Power of Positive People – Bill Schultz

I met Bill Schultz about three years ago. He was referred to us due to his differing ability. Bill grew up in Schenectady, New York and presently lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Bill was born with bilateral deformities which ultimately led to the amputation of one of his legs.

We had the opportunity to interview Bill in one of our videos. At that time, he asked my opinion about writing an autobiography and beginning to speak. I urged Bill to move forward and write his autobiography.

Last week, I received and read Bill’s autobiography Short-Handed.  It’s a wonderful testament to growing up, making friends and overcoming obstacles with physical challenges. All of us with differing abilities understand and empathize with these challenges, but Bill exemplifies the Power of Positive!  Bill has such a great spirit, strong faith and courage to share personal stories.

Bill also shares his love of sport. It shines as an example for me of how important sport is for everyone. For many able-bodied individuals, the path toward success begins with athletic endeavors in school, which leads to hard work in the classroom and success in the boardroom. Those of us with physical disabilities have harder challenges. But, as adaptive sport grows and the opportunity to compete against your peers increases, we can begin along the same path as are able-bodied brothers. While Bill and I didn’t have adaptive sport as children, we chose to golf. Today, children with physical differences can take up bicycling, wheelchair basketball, rugby etc. Part of the reason for our Journey Along the Erie Canal in 2014 is to show the success and impact of adaptive sport in America today.

I highly recommend Short-Handed. You can find it at the attached link. I also urge all of us to take a moment and think about the positive impact we have on individuals in everyday life.