A Disabled Guy Who Can Do Anything: A Short Story About Achievement and Ability
Ferguson is a person who has all kinds of disabilities. He lives on an island where there are few opportunities for him to get better in his education. Though his family has access to all the technology he needs—hearing aids, a wheelchair, text-to-speech, and others—Ferguson must still overcome the battles of dealing with school, where many of the other students make fun of him. What hurts him the most is when other students say he “can’t do anything” because it seems obvious to them that he cannot do some specific task for a group project. This happens all the time and really gets to Ferguson.
He hardly joins clubs, because when he tries, he gets rejected or told he can’t participate. No one takes the time to get to know him or find out what he is interested in. He imagines himself being a leader of a club where they accept everyone. This dream is what he desires the most, a club focused on accepting and supporting people with disabilities. “Why couldn’t I make my own club?” he asks himself.
The very next day, he told his parents about his exciting ideas about making his own club at his school. His mom told him that making clubs in school takes a lot of responsibility. His dad agrees. They both know that Ferguson can do it, but he does not have anybody to help him at school. As far as he knows, he is the only student with a disability. However, he decides to ask his favorite teacher, a history teacher, who agrees to help him make his own club.
Ferguson realizes that the first step to running a club is spreading the information about his club to the school public. He asks his teacher if he can put an advertisement on his bulletin board; the teacher agrees. By the next week, multiple people are interested in participating in Ferguson’s club. The day when the club is supposed to open, Ferguson is really shocked when he finds the hallway to his classroom crowded with students. He has no idea what is happening, and it takes a minute for him to realize it is for his club. He is speechless and opens the door. Everybody is excited for the activity and learning experiences about disability in his club.
A few weeks before the last day of school, there is an assembly about awarding the best students in school. It is so crowded that people can hardly hear each other. Ferguson saw many trophies for the awarded students. He really wants one but doesn’t want to expect anything. A few minutes later, something unexpected happens to Ferguson; he is awarded for the best club activity. He is emotional and proud of himself that he can do anything if he believes in himself.