And let the children soar. Look at me and what ive done and you can do it too. She was winning all the events. An america tonight special, overcoming disabilities. Thanks for joining us. Im joie chen. Millions of americans live with disabilities. Overcoming barriers both physical and social that once seemed insurmountable. But even with those successes, many face obstacles that could be eliminated by a stroke of a pen. An obstacle that forces many to live in poverty. We begin with the story of a remarkable young woman who has helped to lead the fight to allow those who live with disabilities earn and save their own money. Here is america tonights sheila macvicar. From an early age, sarah wolf has been defying expectations. Sarah was born with down syndrome. What do you want people to know about you . Im a good person. I have a good heart. I was thinking maybe we could put it in that thing that you do. Sarah has college credits, works at a law firm, is on several boards of directors, and is a gifted public speaker. We treat sarah, just like any other member of the family. Sarahs father said the family decided from the start not to let sarahs situation work against her. My wife made that commitment. She really did, she worked hard, was very hard. But she got it done. Her mother mothers are pere paimothers persistence paidoff. They basically started the first buddy walk. What is a buddy walk . A buddy walk is set up through the national down syndrome society, to promote awareness for down syndrome and people with disabilities. She expected people to come up and show support. And we had over 800 people that came. Wow i learned i was an advocate for myself and thats when i learned, you know, hmm, if i can do it for myself i can do it for other people. Good afternoon. Im so glad to be here. That year sarah was recognized for her work and along with barbara walters, was recognized by the national down syndrome society. That was my first public speaking engagement before an audience. And i was not nervous. A lot of people would find that experience of standing up in front of a ball room of people completely intimidating. I dont know if people would think they would be intimidated, because if you just go up there and do your thing, and they see you do it, they just you know, so its the coolest feeling to see peoples reaction. How do people react . Just amazing. Like they just, wow, person with down syndrome could speak like that there was never a sense that sarah was unable in any way to did something. She just did it. Hi sarah, how you doing . Pat omalley is sarahs godfather and boss. He offered her a job. She needed something to do. To me it was a natural to have her come down there. Ive been there for 13 years and yes i do drink coffee for 13 years. Thats where i started. Shes not writing briefs but shes filing. She goes from day to day and helps a case manager with complex things. Putting together settlement packages and everything. Today sarah not only works as a law clerk but also in the Advocacy Office of the arc much northeastern pennsylvania. A nonprofiprofit helping peopleh disabilities. Don broderick is the executive director. Shes a very talented young lady and she has a wonderful skill to be able to present to large groups of people, appears to be effortless. But this woman who has worked so hard to overcome limitations is now blocked by limits imposed on her by federal regulations. Sarah canned save more than 2 cant save more than 2,000. She ws lose her disability benefits and her health insurance. So she cannot get a raise or work full time. Sarah like every other developmentally disabled person in the United States is legally obliged to be poor. Good morning. My name is sarah. I am 31 years old. I happen to have down syndrome. Now sarah is on a mission. Im excited to share my story today. Testifying before a Senate Committee hearing in washington, d. C, in july, sarah is close to doing what others could not. This is the fair and right thing to do. Persuading congress to pass legislation to address this long standing disparity for people with disabilities. What did you want those senators to know, the people listening to you . What was the message that you wanted to tell them . I want to tell them that people with disabilities and different kinds of disabilities and people with down syndrome have the right to live on their own. The bill, known as the able act, short for achieving a better life experience, will allow people with disabilities and their families to create tax exempt savings accounts up to 100,000. Sarah weir is at the forefront of the lobbying effort. It really sends a message to society and to our government to congress that people with disabilities in 2014 can work. Specifically like somebody like sarah wolf could work full time take her paycheck and deposit it in this account without making herself ineligible for medicaid. Theres a pin, grothan. It would help people like jerry majeski. At times he would make in excess of the 2,000 thats allowed for people the have. Rather than spending that money down to get to that 2,000 number, this would allow him to put money aside for his future needs when he gets older. It would mean more security for sarah herself. Something had a hit home when she lost her mother, her lifelong inspiration to cancer. What did she do to help you get to the place you are now . Everything. Everything. Helped me with schoolwork, helped me with facts of life, and everything basically. Its hard to talk about my mom. I can really talk about her because it helps me to do better. She was really