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Share Your Views on Working Hard

Below are views on issues related to working hard, persevering, and being flexible. Send your views on one or more of the following issues to doit@u.washington.edu.

Share your views on the need for people with disabilities to work hard, persevere, and be flexible.

  • I see things in a different way. I know how to work hard. I'm determined. Not being able to attack a problem one way has forced me to learn new skills that I may not have learned [if I didn't have a disability]."
  • Sometimes I think that all of us with disabilities have an advantage over those who have things come easier to them. Whatever it is we want, we have to want it and then work for it. That necessary desire promotes drive to accomplish, succeed, or achieve. Others around us may be content to float or do the minimum most of the time, but not us. For us, having what everybody else has is an accomplishment, and having tasted success we want to keep succeeding.
  • Nothing worthwhile comes without risk. Without risk success cannot be achieved.
  • Resiliency is key to success in life. Things will not always go the way you plan, but you have to bounce back from whatever difficulties you encounter and get back on track.
  • Keep trying. Things don't always work out the first time around. Think of other options for achieving the same goal, or ask others (family members, friends, teachers, etc.) for ideas on how you can achieve your goal.
  • Stretch yourself. Do things you never thought possible.
  • Work at your own pace, keep positive, and you can do anything you set your mind to.
  • Do not pity yourself for what cards you have been dealt. It happened....now move on.
  • That moment of insecurity is worth the achievement in the end. It is important to keep that in mind throughout life.
  • Keep on with life despite unfortunate responses from people. To let other people get you down and make you cease to be an active participant in your own life is to let them win. To live life passively is to deny one's full capability of existence. Parents and teachers can help, but this is something you have to find within.
  • It is important to develop networking skills. Almost anyone you meet can be a prospective resource. Learn how to make and capitalize on friendships and follow up. If you do use a person as a resource, call or send a letter to say thank you.
  • DO IT........DON'T QUIT.
  • Whenever as a child I told my parents that I could not do something, they reminded me that I could do it as long as I believed in my ability to do it, and they usually were right. If I did not succeed, my parents pointed out alternate methods for achieving the goal. Now, I am motivated to continue to try something as long as I can think of other options for completing the task at hand. When I run out of options, it is sometimes tempting to give up, but I have also learned that new options sometimes open up with time. (Ph.D. candidate who is blind)
  • There have always been things I've wanted, and I couldn't get them if I didn't try again once I failed. That was true throughout school. In math, I had to do many things by slower methods than other kids used. For example, in precalculus they all had graphing calculators, but I couldn't use one. I did as much of the work as I could because I wanted to learn, I wanted good grades, and I wanted that class on my transcript for college. (college graduate who is blind)
  • Adults taught me that life is full of obstacles and hurdles. Sometimes I make it over the hurdle the first time around, sometimes I don't. I learned to accept failure and to learn from my mistakes. I use what I learned to help me get over the hurdle the next time. I learned that failure is not always a bad thing. In fact, that's how we develop, by learning what works and what doesn't. (graduate student with a hearing impairment)

What advice would you give to parents, teachers, and others about how they can encourage children with disabilities to work hard, persevere, and be flexible?

  • The best way for anyone to teach anybody how to assert themselves is to let them do it. (college student with Tourette's Syndrome, Panic Disorder, and Epilepsy)
  • Keep a positive attitude about the kids' goals, and encourage them to meet those goals. When children don't meet them the first time, stay positive and make sure they know that it's not over and they should keep trying. (high school student with a mobility impairment)
  • Offer encouragement to kids, but let them sometimes fail to get their resiliency in shape before they are on their own in the real world. (college student who is blind)
  • I think kids need to realize that everyone experiences failure....It's how you deal with failure that is important. (graduate student with a hearing impairment)
  • Create goals that have built-in flexibility, and allow room for some trial and error. For example, when I decided to pursue a Ph.D., I developed a backup plan just in case it didn’t work out. I find having a Plan A and a Plan B (and sometimes a plan C) really helps me adjust when one goal is unattainable. Knowing that I have something to fall back on relieves a lot of anxiety while I'm working toward my original goal. (graduate student with a hearing impairment)
  • Help your child learn to never give up. (high school student with a brain injury)
  • Remind them of times when they have accomplished something and how good it felt. And help them figure out a way to complete the task by suggesting alternate strategies or asking them to come up with alternate methods. (Ph.D. candidate who is blind)
  • Don't get over-protective—and do not let the disability color every expectation. (computer scientist who is blind)
  • Help kids set realistic (but not easy!) goals. Help children with disabilities learn to do things independently in order to gain self-confidence. (college student who is deaf)
  • Be optimistic, never doubt abilities, be positive, and challenge kids. Focus on the positive aspects, and help them set goals THEY want. NEVER, EVER assume they can't do something. (college student with speech and mobility impairments)
  • I think the attitude of family, parents and grandparents, is very important for how a child approaches life. My family always assumed I could do a lot of things, and I've done quite a few. Basically, parents need to support their child, push their child some without forcing the child to do things that are counter to their own dreams, be available for their child to talk to when setbacks occur, and so on. These attitudes need to be present especially in social things because failures there tend to be much more painful and difficult to overcome. (college graduate who is blind)
  • Parents can help their kids accept responsibility by taking responsibility for their own actions. (Ph.D. candidate who is blind)
  • Responsibilities must be given and consequences must be felt. If responsibility isn't given, a child never learns how to handle it. (college graduate who is blind)
  • Always support and advocate for your child, but don't ever let them think that it is not their problem. Include them in meetings you have with teachers, doctors, and other people. That will teach them to advocate for themselves. (high school student with a learning disability)
  • I think a good way to help kids accept criticism better is to always present positive feedback first....then bring in the constructive criticism. (graduate student with a hearing impairment)
  • Encourage children to get out and meet people. They have to make themselves known. Opportunity is much more likely to knock if it knows the address. (college student who is blind)

Tell about a situation where you were willing to take a risk in order to achieve a goal. What was the outcome?

  • One risk I took when I was younger involved driving my wheelchair down a steep hill. It was crazy, but I was a daredevil at the time. Well, it cost me a scratch on my cheek, but it was fun until I reached the bottom. I think it's okay to take a risk as long as it doesn't risk other peoples lives. (high school student with a mobility impairment)
  • This summer I took one of the biggest risks in my life. I was given the opportunity to attend two educational camps, a computer camp and a camp to learn about government. I was afraid to attend the camps because they were geared for nondisabled students. The computer camp was the biggest concern because of getting accessible books and computers. The risk paid off. I learned a lot from both camps and made friends to boot! (college student who is blind)
  • A very big risk that I took was my work at a museum. I have very poor people skills. It's obvious to whomever comes in contact with me. I am also wobbly mentally and physically—mentally in that I am unsure of myself and physically in that I can topple at any moment. I had to face the risks of dealing with people and tripping on something and ruining a fragile exhibit every day. The initial job was for class credit. I took the added risk of extending my job over the summer. That added the worry of transportation. I am happy to say that despite these risks I did the job and I did it well. I gained friends, experience, and something to put on a resume. (college student with mobility and health impairments)
  • I keep going when people tell me I can't. I am not afraid to try things and I don't give up. My parents took me everywhere and I did everything like a normal kid. I have a good friend from kindergarten who is able bodied and she knows me so well that we do all sorts of stuff that people might not think I could do, but we come up with a flexible plan and we do it. (high school student with mobility and speech impairments)