In 2001, at the age of 27, Chad Hymas’ life changed in an instant when a 2,000-pound bale of hay shattered his neck, leaving him a quadriplegic. But Chad’s dreams were not paralyzed that day—he became an example of what is possible. Chad is a best-selling author,  motivational speaker, president of his own communications company, and recognized world-class wheelchair athlete; in 2003, Chad set a world record by wheeling his chair from Salt Lake City to Las Vegas (513 miles). He is also one of the youngest people ever to receive the Council of Peers Award for Excellence (CPAE) and to be inducted into the prestigious National Speaker Hall of Fame.

Chad’s speaking career in the areas of leadership, team building, customer service, and mastering change has brought him multiple honors. He served as president of the National Speakers Association Utah chapter and is a member of the elite Speakers Roundtable (one of twenty of the world’s top speakers). As a member of the National Speakers Association, Chad travels as many as 300,000 miles a year, captivating and entertaining audiences around the world. He has graced the stage of hundreds of professional and civic organizations, including Wells Fargo, Blue Cross Blue Shield, AT&T, Rainbird, IHC, American Express, Prudential Life, Vast FX, and Merrill Lynch. Chad inspires, motivates, and moves audiences, creating an experience that touches hearts for a lifetime. The Wall Street Journal deemed Chad as, “One of the top 10 most influential people in the world.”

Interviewed by our Different & Able President and Founder, Alexandra Nicklas, Chad talks about several topics including safety, perspective, faith, family, overcoming the unknown and how he transformed his mindset after his life altering accident. He also discusses the life lessons he learned from his father and how to become the best person you can possibly be. As Chad states, “This is a perfect time to build yourself. There is no greater time to start than when you feel like you have lost everything!”

Bio Provided by Meet Chad - Chad Hymas

Sutton is two years old and from day one he has always kept us on our toes. Sutton was born with a brain injury due to a lack of oxygen to the brain. While in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), doctors said he had suffered major damage to the brain. 

I was eighteen at the time. As a single teen mom and being my first pregnancy, I was especially terrified to hear that there was something wrong with my newborn and that he may not live. After two weeks of Sutton not displaying brain activity, my family and I were given time to grieve.  The staff at the hospital told us that we should say our final goodbyes to Sutton. 

With my heart absolutely shattered, I stayed with Sutton throughout the night. Sutton shocked us all the next day, when he finally started displaying brain activity and woke up. Doctors had no explanation; they just said Sutton was a miracle. I was relieved and very happy to hear that I would be able to leave the hospital with my baby. 

Five months after Sutton left the NICU, we had our first appointment with a neurologist. He diagnosed Sutton with mild spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy. For those of who do not know, cerebral palsy is a group of disorders that affects one’s ability to move, as maintaining balance and posture is difficult. 

Sutton is currently wheelchair bound to assist him with movement. However, he has been training in a walker, and we hope he will eventually go to simple crutches for support. We are so proud of Sutton and his accomplishments. His cerebral palsy diagnosis certainly does not define who he is, as Sutton is a spunky and sweet soul. He loves music and having his picture taken. Sutton constantly smiles and exudes happiness. He is certainly our little superhero.

John Bramblitt is a visual artist, a song writer, author, and a motivational speaker. He studied at the University of North Texas in Denton, Texas, where he graduated with honors. John is ranked as the #1 blind painter in the world and is currently the only blind muralist in the world. His works have been sold in over twenty different countries. John has worked with countless charities and non-profits helping them to raise funds in positive, fun and creative ways. He has appeared internationally in print, TV and radio. He has appeared on CBS Evening News with Katie Couric, ABC, and BBC Radio, and he's been featured in The New York Times and Psychology Today.

John only started painting in 2001, when he was 30, after losing his sight to an epilepsy-related condition. He is 'functionally blind'. This means his eyes can only differentiate between light and darkness. John taught himself how to paint using raised lines to help him find his way around the canvas, and through haptic visualization, which enables him to "see" his subjects through touch. using raised lines to help him find his way around the canvas. His work is colorful and bold. John also has painted two large scale murals- one in Brooklyn, New York specifically in the Bushwick neighborhood, which is the world's first mural painted by a blind artist, and one in the Bishop Arts ‘District in Dallas, Texas. John has never seen his wife Jacqui, his son Jack, or his dog Echo, but he has painted incredible portraits of them.