important . Yeah, very. If this law is pasted, what difference will it if this law is passed, what difference will it make to your sisters life . It will make a huge difference in her life and also my life. One of my fears is with the passing of my mom, it really brings to light just how realistic the future could happen tomorrow in terms of i worry about then the day that my dads not around. You know, and financially, sarah needs to be able to support herself. And its really hard to do that when youre pretty much linked to poverty. Sarah has traveled the country to raise awareness about the realities of living with down syndrome. In april she started a change. Org petition to pass the able act. It went viral and has over 250,000 supporters. The able act has 380 supporters in the house. And 74 in the senate. In july, the house ways and Means Committee passed the bill unanimously. It could become law as early as september. How many people do you think will benefit from this . I think, you know, millions of people with disabilities will benefit from this. The able act allows them to create this tool where they can actually fund their own dreams, aspirations and goals, and make sure that they have and contribute to society in the ways that they wish. I want people to know that im just like you. I could do whatever i put my mind to. When we return, an overlooked corner of childhood. Im stuck. And parents who just want a place where their children can play. Tonight. A remarkable quest continues. Marco polos journey of discovery takes him east, for a historic meeting with kubli kahn, leader of the mongolian empire. Relive this epic odyssey. People encountered. Discoveries made. And now, questions answered. Al Jazeera America presents marco polo a very modern journey. The series continues. Tonight. 9 00 eastern. Now available, the new al jazeea america mobile news app. Get our exclusive in depth, reporting when you want it. A global perspective wherever you are. The major headlines in context. Mashable says. Youll never miss the latest news they will continue looking for survivors. The potential for Energy Production is huge. No noise, no clutter, just real reporting. The new al Jazeera America mobile app, available for your apple and android mobile device. Download it now real reporting that brings you the world. This is a pretty dangerous trip. Security in beirut is tight. More reporters. They dont have the resources to take the fight to al shabaab. More bureaus, more stories. This is where the typhoon came ashore. Giving you a real global perspective like no other can. Al jazeera, nairobi. On the turkeysyria border. Venezuela. Beijing. Kabul. Hong kong. Ukraine. The artic. Real reporting from around the world. This is what we do. Al Jazeera America. Its been called the disabled communitys declaration of independence. The americans with disabilities act, which turns 25 next year. Designed to empower people with disabilities to join in all aspects of Community Life it was a milestone in the fight for equality. A generation later though it is clear that the ada hasnt reached every place it was intended to and thats kept kids with disabilities out of the game. Here is america tonights adam maize. May. Lucas dean loves the playground. But the playground isnt always his best friend. Im stuck. Someone help the fouryearold minnesota boy with spina bifida doesnt have use of his legs and a typical playground like this one can be filled with obstacles. Areas where his wheelchair wont work, play structures he cant use. Wood chips that cut into his hands and legs. Got it . Yeah. Fall down here . Whats frustrating for me, more frustrating for me than him, just watching him watch other kids. Quickly get up and move from one thing to the next. But he doesnt have that luxury. And sometimes hes found like looking up and watching his friends kind of run away. Hell kind of lose his temper a little bit. Highly be shouting after his friends. What might surprise you, this playground in minneapolis is new and meets the minimum standards of the americans with disabilities act or ada. Even though children in wheelchairs like lucas cant easily wheel up to the play structure. Children with other needs like visual impairments or limited mobility dont have many options. Im hiding from you guys so you cant shoot me. What do you think about the americans with disabilities act . Its a great day. Im happy that it exists and i think as a result of it we have seen a lot of growth in the last 25 years but we still have a long way to go. You come with me. A lot of great kids out there, who happen to have some kind of a disability, deserve to have access to the same playgrounds, the same schools, the same opportunities that able bodied kids have. One of the most important i think developmental pieces for kids with disabilities is to have access to children who are developing typically. What happens with children with disabilities who cant play with other kids . It really points out to the child that he or she is different if he or she cant access a playground and it also means they are not exposed to role models who would help them develop their social skills or emotional skills. Thats important for children with special needs. Typically, children get as much or more than children with disabilities. Like what . I think they develop an ability to empathize with people who are different than themselves. They develop an ability to work with individuals who are differently abled. If that person at age 40 is making hiring decisions theyre going to look at somebodys capacities rather than