Sanda Baucom Hight
Recently, a radio show aired an interview with John McFall, the first “para-astronaut.”
McFall, who lost a leg after a motorcycle accident when he was 19, went on to become an Olympic sprinter and eventually an astronaut for the European Space Agency. Studies are underway to determine the contributions that people with disabilities can make to space travel.
McFall’s message was clear. Barriers to space travel are continually being broken. For years, astronauts were fairly young, Caucasian men; today we see people of color, women, people of many cultures and nationalities and some elderly people join the astronaut group. It’s no surprise that people with disabilities are also among those who can join the ranks of space travelers.
McFall said one day he will be known simply as an astronaut.
But the story doesn’t stop there. McFall goes on to say that as barriers in space are being broken down, so are other barriers in society. We are moving towards a time when people will be chosen for jobs and other roles based on their ability, training, temperament and potential and will not be excluded because of gender, race, culture, nationality or any other restriction.
This clear message must be sent to children in their formative years so that they grow up knowing that hard work, intelligence, motivation and excitement for their future will be stronger than worries about how society it can limit them with barriers and discrimination.
The stories of children from backgrounds of poverty and oppression who have become famous and accomplished people and who make important contributions to their field prove that McFall’s predictions are possible and imminent.
This clear message should be exciting to parents who have dreams for their children who may not fit the mold and expectations of society.
This clear message should be exciting to students of all ages who are thinking about their lives, their careers, and their chances of breaking the barrier of discrimination.
This clear message should be exciting to nations seeking to develop human potential within their borders.
This clear message should be exciting to the professions, the arts and sciences, medicine, athletics, psychology and education, religious communities, and the world at large.
Again, the barriers in space and on earth are being broken, thanks to John McFall and others like him.
With this clear idea, the world has a lot to look forward to.
What a relief! What a boost! What a new day! What a new world!
Sanda Baucom Hight is retired from Wilson County Schools after being an English teacher and is currently a substitute teacher in Wilson County.
