Athletes Who Have Overcome Disabilities

Sports provides the perfect landscape for amazing underdog stories. There may be no greater example than athletes with disabilities who rise above any obstacle in their way. These athletes who have overcome disabilities have a special perspective on how to tackle life and achieve success. They make great motivational speakers for business groups, charities and a host of other events.

Kevin Atlas

Inspirational One-Handed Basketball Player

Kevin Atlas made history by becoming the first one-handed player in Division 1 college basketball. He became one of the top high school prospects in California and signed with Manhattan College. Atlas

Shaquem Griffin

Former NFL Linebacker, Motivational Speaker, Author, Entrepreneur, Philanthropist, & Disability Advocate

Shaquem Griffin is the first-ever, one-handed former NFL linebacker, entrepreneur, author, and highly sought-after motivational speaker whose story of perseverance and resilience has inspired millions

Armani Williams

First NASCAR Driver Diagnosed with Autism

Armani Williams has already made NASCAR history, even as his begins his promising stock car racing career. Williams is the first NASCAR driver diagnosed on the autism spectrum and just one of three Af

Jason McElwain

Autism Speaker and Manager of the Greece Athena Basketball Team

Jason McElwain, nicknamed J-Mac was born October 1, 1987 and is an American high-functioning autistic amateur athlete, in both basketball and marathon, and public speaker. McElwain came to fame on n

Chris Waddell

Paralympic Legend

Chris Waddell began skiing at a young age and dreamt of skiing down the slopes and winning a gold medal for the United States of America; unfortunately, his dream shifted gears on December 20, 1988. W

Bethany Hamilton

Professional Surfer and Christian Speaker

Bethany Hamilton is a professional surfer from the beautiful island of Oahu, Hawaii. Having grown up on the North Shore she has been a surfer girl her entire life. With dreams of one day becoming a

David Wagner

Paralympic Gold Medalist

David Wagner became a quadriplegic at age 21 when he suffered a spinal cord injury attempting to jump over a wave in Redondo Beach, California. He took a year off from college to recover and began pl

David Weir

Paralympic Wheelchair Athlete

David Weir was born with a spinal cord transection that left him unable to use his legs, but he has never used that as an excuse for not achieving his life’s ambitions in athletics. Instead, he has o

Jonathan Lujan

Paralympic Alpine Skier and Marine Corps Veteran

Jonathan Lujan grew up shredding the slopes in Littleton, Colorado and enlisted in the United States Marine Corps after high school, serving honorably from 1993 to 1997. However, after the September 1

Muffy Davis

Three-Time Paralympic Gold Medalist

Muffy Davis is a paralympic athlete competing in several different events. At the young age of 16 Muffy was an active teenager, but a skiing accident left her paralyzed from the chest down. That event

Marlon Shirley

Paralympic Track & Field Gold Medalist

Marlon Shirley is best known as a Paralympic athlete from the United States. He endured more obstacles throughout his early childhood than most people do throughout their entire life and has come to b

Rico Roman

Member of the U.S. Paralympic Sled Hockey Team

While Rico Roman is a gold medal winner in sledge hockey, prior to that he served in the US Army. In 2000, Roman joined the ARMY and while serving he was hit with an IED. That resulted in Rico's left

Taylor Lipsett

Ice Sledge Hockey Player and Paralympic Gold Medalist

Taylor Lipsett is an Olympic Ice Sledge Hockey player, representing the United States. He is diagnosed with Osteogenesis imperfecta, which is a disease that causes ones bones to be extremely brittle a

Jake Olson

Former Blind Long Snapper Who Played College Football at USC

Jake Olson has one of the most inspiring sports stories you will ever hear. Olson competed as a long snapper at the University of Southern California despite losing his eyesight to cancer when he was

Rob Mendez

Inspirational High School Football Coach with No Limbs

Rob Mendez's story is simply incredible. He was born with tetra-amelia syndrome, which prevented his limbs to develop when he was an embryo. Despite living his entire life without arms and legs, he be

David Brown

Blind Track and Field Star

January 19, 1994, fifteen-months-old, David was diagnosed with (Kawasaki disease) a rare disease which caused swelling in the lymph nodes and can attack the inner organs . In his case, it affected his

Jim Abbott

Retired One-Armed Pitcher Who Threw a No-Hitter For The New York Yankees

Jim Abbott’s story of making it to the major leagues despite being born without a right hand has inspired millions. His ten-year pitching career had several highlights, allowing Abbott to continually

Jim Kyte

First Legally Deaf NHL Player

Jim Kyte was the first legally deaf player in NHL history. He played in 598 games for five different franchises. Kyte was originally the 12th overall pick of the 1982 NHL Entry Draft by the Winnipeg

Lance Allred

First Legally Deaf Player in NBA History

Lance Allred was the first legally deaf player in NBA history. He spent time with the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2008. During that time, Allred was also a two-time NBA D-League All-Star. Over a decade

Derrick Coleman

First Legally Deaf Offensive Player in the NFL

Derrick Coleman, who has been legally deaf since he was three years old, starred at UCLA before being signed by the Minnesota Vikings as a non-drafted free agent in 2012. After being waived by the Vik

Amy Purdy

Paralympic Medalist, Adaptive Action Sports Co-Founder and Leading Sports Keynote Speaker

There is not much in life that Amy Purdy has not tackled at full force. Purdy was a 2014 Paralympic bronze medalist in Snowboard Cross. At 19 years old, she had an infection that led to septic shock

Taquarius Wair

2020 Jimmy V Award for Perseverance Winner at the ESPYS

Taquarius Wair has an amazing story that led to him winning the Jimmy V Award for Perseverance at the 2020 ESPYs. Wair suffered serious burns on over half his body at the age of four when he as the vi

Chris Nikic

First Person with Down Syndrome to Finish an Ironman Triathlon

Chris Nikic is an American amateur triathlete. In 2020, at age 21, he became the first person with Down syndrome to finish an Ironman triathlon. He completed the Ironman Florida triathlon, swimming 2.

Hansel Enmanuel

One-Armed Basketball Player

Hansel Enmanuel became a viral social media sensation when people saw him dominating on the high school basketball court despite only having one arm. Enmanuel has an amazing story, growing up in a poo

Marla Runyan

First Legally Blind Athlete To Compete in the Olympics

Marla Runyan, a former professional distance runner, has gone down in history as the first legally blind athlete to compete in the Olympics. In addition to excelling athletically and winning six medal

Dayton Webber

Professional Cornhole Player Who is a Quadruple Amputee

Dayton Webber has achieved amazing things despite being a quadruple amputee since he was ten months old. Webber is a member of the Professional Cornhole League. He practices approximately four hours a

Carson Pickett

Soccer Player With a Limb Difference Who Stars for Denver Summit FC

Carson Pickett is a defender for Denver Summit FC who has defied the odds to reach the highest level of women's professional soccer. Pickett has pushed through to have an elite athletic career despite

Anastasia Pagonis

Paralympic Champion Swimmer

Anastasia Pagonis is a talented swimmer who won a Paralympic gold medal in the 400 m freestyle and a bronze in the 200 m individual medley at the 2020 Games. At the age of 17, she set both world and A

Brenna Huckaby

Four-Time Paralympic Medalist in Snowboarding

Brenna Huckaby is one of the top para snowboarders in the world. Huckaby made her Paralympic debut in 2018 and won gold in the snowboard cross and banked slalom. She followed that up with another gold