whether they have a disability or not. So i think it sets the stage for development of both children with and without disabilities to make this a much more inclusive world, five years down the road, ten years down the road and decades from now. 1200 miles away from indianapolisminneapolis sits a y apart, brooklyns playground was recently named one of the most inclusive in the world. We knew we should to have the surfacing. It couldnt be any rocks or bark, it had to be solid surface for kids with walkers or wheelchairs. The playground has safety features like ramps instead of stairs. A single entrance to keep children from wandering off and play areas for children with different physical and mental abilities. Whats it like to see brook lynn playing on a playground with children with all abilities . The first time i got real emotional about it is when her school took a field trip here. I saw her with all her best friends play like any other child. She wasnt on a different level, there wasnt anything different about her, they were playing and they dit for hours. What did it for hours. What makes this playground special is it wasnt cheap and pocatello isnt a different area. How much did you have to raise . 575,000. Did you get any state dollars . We got grants from different foundations. The rest of it was grass root fund raisers, lemonade stands. Thousands of families in pocatello donated money and then volunteered to help build it. Theres nothing like this playground for hundreds of miles. Many from across the Rocky Mountain region travel here t. Lessons from the playground have triblgd int triblgd tricklr home. Taking control of the situation, its great to see her not being dependent on us. Confidence. Yes. Its like, mom leave me alone. Ill come get you when im done. School playground is nothing like this so brookelynn will be somewhat greated. Segregated. I think the guidelines need to be rewritten. What is termed accessible really isnt. I dont think it necessarily needs to be on such a large scale maybe as what weve done but there needs to be certain components that are in every playground. Fully inclusive playgrounds are still a rarity and for the roughly 7 million children and youth with Developmental Disabilities far from reality. According to advocates, most inclusive playgrounds are used with private funds raised by families with disabled children. I would argue that parents do have a right to expect access to municipal playgrounds. They pay taxes. Marilyn golden is a disability rights advocate in berkeley, california. She played a key role in realizing the americans with disabilities act. One type of accessibility after another was being dealt with while recreation was being leveled behind to be done last. People would say its more important at a you get to school or to work than you get to the playground or that you can participate in a sport. And that may be true if you really had to pick. But lets hope that we dont. Because recreation is a very important sphere in american life. She says the ada had to strike a balance between the rights of disabled people and the organizations that had to comply with it. We wish that the threshold for providing accessible play equipment was lower. The impact it has on a person particularly a young person growing up to have a sector of life in your society cut off to you, it really is a sends a message that youre not a welcome member of society. What do you wan for lucas . I want lucas to be happy. And he is. And i want him t is. And i want him to do what he wants to do, when he wants to do it. Its pretty simple. Yes, i think it is. But building a playground wont be simple and could take years. Time lost for lucas. Up next what happens when disabled children become disabled adults . Parents are scared to death. The number one question is what will happen to my children or my child after my husband and i die. A mother and son teach parents the art of letting go. A conflict that started 100 year ago, some say, never ended. Revealing. Untold stories of the valor. They opened fire on the english officers. Sacrifice. I order you to die. And ultimate betrayal. Drawing lines in the sand that would shape the middle east and frame the conflict today world war one through arab eyes only on al Jazeera America welcome back, to overcoming disabilities. One of every 88 American Children have been diagnosed with autism. Today those children and their parents are receiving more support than ever before but another challenge looms in the future as those kids grow up. Half a million adults will be living with autism in the next decade, leading parents to wonder what will happen when they can no longer care for their children. A challenge faced by one boy and his mom. They are learning to let go. Thanks for letting us come to your apartment. Youre welcome. 