and put him aside.
Over a minute later, Dan revived himself and surprised everyone.
This was in 1973.
Because his brain had no oxygen for a while, he now has cerebral palsy.
His schooling started at a cerebral palsy school, then a special education unit,
and finally, Dan was fully integrated in mainstream classes.
Dan now holds two university degrees.
Dan is an artist and a motivational speaker.
Find his artworks here.
Dan's cerebral palsy is severe. He can't walk, and is reliant on the assistance of others. He is non-verbal. Through his art, he found his voice. And, his documentary raised a lot of awareness of cerebral palsy. | Dan's story has been made famous by the 1999 film 'King Gimp'. The film tells the story of Dan's life. King Gimp is an Academy Award winning documentary that was filmed over thirteen years. Watch a trailer for King Gimp here. |
His classmates would watch him ride down the hill in his wheelchair.
And so, he became known as King Gimp.
I looked 'gimp' up in a dictionary:
gimp (1) a derrogatory term for someone that is disabled or has a medicial problem that results in physical impairment. **Look at that gimp in the wheelchair (2) An insult implying that someone is incompetent, stupid, etc. Can also be used to imply that the person is uncool or can't/won't do what everyone else is doing. *Quit being a gimp and take a hit! (3) A sex slave or submissive, usually male, as popularlized by the movie Pulp Fiction. *Bring out the gimp! | so, I used the same dictionary to search the word 'retard'. This is what I found: retard A person born with a mental condition and therefore has to work a million times harder to be able to do simple things (such as learn and communicate) that we take for granted. On top of this, a retard will usually suffer a lot of ridicule from society because people fear what they do not understand. The people who choose to make fun of the mentally retarded tend to be complete morons and cannot comprehend that these people have feelings and emotions just like anyone else. I find it amusing that saying somebody has cancer would not be taken as a joke and yet, using another disease, such as mentally retarded as an insult, is common among society, and many do not realize that it is very offensive and that there is something seriously wrong about it. |
Life in a 'cerebral palsy body' is not easy.
But, people like Dan and Dexter know no different.
Every day they fight... and they struggle...
And, they overcome.
The doctor put Dan aside, already half forgotten.
Dan wasn't ready to give up, and decided his own destiny.
The more we understand cerebral palsy, the more we can celebrate the determination and successes of people with cerebral palsy.
And, the less likely we will be to use terms like gimp and retard.
*Raising awareness of cerebral palsy