Social Justice

When Emmanuel Yeboah was born with only one leg in Ghana, people had one piece of advice for his mom: kill him. They thought people with disabilities were cursed and would curse other people, too. Emmanuel's mom didn't listen and helped him go to school, teaching him to believe in himself. When Emmanuel was still young, he had to leave home, but he stil didn't give up. He learned to ride a bike with only one leg and then rode his bike all across Ghana wearing a shirt that said "disabled person" on it. As he rode, disabled people who had never left their houses before came outside to see him, and he continues to speak for people with disabilities today. To learn more about Emmanuel, click here. 

When Jack started speaking up about his own education challenges, he probably didn't know he would go on to become the voice of disabled children in America, but that's what happened. Jack has autism, ADHD and Tourette’s, which made it hard for him to fit in at school -- both with kids and with teachers. Jack believes that instead of talking ABOUT children with disabilities, schools should talk TO them and make schools more inclusive for everyone. He went on to start his own non profit to help students who learn differently find their own place in the world. To learn more about Jack, click here.