Shouting in the Dark, describes John’s journey navigating through this new territory of blindness, and how he ultimately rekindles his joy, passion, and relationships through art. He is also the subject of the award winning documentary shorts, "Line of Sight' and “Bramblitt.” John’s work has received much recognition including the ‘Most Inspirational Video of 2008′’ from YouTube. In addition, John has received three Presidential Service Awards for his inclusive art workshops for children. He currently works as a consultant for museums in developing programs that are designed to include everyone. John has worked with countless charities and non-profits helping them to raise funds in positive, fun and creative ways. 

In the interview with our Different & Able President and Founder, Alexandra Nicklas, John shares how he acquired his vision loss, how he adjusted to his life with blindness, and how art helps him cope with all the ups and downs in life. John’s ultimate goal is to express himself more everyday, and to help others do the same. According to John, “Many of the most interesting parts of a person are invisible and hidden from view anyway. I think my blindness might be just the lens that is needed to see into that world.”

Josh Blue is a talented comedian, a proud father of two, and an avid soccer player; he has represented the United States in eight countries, as a member of the US Paralympic Soccer Team. He got his big break in comedy when he was crowned the winner of season four’s “Last Comic Standing.” He has since starred in “Comedy Central Presents Josh Blue,” and in “Mind of Mencia.” Josh has also performed on The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson, The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, The Ellen Degeneres Show, Live with Regis and Kelly. Josh was also honored with a performance at the William H. Macy Gala at the prestigious Just for Laughs Comedy Festival.

Josh’s sense of humor developed at a young age, as his jokes were often used as coping mechanisms. As an infant, Josh was diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy is a neurologic condition caused by abnormal development in the brain that leads to problems with movement, muscle tone, or posture. This diagnosis provided a constant source of comedy material for Josh. Throughout high school and while attending Evergreen State College, Josh used humor as a way to break the ice with his peers and to start his journey to become a comedian. Josh quickly established himself as one of the most sought after comedians on the college circuit. 

Josh uses self-deprecating and off script humor, making him an improvisational mastermind. The focus of his hilarious standup routines feature jokes on the impromptu happenings going on around the set, the humor in the mundane everyday topics, such as being a parent and quarantining in 2020, and also on his life with cerebral palsy. Josh’s candor has revolutionized the phrase, “not laughing at you, laughing with you” and he has explained that, “‘inspiration’ is actually a swear-word to those who are disabled.” Josh uses his humor to educate his audiences on aspects of living with a disability. He performs over 200 shows a year, continuing to spread laughter and break down stereotypes of people with disabilities. 

Interviewed by our Founder and President, Alexander Nicholas, Josh discusses how comedy has the power to eradicate preconceived notions and stereotypes of those with a difference. Josh shares his story on how he became a comedian and the accolades that have followed. He also talks about how comedy helped him to adapt and teach the world about cerebral palsy. Josh has stated, “The thing about my comedy is that I'm so comfortable with my disability that you don't have a right to be uncomfortable, if I say something that's hard in my life but put it in a way that maybe you have not thought of, and I'm laughing at it, it gives you the ability to laugh at the same thing within yourself. I feel like every person has a disability in some way. Whether you're dyslexic or Republican or whatever.” Josh is living proof that laughter is the best medicine. 

Stephanie Aiello is a makeup artist, a childcare teacher, a mentor, an Ulta Beauty model, and a video blogger. She is a social media influencer, amassing 111.2 k followers on Instagram and 20.8K subscribers on YouTube. Stephanie is also the co-captain of the Rollettes Dance Team, which is a group of women empowering women to live without limits and shift perspectives through dance. She is also an ambassador for Wings for Life World Run; the run promotes research projects and clinical studies around the world to find a cure for spinal cord injury.

In her early twenties, Stephanie was involved in a life altering car crash. Subsequently, Stephanie became a C6-7 quadriplegic. After months of rehabilitation, she was able to gain sensation in half of her back and had limited ability to move her hands. Stephanie was excited to leave rehab, her parents picked her up, and they proceeded to a family Christmas event. However, as the family left the rehabilitation center, Stephanie found herself in another car accident. A drunk driver crashed into the car her family was in, leaving Stephanie and her dad with injuries, and her mom with more severe damages to her body. Shortly after the accident, Stephanie was also diagnosed with cancer.  

Stephanie miraculously survived two car accidents and her cancer diagnosis. Her resilience during these trying times motivated her to pursue her love of makeup.After practicing and learning as much as she could, with the help of her occupational therapist, Stephanie decided to take a chance and start an Instagram account to show off her makeup skills. Her social media popularity and the help of a friend, Stephanie earned a spot at Beauty Con. Beauty Con is a massive convention for all beauty aficionados to gather and share their love for the beauty industry. It was at Beauty Con that Stephanie met supermodel Tyra Banks. Tyra invited Stephanie to the Tyra Banks beauty convention, where Tyra spoke highly of Stephanie and her beauty skills in front of a large audience. Stephanie disclosed to the audience that she did not share her disability with her social media followers, but instead chose to hide her hand function. Tyra explained to Stephanie that, “her hands would become her brand and to keep pursuing her love of make-up.”

