Matthew Ross has taken on the Tampa Junior Golf League, met with Sen. Ted Kennedy to advocate for federal education laws for people with disabilities and befriended Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
Emily Schmidlin is a Kent University student studying to become a translator who also chairs the Evangelical Lutheran Church's Definitely-Abled Advisory Committee.
Jordan Johnson of Wisconsin is a school spokesperson, singer, songwriter and poet who has produced two CDs of his singing and donates proceeds to Guide Dogs of the Desert.
They, plus 21 other youth with disabilities, received "Yes I Can!" awards for their talent, advocacy and achievements. The honors were bestowed in downtown Salt Lake City Friday as part of the Council for Exceptional Children's national conference.
Winners received a Youth Victorious statue, letters from President Bush or Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper and other prizes.
More than 200 youths were nominated.
The Virginia-based Council for Exceptional Children works to foster educational success for students with disabilities and students who are gifted and talented. Its four-day conference wraps up today.
Kelsey Thomson of Richmond, British Columbia, threw her arms in the air and wore an ear-to-ear grin upon receiving her award. The 17-year-old with Down syndrome has competed in events including rhythmic gymnastics in the Special Olympics. Just two years ago she was recovering from back surgery.
"Obviously, with kids with disabilities, the stars are the limit," said her mother, Dawn Thomson. "You really don't want to limit these kids, because they'll surprise you."
Honorees were highlighted for achievements in the arts, academics, athletics, community service, employment, extracurricular activities, self-advocacy, independent living and technology. More than 30,000 children with disabilities such as blindness, autism, cerebral palsy and learning disabilities have received "Yes I Can!" awards since the program's 1982 inception.
"It feels good," said the 14-year-old Ross, who has autism, of the award. He plans to show it to his Odessa, Fla., classmates. "This is my first time getting this award, and I've always been looking forward to it."
"It's pretty cool to be here — it's a once-in-a-lifetime" experience, said the 16-year-old Johnson, who is visually impaired and lives in Eau Claire, Wisc.
Award winners are an impressive lot. Ten-year-old Cutter Elliott, who has cerebral palsy, is an accomplished singer and actor from Norman, Okla., who has appeared in plays, commercials and TV shows.
Kaitlin Larabie of Winnipeg is an 11-year-old spokesperson for people with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder and has appeared on national Canadian television.
Korinda Rusinyak of Virginia Beach went from a non-academic special education class to a general education class to earning straight A's and clairning a spot on the Principal's List and the National Honor Society. As she wrote in a synopsis read at the award ceremony:
"I believe everyone is gifted . . . it's just some have not been able to show their true ability because society has stereotyped them."
Indeed, the awards offer people with disabilities more than recognition, some parents said. They celebrate achievements some never dreamed imaginable. And they help spur inclusion, acceptance, and equal treatment — respect everyone wants, said Eduardo Badescu, whose 20-year-old son, Eddie, who had a rare neurological disorder resembling cerebral palsy, died just last week. Badescu, wife Gisele and son Aaron of Winnipeg, accepted an award for extracurricular activity on Eddie's behalf.
"This means everything," Gisele Badescu said. "It puts them on the same level as any other child."
Awardees include: Academics: Rusinyak; Myles Hunt and Chantelle Johnstone of Winnipeg; and Jenny Palacios of Los Angeles. Academics: Jeffrey Zuckerman of St. Louis. Arts: Elliot, Johnson, and Kaleb G. W. King of Genesco, N.Y. Athletics: Thomson; Cameron Campeau of Kettering, Ohio; Paul Fiehrer of Covington, Ky. Community Service: Brendan Loiacono of Dayton, Ohio; Andrew Rogers of Cleveland, Tenn. Employment: Jeffrey Grant of Cleveland, Tenn.; Eli Hershberger of North Canton, Ohio. Extracurricular Activity: Badescu; Joshua Myers of Rock Hill, S.C. Independent Living Skills: Rianne Arnold of Palm Harbor, Fla.; Jeff Goodman of Selkirk, Manitoba. Self-Advocacy: Larabie, Ross and Schmidlin; Technology: Brooke Bell of Severn, Md.; Bryan Dooley of Lewisville, N.C.
Provo High special education teacher Annabelle Davis is being honored today at the Council for Exceptional Children's Teacher of the Year luncheon in downtown Salt Lake.
The council's 2006 National Teacher of the Year is Connie Miller of Kentucky.
E-mail: jtcook@desnews.com