Teaching students to turn disabilities into possibilities

Times Reporter

 

Public speaker Cory Johnson was at Holy Cross Collegiate (HCC) on March 8 to speak to the students about disabilities.   

“I know part of my purpose in life is making a difference in the community and help people realize their own potential and realize their own possibilities,” said Johnson who has cerebral palsy. 

He said when he is done speaking a lot of the students are usually impacted in different ways. Some will come up and thank him and tell him how they have been impacted by a person in their life with a disability. He said a lot of them will say how funny he was, but he said a lot of them when they leave will talk amongst themselves in the hall about how they want to start looking at things differently.

Andrew Thomas introduced Johnson to his school. Thomas is one of Johnson’s work experience students who he is helping to mentor and help him find different things he might be interested in and want to pursue after high school. Thomas has autism and Johnson said it is a positive thing for him to have Thomas introduce him. 

“I think that obviously their disability should be recognized, but at the same time they should be treated like equals in society and we should just treat them how they want to be treated,” said Rhiece Cordes, before Johnson’s speech. 

“I think if everyone treats them equally then they can succeed in what they do,” said Raegyn Fulmek. 

“I agree with that, but just treat them like a normal person would be treated,” said Jayse Wilson. 

Though they already had a good view on how to treat a person with a disability, Johnson’s speech had an impact on the students, and changed their view in a way. 

“It definitely does because knowing that someone with a disability can get through life, just doing all they can and just pushing themselves just by one objective is huge,” said Fulmek.  

“I didn’t really realize that other people had disabilities too, like his made more prominent to us, but everyone else has problems too and we just don’t really realize it,” said Cordes.

“I think its something we have to subconsciously do is actually try not to judge people because it’s kind of integrated in society that we do judge people.”  

Johnson has spoken at hundreds of schools across North America, but said oddly enough he has never spoken at Strathmore High School.