Interviewed by our Founder and President, Alexandra Nicholas, Stephanie explains singlehandedly that disabilities do not have to keep one from following their dreams. Stephanie discusses her “normal” after her recovery; she demonstrates to Alexandra the modifications that help her apply makeup and other beauty products. Stephanie also shares with Alexandra the importance of the strong and supportive familial bond that she has with her parents and her twin sister. Through Stephanie’s optimistic, but realistic viewpoint, she encourages differently abled people to be more accepting of their own difference and live in the moment. Stephanie shares her journey to encourage and reassure others with or without a difference to push through whatever challenges they are facing.

Tasha Schuh is speaker, resilience expert, singer, songwriter, and author of two books, My Last Step Backward and My Next Move Forward. Tasha started the PITCrew Movement, which is a support team for mental health analogous to a racing team; “It shows the importance of asking for help, supporting one another, and knowing who is there to help us when we need it.” In support and expansion of the PitCrew Movement, Tasha founded the Power of PATH: Building Resilience for Mental Health and Suicide Awareness Curriculum™, which is SAVE* Certified.

Tasha has learned to live life to its fullest despite any obstacles. At sixteen, Tasha was rehearsing for a theatrical performance of “The Wizard of Oz” on her high school stage. During a scene change, she inadvertently fell backward through an open trap door. Tasha fell sixteen feet to the concrete below, ultimately leading to paralysis from the chest down. Doctors were pleasantly surprised when they realized Tasha still had function in her wrists. This realization allowed Tasha to maintain her autonomy; she had the ability to drive, independently eat, apply her own make-up, and complete other tasks.

Tasha has stated that, “To have a wonderful life, people must endure the bad times. When they come out on the other side, they will see that everything is even better than it was before.” With this positive and inspiring life view, Tasha was able to journey forward; earning two bachelor’s degrees, one from Winona State University and one from Maranatha Christian College, being crowned Ms. Wheelchair USA, and receiving the National Rehabilitation Champion Award in 2012. Today, Tasha continues her inspiring path presenting her speech, “Enjoy Your Ride” and through her album, Hold on to Hope. The album features Tasha’s cover of “Somewhere over the Rainbow” by Judy Garland, and her first original song entitled, “Hope.”

Alexandra Nicklas, our Different & Able President and Founder, interviews Tasha about her diagnosis, her love of musical theatre, and her work as a motivational speaker. Tasha’s vivacious personality, her empathetic nature, and her amazing spirit illuminates this video, as she shares her amazing life story. Tasha’s vision for her future and others is clear; "Make sure you love every moment of today. Live in a state of awe of your blessings. And never settle for anything that steals your joy."

*SAVE is an acronym for the following: Signs of suicide, Asking about suicide, Validating feelings, Encouraging help and Expediting treatment.

John Quinn's path to self actualization is magnificent. He is a decorated U.S. Veteran, who served as the Administrative Leading Chief on the USS John C. Stennis and the Assistant Ship Secretary on the USS Dwight D. Eisenhower. John served for 20 years in the U.S. Navy. He is now a retired Senior Chief Petty Officer, advocate, motivational speaker, and author of Someone Like Me: An Unlikely Story of Challenge and Triumph Over Cerebral Palsy.

At the age of four, John started to walk. Abruptly, after this amazing childhood milestone, he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy by a medical professional. Cerebral Palsy affected his gait, balance, reflex, posture, vision, and he was born with two different sized feet. John was part of a large family, as he was one of eight children. His parents decided early on that John would be treated the same way as the rest of their children. This parenting approach, a push for determination to overcome daily obstacles, required John to understand the importance of independence at a young age. 

John reached a point of paramount significance. He enlisted in the Navy and never disclosed that he had been diagnosed with cerebral palsy. John did not want to be treated differently; he wanted to be recognized for his hard-work and perseverance. Over the course of 20 years, John kept his disability a secret; he received multiple military decorations including four Navy Commendation Medals, Joint Service Achievement Medal, and four Navy Achievement Medals. John is also authorized to wear the Enlisted Surface Warfare breast insignia.

In the interview with our Different & Able President and Founder, Alexandra Nicklas, John shares his triumphant coming of age story. From the challenges John faced as a young child to his struggles in adult life, he is a  role model who epitomizes perseverance and dedication. John’s hope for a fully inclusive society is achievable, as he has stated, “Together we can do great things.”