Why Maya Angelou's Work and Life Speaks Volumes to People with Disabilities

Last week I listened to a news segment about the life and death of literary genius and civil rights activist Maya Angelou with tears rolling down my cheeks. I was not surprised by this, despite her books still being on my "To Read" list. I have been familiar with her work for years, though, and she always caught my attention in the media and of course, at Presidential Inaugurations.

Maya always struck me as a woman who radiated beauty and grace. I strive to be like her. It was not until Wednesday, the day of her death, that I realized why she had always struck such a cord with me. Maya's life story of rising above the abuse, trauma, and pain of her past speaks volumes to the beautiful process of finding one's own sense of empowerment and ability to tap into one's gifts.

Despite all the abuse and instability in her childhood, she stayed true to herself and believed in herself, perhaps when no one else but her beloved brother did. She then took that belief in herself and her gifts and rose to greatness.

Maya's story inspires us all to find the greatness within ourselves, despite how daunting it may seem at times. Living with a disability is about acknowledging the challenge, the hardship, and then saying to oneself, "How can I rise above this?"

In these moments, you may also want to check out Maya's poem that embodies empowerment, And Still I Rise. The entire poem resonates with me as someone who has struggled at times against being judged and excluded for my disability. Here are the two excerpts that speak the most to me about rising above the challenges of a disability:

You may shoot me with your words,
You may cut me with your eyes,
You may kill me with your hatefulness,
But still, like air, I'll rise.

And....

Out of the huts of history's shame
I rise
Up from a past that's rooted in pain
I rise
I'm a black ocean, leaping and wide,
Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear
I rise
Into a daybreak that's wondrously clear
I rise
Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,
I am the dream and the hope of the slave.
I rise
I rise
I rise.

May you rise and shine as gallantly as Maya.