Tom Harkin: “One young woman whose name is Cheri Blauwet wrote me and said: I am a paraplegic as the result of a farming accident…”

“One young woman whose name is Cheri Blauwet wrote me and said: I am a paraplegic as the result of a farming accident when I was 15 months old. I am now 25 years old and am currently a medical student at Stanford University in addition to being a wheelchair racer on the United States Paralympic Team. My ultimate goal is to become a physician and to work internationally to provide sport and physical activity opportunities to my peers with disabilities. She continued: I was 10 years old when the ADA was passed in 1990. Although I didn't know it at that time, my realization of my own talents and capacities would be shaped on this fateful day. As I grew into adulthood, I attended a public university and had an accessible dorm room and classrooms that were wheel chair friendly. I received financial assistance from the state Vocational Rehabilitation program. I was able to apply for jobs, scholarships, and schools and to know I would be viewed without discrimination. My ability to easily take buses, trains, and airplanes led me to domestic and global travel for the purposes of building my sports and medical careers. I knew that something as simple as a set of stairs would not stop me from achieving my life goals.…”