UNC Best Buddies, a group that advocates for disability rights, hosted Maynard, who was born with congenital amputation, a condition that made his arms end at the elbows and legs end at the knees. He still became the first man to crawl Mt. Kilimanjaro, the highest mountain in Africa, in 2012.
“I used to pray every night when I was a kid that I would wake up with arms and legs since there was so much uncertainty in my life,” Maynard said during his speech. “But now I see that being born the way I was is the greatest gift given to me. It gives me the opportunity to talk with people and change lives that I wouldn’t have been able to do otherwise.”
Maynard said his parents inspired him to be independent and to not let his disability prevent him from achieving his dreams of becoming an athlete. Maynard wrestled collegiately at the University of Georgia.
“When I think of my parents, their attitude and perspective totally shaped my life,” he said. “They did not treat me as disabled. If they had treated me as disabled, my life would have gone a totally different direction. I would have never learned how to do anything on my own.”
From being a wrestling champion in high school to being able to put on socks by himself, Maynard emphasized that no accomplishment is insignificant.
“I know there are one or two things in your life keeping you from your highest potential,” he said. “But you have to think about how it would be different if you took that thing on. It’s as simple as giving those excuses up.”
Jack Witty, president of Best Buddies, said Maynard’s speech was a great start to the group’s annual Spread the Word to End the Word week, starting March 30.
“He’s got a great story, and importantly one that not only relates to disability rights, but one that has a very broad appeal to everyone on campus,” he said.
