how she's learned to embrace herself and her idea of beauty.

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    I knew these resources would help me, but I did not have a diagnosed disability at the time, despite showing clear symptoms of one. Eventually, my inability to understand course material squashed ...

  14. Obstacles to Success in the Workplace for People With Disabilities: A

    Furthermore, in a review of obstacles to success for workers with disabilities, Kulkarni & Lengnick-Hall, (2014) also recommend that HR professionals "educate hiring managers about the myths and ...

  15. How to Write the "Overcoming Challenges" Essay + Examples

    1. Avoid trivial or common topics. While there aren't many hard-and-fast rules for choosing an essay topic, students should avoid overdone topics. These include: Working hard in a challenging class. Overcoming a sports injury. Moving schools or immigrating to the US. Tragedy (divorce, death, abuse)

  16. Write an essay on "disability is not an obstacle for success"

    Answer: Disability is not inability.Disability is there for only limbs and senses but not for the spirit. As long as one can possess the strong and healthy will no kind of physical ability can stop them from achieving great things provided they are courageous, determined, perservere and silliness diligent. This is true that disability is never ...

  17. Write an essay on "Disability is not an obstacle to success"

    here's ur essay on disability is not an obstacle to success. "Disability need not be an obstacle to success," Stephen Hawking wrote in the first ever world disability report back in 2011. ... It is these sorts of attitudes, rather than any mental or physical impairment, that create barriers for people with disabilities.

  18. Simple essay on Disability is not an obstacle for success in English

    Introduction. In a world that often emphasizes physical and mental limitations, it is imperative to recognize that disability does not serve as an insurmountable obstacle to achieving success. While disabilities may present certain challenges, they do not define a person's abilities or limit their potential. This essay explores the notion that ...

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    Answer. Answer: Disabilities are not an obstacle for success in our lives as each and every one needs to recognise their passion and interest and do things according to it . Explanation: "Pain cannot give us pain , if we don't allow it to give so ." One should make their disability their biggest strength .

  20. Do you think disability is an obstacle to achieve success in life

    Disability is not necessarily an obstacle to achieve success in life. A biographical account that supports this argument is Nick Vujicic's 'Attitude is Altitude'. Nick Vujicic was born without arms and legs, which could be seen as a significant disability.

  21. Write an essay on disability is not an obstacle to success

    Answer. Explanation: "Disability need not be an obstacle to success," Stephen Hawking wrote in the first ever world disability report back in 2011. As one of the most influential scientists of modern times, the wheelchair-bound physicist is certainly proof of that. Stephen Hawking: So why then are public attitudes so far from the reality?

  22. Write a essay disability is not an obstacle for success

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