Remember this January story about Preston Dwoskin? The 20-year-old man from Marysville, Washington, was lobbying state legislators for more inclusiveness of people with disabilities in schools and planning a run for city council. He also had aspirations to follow in the family tradition of serving at even higher levels of government.
Now Massachusetts has its own version of Preston in the 26-year-old Nicholas Carbone, who began his stint as a newly elected member of the Fitchburg City Council in January.
Paula J. Owen profiles Carbone in Monday’s Worcester Telegram & Gazette, offering an inspirational account of everything he has accomplished while experiencing the symptoms of Friedreich’s ataxia. In addition to his new position on the city council, the man known around town as “Mr. Fitchburg” has nearly completed his law degree and has served internships for the Worcester district attorney’s office and for state Rep. Stephen DiNatale.
Carbone tells Owen that the degenerative nature of his disability probably instills him with a greater sense of urgency, but he offers a great lesson in staying true to one’s own values and goals when he tells her:
A lot of things I do now are things I would have done anyway… That is what I want to show: Don’t let a disability or anything slow you down. I led my law school’s trial team to national competition, ran for council, still work out and play sports. Those are things that some average, regular people don’t do.
There isn’t anything on Carbone’s resume that would qualify him as “average” or “regular.” But it’s important to note that he views his accomplishments independently of his disability. It is just who he is. Or as Rep. DiNatale says to Owen, “Regardless of his disability, his character shines through.”
Character is a trait probably undervalued in people with disabilities, or at least overlooked. Earlier this week on Disability Scoop, Shaun Heasley referenced a French university study demonstrating how people make snap judgments about people with disabilities even when facial expressions are impassive. The authors of the study did some away with one important side note that offered hope these stereotypical perceptions can be overcome, notes Heasley:
The fact that professional caregivers were more likely to express positive impressions… suggests that relationships with individuals who have intellectual disabilities do make an impact.
Those relationships can be with the widespread public, like Carbone and Dwoskin, or in the environs of a workplace, where people with disabilities often demonstrate the true nature of their character with hard work, punctuality, and loyalty. But everyone deserves the chance to show their true character, and programs like ATI’s StarWorks and Contract Services provide that opportunity.
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Image by Dougtone (Doug Kerr), used under its Creative Commons license.