40syearold Brandon Kramer is showing us his small but cozy apartment in santa monica. Its filled with 9 knickknacks,. My chair and my bed and my light and my computer table. Oh nice. This is your Office Almost . Yeah, my office with my ipad and one of his favorite gizmos is this right red button, familiar from a tv commercial. It says it brightens his mood. That was easy. That was easy. Yes and then i have this thing that makes me feel better too. It will be a stress free day today. If you are feeling a little blue, you can go to these things hmm . If i feel blue or out of it and want to get happier, i go to that. He was so tiny, like my mother said, he was like a chicken. Things were not easy for brandon, he was barely five pounds and from the time brandon was a toddler his mother knew he wasnt developing like other children. I noticed his speech or lack of it. Words would come out jumbled, mixed up. I thought though when he was two and a half it would be a really good thing for me to put him in preschool or nursery school. And when i did that the teacher said he wont play with anybody. He just plays on the side by himself. And he does one thing over and over and over again. By the time brandon was 9 he was having seizures. The diagnosis, epilepsy. Back then the doctor urged his mother to keep it secret. But brandon continued to struggle in school. Socially he was awkward. An easy target for bullies. I put him into the public school. Another mistake i made. I mainstreamed him, didnt tell anybody what was wrong and he got beat up ever everyday, almot every single day. Physically . Physically, emotionally. His shoes were taken off, on hot black tar outside in the schoolyard. Bullying . Bullying. As brandon got older the bullying only got worse. He wanted to play basketball like the other kids, he could play basketball but his eyehand coordination was so poor that he had very slow movement and therefore couldnt make a basket, couldnt catch the ball. And the kids were smart, they knew he couldnt catch the ball and they would throw it at his face. He couldnt stop it in time timd he had his nose broken several times. Even after a friend of hers gave her a book on autism did amalia realize that her son was afflicted. I checked every single box was brandon. Every single one. Couldnt make a friend, had difficulty every aspect of autism . Every single one. I remember being so releaf relit saddened at the same time. Support from Public Education typically ends after high school. Most states stop special education at age 18. A few including california provide some support until age 22. Then, the families are on their own. Whats it like for parents of autistic children when that educational support suddenly ends . Parents are scared to death. The number 1 question is, what will happen to my children . Are my child after my husband and i die . And along comes with that is what will happen to them as an adult. Amaya was able to help brandon find this apartment in a government subsidized housing complement. Its tiny, less than 400 square feet but brandon is able to live here independently with help from Social Security. He has been on his own for 16 years. I like it a lot. I can come and go as i please, i dont have to worry about i feel heam happier. You dont worry about people checking up on you, youre your own man. Exactly. Every once in a while my mom checks up often me on the phone, she comes out here. I let her know whats going on and stuff like that. You take oright here or keep going . Keep going. Okay. Fewer than one in 10 autistic adults hold a job. According to Social Security brandon is unable to work because his epileptic seizures are severe. He walks the sunny streets of santa monica. What is this called here . The promenade. Its easy for me, i can walk everywhere and its nice. Good place for you to be independent . Exactly. Because theres everything for me to do. Sometimes brandon runs errands and fetches coffee for the jeweler. One of his better friends in the neighborhood. Beautiful day. You look good today. Look at you all fresh. All fresh all dressed up just for having fun. And he likes to visit with the paramedics who have rushed him to the hospital after his epileptic seizures. Then you have the old one here. This is our map right here. 1952. Wow yeah, that ones kind of cool. Over lunch brandon tells me feels safe and secure here. At least until the sun goes down. Whats this neighborhood like . Oh, the neighborhood is nice, unless you have to be careful certain times of the day or night. And then you have to be careful . Just a little bit. Because sometimes at night it kind of gets a little a little rough . Yeah, then when it gets overwhelming with things then i go home and relax because i just sometimes to get overloaded with people out here too. In california where brandon lives more than 70,000 individuals have been diagnosed with autism. Most of them are children. And over the last ten years the number of cases across the country has exploded by more than 80 . That means, a tidal wave of autistic adults are on the way. Nearly half a million over the next ten years. Brandons mother is on a mission to help other parents help their autistic children carve opath to independence. I have such admiration for you. More than a thousand parents and professionals showed up to hear her keynote speech. A lot of us become stuck like glue. And how can we be anything else . Were could dependent. Were codependent. We allow our children to grow and maybe one day go. They will have a better life now and after were gone. Thank you, how are you doing . Good to see you. Now amalia star has made a career of counseling parents of autistic children into adulthood. It mate be an appropriate time for them not for us but for them. Moim harris is layinmolly hae groundwork so her 19yearold son can live on his own. I think the biggest concern is, one of them is that hed have something to do like have a job. But also, its safety. Because james, he is naive and trusting. So we do need to work with teaching him about whats safe whats not safe. Where do you go if you need help, how to ask for help, that sort of thing. When we as parents can understand that our children will live 75 of their lifetime as adults and much of it is without us, our job whether theyre two years old or newly diagnosed or 22, our job is to