Fourteen Steps

Happy Birthday, America! 



Today, I'm celebrating not only our country's birthday, 
but also Charlotte Brown, this terrific teenager from Emory, TX,
 who embodies what our Founding Fathers stood for: work ethic, a can-do spirit, an optimistic attitude, resilience, passion. And vision. Not literally, because this athlete is legally blind, but figuratively because she views her visual impairment not as a disability, but as a chance to raise the bar.  
And you'll love this . . . her mom is a teacher!  
EnJOY her story as told on Texas Country Reporter.


Isn't she inspiring? 


7 comments

  1. Folks like Charlotte Brown take "inspiring" to a new level! What a way to start my Independence Day....being inspired by her independent spirit! And she is so right....she does not have a "disability," but rather an "impairment." I recently read that the "disability" is what society, either intentionally or not, imposes on those with impairments, when they don't fit into society's mainstream ease of life....an interesting consideration, I thought.

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  2. Well it's pretty hard to type when you are sobbing!

    One of my school friends, Marla Runyan, became the first legally blind Olympian. She completed in the Sydney Olympics in 2000, in the 1500 meter run, finishing eighth (but first in my heart!)

    Thanks for sharing this... I know we are going to hear about great things from Charlotte Brown!

    Kim
    Finding JOY in 6th Grade

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  3. Wow. What a testimony. Her parents have done an amazing job with her. It could have easily gone the other way. She's learned to be an inspiration instead of a victim. Thank you Barbara for sharing this.
    ❀ Tammy
    Forever in First

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  4. This really does bring tears to your eyes and makes you believe in yourself and other. She is certainly an inspiration and her parents must be proud of her and themselves.

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  5. I want to see this again and again, because it's beyond inspiring. Thanks so much for posting it; I love your blog and ran across it on Pinterest. I want to share this with my own students and children.

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  6. Wow! Charlotte Brown's story is truly amazing. I am saving this page. It certainly puts things in perspective. I hope like Charlotte's mom that I inspire my students to believe they can do anything. Charlotte is amazing and so are her parents for how they raised her.
    lraines78@gmail.com

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  7. The comment, "We never told her she can't, we asked her how she was going to do it"...LOVE! The same thing I should be asking my own children and students. -- Tanya (and I forgot to include my email yesterday): tkirschman@gmail.com

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I really enjoy hearing from my readers; thanks for sharing your reflections with us!