My Disability Doesn't Define Me

“I’m not handicapped; I’m handi-capable!” — Paul Moylan
When another child asked Louis Vendetti about his disability at the age of five, he responded, “My legs have Cerebral Palsy.” In this way, he never let his disability define him.
In this honest and insightful book, My Disability Doesn’t Define Me, Vendetti shares with us his personal journey as a young man with Cerebral Palsy. Through his years in elementary school, secondary school, and then college, Vendetti and his mom quickly learned that advocating for himself required more than just a meeting with the school and some paperwork. It required a strength, perseverance, and resilience that Vendetti had to discover from within.
With his characteristic optimism, Vendetti gives us a glimpse at what it’s like to be a handi-capable student, courageously making his way through the public school and higher education systems. He proves that living with the challenges of a physical disability while balancing the demands of receiving an education can be hard, but it is possible.
Vendetti’s lessons and life experiences apply to anyone who has ever had to overcome a challenge or a struggle to find triumph and joy in the end, and will inspire us all to live our fullest and most capable lives.

Louis grew up outside of Albany, New York. He has always wanted to be a writer and achieved his goal of becoming an author by the age of 20. He graduated with honors from Hudson Valley Community College in Troy, New York, where he studied business.

Louis leads a full and active life. He is an avid skier--a sport he picked up when he was just six years old--and won both gold and silver medals competing in the Adaptive Empire State Games in Lake Placid, New York, in 2006 and 2007.

Louis currently lives in New York State, where he can be found staying up late at night, working on growing his own business and focusing on his writing. Learn more about Louis Vendetti at louisvendetti.com.