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Abilities Awareness Month

Abilities Awareness Month

Ability Awareness Month

Abilities Awareness Month is recognized each October at MiraCosta College as a time to increase understanding and support for people with disabilities. Through events, discussions, and campus resources, the month encourages reflection on accessibility, disability rights, and inclusive practices. It offers the campus community opportunities to learn about the diverse experiences of people with disabilities and to help foster a more equitable and welcoming environment for everyone.

Notable People in History and Today Who Have Disabilities

Temple Grandin

Temple Grandin is an animal behaviorist and professor known for revolutionizing livestock handling practices to make them more humane. She is also an autistic self-advocate who has spoken widely about neurodiversity and the value of different ways of thinking. Photo Credit: Temple Grandin © NASA Kennedy, CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

 

David Beckham

David Beckham

David Beckham is a retired professional soccer player known for his successful career with Manchester United and the England national team. He has publicly shared his experience living with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), helping to raise awareness about mental health. Photo Credit: David Beckham © Soccer Aid for Unicef, CC BY 3.0

 

 

Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo

Frida Kahlo was a groundbreaking Mexican artist known for her vivid self-portraits and exploration of identity, pain, and the human body. She lived with chronic health conditions, including the effects of polio and a spinal condition, which influenced much of her work and perspective. Photo Credit: Frida Kahlo, Autoretrato (1926-1954) © Rael Garcia Arnes CC BY-NC 2.0

 

John Nash

John Nash was a renowned mathematician whose work in game theory earned him the 1994 Nobel Prize in Economics. He lived with schizophrenia and was the subject of both a Pulitzer Prize–nominated biography and the Oscar-winning film A Beautiful Mind. Photo Credit: John Nash Jr. © MEmreSoyak, CC BY-NC-ND 3.0

 

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg

Whoopi Goldberg is an award-winning actress and comedian who has spoken openly about her experience with dyslexia "The advantage is that my brain sees and puts information in my head differently, more interestingly than if I saw like everyone else." Photo Credit: Whoopi © Archman8 CC BY-SA 3.0

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe

Daniel Radcliffe is an actor best known for playing Harry Potter. He has shared that he lives with dyspraxia, a neurological condition that affects motor coordination. Photo Credit: Daniel Radcliffe © Gage Skidmore, CC BY-SA 2.0

Cher

Cher

Cher is a singer and actress with a career spanning over three decades. She has won an Academy Award and a Grammy Award, and has spoken openly about her experience with a learning disability related to math. Photo Credit: Cher D2K-0048: The Ottawa Performance © David Carroll, CC BY-SA 2.0

Fetty Wap

Fetty Wap

Fetty Wap is a rapper and singer from Paterson, New Jersey, known for his hit songs and distinctive style. He lives with vision loss in one eye due to congenital glaucoma and uses an ocular prosthesis. Photo Credit: Fetty Wap © Towelie, CC BY-NC 4.0

Abilities Awareness Books @ MiraCosta College