All children dream about they want to be when they grow up. Disabled children are no exception. While some jobs may not be possible for them, that does not stop many kids living with disability from working in a field they love as adults.
A Missouri teen who loves sports is unable to participate for the most part, due to cerebral palsy. Instead, he manages his school’s basketball and baseball teams, golfs, and watches as much sports on television as he can. One of his favorite shows is SportsCenter, ESPN’s daily roundup of sports highlights and analysis.
The teen is considering a career in sports journalism. He told friends that he would love to be on SportsCenter, just to see what it is like.
Clearly, the teen is well-liked at his high school. Starting at the beginning of March, classmates took to Twitter, asking their followers to get the young man on SportsCenter. People began tweeting to the show’s official Twitter account. A local TV anchor promised to get in touch with some contacts at ESPN to see if they could help. He hoped to be able to arrange a visit to one of the network’s studios, at the very least.
When a child is born with a disability, or develops one in childhood, early intervention can improve his or her quality of life later on. This can involve potentially expensive therapy, medical treatments and special education. For families who cannot afford this, Supplement Security Income, also known as SSI, may be able to help.
Source: USA TODAY, “Mo. Students hope to get disabled teen on ESPN,” Allison Sylte, March 5, 2014
