“My advice to other disabled people would be, concentrate on things your disability doesn’t prevent you doing well, and don’t regret the things it interferes with. Don't be disabled in spirit, as well as physically.” In an interview with the New York Times, Stephen Hawking, the famous physicist, gave this advice to other handicapped people. Hawking was diagnosed with motor neuron disease, more commonly known as ALS, at a young age and as he has gotten older, his physical problems have increased. Because of his ability to overcome adversity, he has become a person to look up to for others who feel like their situation is helpless. His disability has helped him in an unforeseen way. While this may seem counterintuitive, this is an example of a somewhat common situation. There are many examples in life where a physical disability has a positive effect on someone’s life. Harper Lee utilizes this motif in To Kill A Mockingbird by giving characters in her novel physical disabilities and allowing these characters to thrive because of their disabilities. Many characters in this novel have physical disabilities, and these injuries contradict popular belief and help these characters in indirect…show more content… These particular characters received an indirect advantage from their disabilities over their opponent, whether that may be a human opponent, a mental opponent, or otherwise. In most parts of their lives, Tom, Atticus, Scout, and Jem all have to deal with their disabilities in a negative way. In these situations, though, one can see that their disabilities don't always impede on their lives in a negative way. This belief, however, does not only apply to physical disabilities. It can be true in many other parts of life. Any disability or handicap that someone has, or even any bad situation that someone may encounter, can be used for the better in some
