Along with roughly 400 people with varying abilities, Melissa Simpson accomplished the Rocky Mountains in the USA, despite being born with cerebral palsy. She achieved this with a custom wheelchair (the Freedom Chair) with hand levers that propel the wheels, and No Barriers, a not-for-profit organisation that empowers individuals with physical and mental difficulties.
“I don’t let me disabilities stop me,” Simpson told the ABC. “Sometimes I might be like, ‘Oh man, I can’t get through this. But I’ve got to change that mindset.'”
When she was in school, Simpson was told by one of her teachers that she “wouldn’t get anywhere in this world” living with her disability.
“That was the flip of a switch for me.” And it was something that led her to accomplishing a feat many would struggle completing.
“I don’t particularly care for people to define [me] as a disabled person. I can do things, but I do them differently than other people.”
