Jeremiah Prophet was born with severe cerebral palsy. He yearned to be a journalist. He struggled to make his way through high school and college. He never forgot the help that his teachers gave him in his public schools. Many people thought his dream was absurd because he can’t talk like other people, he spends most of his time in a wheelchair, and he communicates by typing on a special device, only 3-5 words a minute.
He wrote a column in the Dallas Morning News explaining how Trump had changed his life. As he watched the DeVos hearings, he realized that she had no understanding of people like him. He would never have made it in a charter school, where they have no services for children like him. During the campaign, he saw Trump supporters and Trump himself ridicule people with disabilities. He was especially upset when Trump mocked a young man like him, a 12-year-old boy in a wheelchair who used a recorded device to protest.
He wondered:
“What kind of a man insults a 12-year-old kid sitting in a wheelchair?” Why would adults bully a defenseless boy in a wheelchair?
He writes:
“His story convinced me that our country needs to hear from one stubborn journalist who has never spoken a word in his life: me.”
He ends: whenever you encounter someone in a wheelchair, remember what you read here.
A very moving story that reminds us of the power of public schools to change lives and open doors for all.
Diane Ravitch's blog 
Pretty much perfect, and thank you Jeremiah Prophet for gracing readers with this excellent editorial.
By the way, has anyone watched the ABC sitcom “Speechless?” It suffers from all the shortcomings of the genre, but its star is a young man, Micah Fowler, who lives with cerebral palsy and is nonverbal (hence the show’s title). As a thespian, he is a force of nature, and well worth watching.
My mother used to say, “Never judge a book by its cover.” This is especially true of people with special challenges. Through access to education all people can explore their interests and talents. I am reminded of Daniel Day-Lewis’ moving portrayal of Christy Brown, and Irish poet and artist with cerebral palsy. Nobody expected anything from Brown, but he was brilliant and learned from his siblings. All young people must have access to free, public education. We need the protections from IDEA to ensure that those with special needs are given the type of education they require to move forward.
I would not be surprised if Trump also insulted Stephen Hawking.
Hawking said that “He (Trump) is a demagogue, who seems to appeal to the lowest common denominator.”
https://www.good.is/articles/hawking-vs-trump
Has Trump attacked Hawking with one of his famous tweet storms yet or has his family and staff kept what Hawking said secret because Trump doesn’t read anything but leads from Alt-Right hate media sites?
I hope that this means that Jeremiah is getting a journalism job. Someone needs to hire this young man–he writes so well. He would be a huge addition to a newsroom, and a point of view that is rarely considered.
Jeremiah is an inspiration. He writes with clarity and grace. More people need to read what he writes.