John Robinson told those that face challenges in their lives: you can overcome it. He was able to. “Oftentimes, opportunities are disguised as challenges,” he said. He was born as a multiple congenital amputee. He is 3 feet, 9 inches tall total and has no hands. He was born without the full use or development of his legs and arms. His arms stopped right at the elbows, while his legs had no knees. He was still able to feel in the limbs, and this gives him the ability to do most things that other people can do. “I am comfortable and confident and happy with the body I have,” Robinson said.
He is 43 years old, and walks with a shuffling/rocking motion. He is able to drive a car and play golf. He was the star featured speaker at the Cal Schultz Memorial Event which was held Tuesday right with the 2012 National Disability Employment Awareness Month celebration. He spoke to one of the largest crowds in history, and was able to delight them with his courage, charm and most of all: humor. Robinson told them about his time in college when him and his roommate went sledding on a very crowded hill after a deep snow fell on the campus of Syracuse. “I said, ‘Rob, all those people are staring at me,’ ” Robinson said. “He said, ‘Get over it. People stare at you wherever you go.’ ”Although it was challenging, he did it and accepting it and still had fun. A lot of times children will stare, tackle him, or even say something to him. He combats it with humor however, and lets the children know that he got this way because he didn’t eat his vegetables. “We have our own ability in our own way,” Robinson said.
He has longed to have a so called ‘normal’ life when he was younger, but now he just strives to be the best business owner, husband and father that he can be. “Normal is a journey we are all on, a vision in our own heads,” Robinson said. “This is what we’re chasing. We just need to recognize the signs of it. We want to be accepted. In this life, in this journey, we’re all looking for acceptance.”
Once you’re able to accept your life, you can then move ahead, make plans and achieve them. He was able to, and others can to.
