Celebration+of+life+over+limitations

__**ITEM NO. 1**__ __**NICK VUJICIC**__
 * CELEBRATION OF LIFE OVER LIMITATIONS**

Nick Vujicic is a motivational speaker who gives talks worldwide on hope, resilience, patience, and overcoming challenges through his life with a disability. Nick has no arms and no legs. He was born in Australia in 1982 and is one of the first disabled students integrated into a mainstream school.

Nick’s motto is ‘No Arms, No Legs, No Worries’.

The following YouTube videos are fantastic classroom resources for all students, especially primary and high school students. The clips are extremely motivating, and show how he has embraced and overcome his disability. His message is to be thankful - focus on what you have, rather than on what you don’t have, or on what you do have but wish you didn’t. He demonstrates to children just how far a positive attitude can take them. Never giving up is another of the key principles he discusses in these clips, with his view that obstacles should not be seen as problems but rather opportunities to grow and reach out to others.

A key learning for all children is not to focus on disability - everyone has challenges, but challenges can be overcome if you think big and never give up.

Many teachers will have a challenge of their own to overcome when watching the clips - not to cry!

The clips are a really great resource which could be used to introduce many units of work.

[] (4 minutes 11 seconds).

[] (7 minutes 3 seconds).


 * References**

Nick Vujicic - Attitude is Altitude 2011, viewed 18 June 2011, []

Nick Vujicic – Life Without Limits 2011, viewed 18 June 2011, []


 * __ITEM NO. 2 __**
 * __AHMED MUSTAFA KELLY __**

Ahmed Mustafa Kelly is another inspirational person with a physical disability. Ahmed came to Australia in 2001 when a lady named Moira Kelly adopted him from an Iraqi orphanage. For the first nine years of his life he could not walk due to severe deformities in his limbs that resulted from his parents being exposed to chemical weapons used in warfare. His legs were amputated when he relocated to Australia to enable him to wear a prosthesis. He has no hands and his arms are about half length.

His story is extremely motivational. From not being able to walk, with the aid of prosthetics he became vice-captain of his local football team. He then set his sights on swimming, and he is now training for the 2012 Paralympics.

Interestingly, his adopted mother is Moira Kelly who is the founder of the [|Children First Foundation]. She is also the adopted mother of Krishna and Trishna, conjoined twins who were separated in 2009.

The clip below is another great resource which could be used to introduce many units of work and as a motivational tool for students both with and without disabilities. It also serves to question key stereotypes relating to the possibilities for people with a disability.

[] (2 minutes 18 seconds).

A radio interview with Ahmad and associated article can be found at [] (4 minutes 54 seconds).


 * References **

Cowley, M 2011, ‘A victory inspired by his twin sisters’ smiles’, //The Sydney Morning Herald//, 6 April 2011, viewed 2 July 2011, []

Humphris, K 2009, //‘//Swimming through the rough’, //Radio 105.7 ABC, Darwin//, 14 May 2009, viewed 2 July 2011, []