Simeon Wakely

Six months before I was born I was diagnosed with a condition called Spina Bifida coupled with Hydrocephalus and later scoliosis. As a result of this, I have been in a wheelchair for as long as I can remember. As a person who has lived with a disability all my life, I have faced many difficult and challenging situations. It has become a passion and focus of mine to improve society’s perception of disabled people and to make positive changes to the interactions between able-bodied and disabled people. Growing up, I have been able to see firsthand the issues people face and the stereotypical Image of a disabled person that society presents. The image society projects of disability promote negative ideals, that disabled people are incapable of independence, bed bound, & unable to live life to the full.

I truly believe that people living with a disability are capable of anything, they might just need to find a different path to achieve their goals in life. I am passionate to show what life is like for someone living with a disability. However, I want to challenge our perspective on such things, yours and mine! For that reason, I look at both the challenges, which are very real, but also the opportunities. Some of the ways that I'm currently pursuing my passion is through different projects I've launched under this website, 'A Different Path.'

This includes:

Public Speaking | Writing | Research