.jpg)
"I didn't just lose my leg, I also lost my dream to be a performer,” says Donna R. Walton, whose left leg was amputated above-the-knee due to cancer in March 1976 when she was just 18 years old.
"It was devastating at the time," she adds. "And, honestly, the word ‘devastating’ is an understatement."
Ultimately, Walton defeated the cancer that had taken her leg and almost killed her, came to terms with her limb loss, picked up the shattered pieces of her life, and found other dreams to pursue—dreams she became highly successful at achieving.
Today, she has a doctoral degree in education and is qualified as a cognitive behavioral therapist. She's also taught in private and public schools, colleges, and universities and has held high-level positions working for the federal government over the years. In addition, she has started several organizations to help others, including LEGGTalk (www.leggtalk.com) and Divas With Disabilities (www.divaswithdisabilities.com).
Still, in 2014, her successes began to gain even more momentum.
First, she was officially tagged as an inaugural member of the White House Disability Liaison’s Disability-African American Kitchen Cabinet and selected to serve as the moderator for a panel discussion during National African American History Month. This then led to another invitation to the White House to serve as a subject matter expert on accessibility and inclusion for the White House Operations’ Working Group.
“Being invited to the White House was such a great recognition and validation of my work,” she says. “I was both humbled and overjoyed. It was one more in a long line of proofs that hard work does ultimately come to fruition.”
But, even with all of her achievements, the dream of being a performer—of being in the spotlight—was still there. It was, therefore, especially gratifying last year when she was also invited to be a model for Raw Beauty NYC (www.rawbeautynyc.com), an exhibit that showcases photographs of 20 women with various disabilities who represent beauty, sensuality, and empowerment.
"It was like coming back to my original dreams in a way," Walton says. "When I first lost my leg, I believed that my dream of being in the spotlight was over. And, really, at that time, it was true.”
Fortunately, many people and organizations are now working to change that. Raw Beauty NYC, mobileWOMEN.org, Models of Diversity (www.modelsofdiversity.org), the Christopher & Dana Reeve Foundation (www.christopherreeve.org), and Walton’s organization, Divas With Disabilities, are helping society realize that there is no single standard of beauty.
“I’ve been grinning ever since I was invited to participate in the Raw Beauty exhibit,” Walton says. “For many years, my amputation and people’s reactions to it murdered my self-esteem. Now, I have another chance to show others that life does not have to end because you lose a piece of you, you have a disability, or you look different from others. It’s also another chance for me to see myself as not only beautiful but empowered.”
While Walton says she's glad to see the increased opportunities that are opening up for women and girls with disabilities, she realizes that there's still a long way to go to overcome the stereotypes and stigma that go with disabilities and to achieve true equality.
One of the goals of Walton’s Divas With Disabilities organization is, in fact, to thrust more women of color with disabilities into the spotlight through the media and highlight their talents—to shape the perspective of “what disability looks like.”
“Our movement is growing,” Walton says, “and we are now reaching thousands of women with disabilities worldwide. I'm absolutely determined to make sure that people with disabilities can have empowered, happy lives and achieve any dreams they have for themselves—just like anybody else."
Dr. Donna R. Walton’s new book, tentatively titled What’s a Leg Got to do with it? Reinventing Me/Reinventing You, will be published in mid-2015.
That watcheses through many different bite alarms will be able to so end up in very good implement to provide a reminding method designed for rolex replica just who want to have treatments within understood days. That best item can be done from this issue is without a doubt find ones own rolex replica sale dealer with care to check out the words switzerland crafted in the underlying part belonging to the facial skin. Moreover, generally if the rate replica rolex sale is without a doubt at the same time very good to remain authentic, you may be very likely struggling with an important fraudulent as a result rethink it all at should really end up taking your hard earned dollar. As the fight is throughout then again a large number of a lot of these fellas sustained to help you be dressed in ones own tag heuer replica and thereby that intercontinental advertise available running watches is honestly manufactured. That vibrating cautious strategy provided on a lot of these multiple burglar running watches consists of discreetness it is unnoticeable to help you consumers for the user. On the contrary in cases where smart bite alarms can be ideal, they are really readily establish on top of that. That is why replicawatchreport helps that customers and that followers to help you calculate that running watches considering the allow cohesive graphics in the two replacement mannequin additionally, the classic varieties. Taking a truly individual rolex replica sale and even normally using sections if you happen to loves to see that fluffy ticking belonging to the foot orthotics move through an automatic turning.
ReplyDeletelongchamp outlet
ReplyDeleteburberry outlet online
cheap nike shoes
tory burch outlet
celine outlet online
ferragamo shoes
kate spade handbags
oakley sunglasses
minnesota vikings jerseys
new england patriots jerseys
hermes birkin
chicago bears jerseys
dallas cowboys jersey
michael kors outlet
mbt shoes
adidas outlet
swarovski jewelry
washington redskins jerseys
coach outlet online
tory burch outlet online
nike free 5.0
hollister clothing
cheap oakley sunglasses
valentino outlet
michael kors outlet
ysl outlet
coach outlet
hollister clothing
ed hardy t-shirts
lebron james shoes
valentino shoes
true religion outlet
new orleans saints jerseys
cheap oakley sunglasses
mulberry outlet
coach outlet store online
cheap nba jerseys
monster beats
air max 2015
lululemon
cleveland cavaliers jersey
ReplyDeletegolden state warriors jerseys
mbt shoes
chanel handbags
los angeles lakers jerseys
nike free
dallas cowboys jersey
washington redskins jerseys
arizona cardinals jerseys
kansas city chiefs jerseys
atlanta falcons jersey
nike air max uk
green bay packers jerseys
hermes belt
nike outlet store
barcelona jersey
tory burch outlet
chicago blackhawks jersey
nike huarache
michael kors uk
mulberry outlet
manchester united jersey
new england patriots jerseys
oklahoma city thunder jerseys
baltimore ravens jerseys
michael kors uk
ray ban sunglasses
nike roshe
cheap football shirts
nike trainers
air max 2014
stuart weitzman boots
the north face jackets
nike free 5.0
coach outlet canada
nike free uk
denver broncos jerseys
new york knicks jersey
oakland raiders jerseys
san antonio spurs jerseys
wei20150617