help those children reach maximum independence. Thats our job. Our next job after that is to learn the art of letting go. Sometimes i play this cd, it doesnt work. For amallia letting go has not been easy. Now she sees her adult son only once a month or so. I think its time for a new one just like all the other stuff. Okay, so thats a good thing to put on your list. And brandon too has some advice for others dealing with autism. What do you say to other autistic adults who are a little worried about maybe leaving mom and dad and going off on their own, what do you tell them . I tell them look at me and how ive done and you can do it too. Now brandon hopes to join his mother on the speaking circuit spreading the gospel of independence to other families struggling with autism. Hey brandon look at whats going now, the ferr ferris whee. They join the wave of autistic men and women, leaving childhood behind and succeeding on their own as adults. When overcoming disability returns a day in the life of a young man with a crippling disease who is out to prove he can make it on his own. Hundreds of days in detention. Al jazeera rejects all the charges and demands immediate release. Thousands calling for their freedom. Its a clear violation of their human rights. We have strongly urged the government to release those journalists. Journalism is not a crime. As we continue our special look at overcoming disability, a unique chance to see life from anothers perspective. Frederick brennan is living with a deaf stating physical condition that makes even the simplest action hazardous to his health. In a new york city apartment he struggles to lead an ordinary life. His body is fragile but hes struggling to make it on his own. My name is frederick, im 19 years old, i live in new york. I have osteogenesis imperfecta. Im somewhere in the middle of severity, like theres more severe cases where you know you actually die. Like and then theres like a bit less severe where you know, youre okay but you cant do anything for yourself like you need constant attention because even trying to get out of bed will cause you to break a bone. So im somewhere in the middle of severity. Ive broken my bones 120 times in my life. Its fortunate because a lot of people in my condition they cant get out of bed. They cant use the toilet or take a shower by themselves. A lot of times doing somewhat Dangerous Things like cooking is dangerous for me. A pot of water is about as big as i am. I eat an unhealthy diet. When i was a kid there wasnt olot of things i could do like kid activities. I had a couple of choices, i could read, i could watch television or coy go on a computer. I first got my first computer when i was six and i got my next computer a couple years later, just for me, an old desktop computer. I literally sat at that computer all the time. When i 13 i wrote my First Computer Program and natural i movly imoved on to web design af like that. Its 10 30 and aaron is about to come. Im aaron, i own a Small BusinessMarketing Firm which does Small Business for online retailers. Frederick is a great programmer, i was talking to frederick last summer about giving him more time. I offered him an opportunity of moving from Atlantic City to his own apartment in new york city. He jumped at that idea, i would be able to arrange that he would be able to work for me full time. Hes dedicated, i can always find him here, he will work sometimes 12 hours a day, he even called me once he stayed up all night working on a project. Thats pretty much everything. Behind the key word it doesnt matter that physically you know my body doesnt work properly. Everybody is the same behind the keyboard as long as you can use the keyboard. I work two jobs. I work one job is with my boss aaron. Aaron pays for the rent here. Thats 13 pe 1300 a month. Hes a tenant here, he pays for rent. Good afternoon. My name is Frederick Brennan. Im just calling to see when the nurse is going to be here to help me with my intake. Its been around a month. I believe i first called you guys in january or december. As part of my medical coverage im entitled to an aide. I only make after taxes, in like actual salaried income like 800 per month. And you know out of that comes all my expenses. So seems like a nurse will be giving you a call today. Oh today . Yes. All right well ill keep my phone on channel 5, well see. No problem. If somebody doesnt call today you can call back in the morning. Have a great day. You too. Fat chance of that happening. Thats the second time ive been told somebody is going to call today. Thats always their same line, that somebodys going to call you today, the nurse will call you today or the nurse will call you know, tomorrow. But the nurse is supposed to call for a month. Im Frederick Brennan im trying obook a chair for tomorrow. I dont get a lot of chance to go into manhattan and its really tough with the wheelchair. Were going to run some errands and stop by a medical supply store. I need my wheelchair fixed. It was really loose. I need to replace one of my wheelchairs, one is bent one the magnet is missing. I have sore arms. I cant pick things up when they fall. I cant reach up to get things out of the cupboard. The super of this building did something very annoying. He put a weight on this door. Like i swear they try to make it harder for me at times. This door is heavier than before. This is the final block as far as this building is concerned. Oh bleep . They are calling me theyre probably out here. Son of a bitch. Yes were three minutes late we probably missed them. You have to be here you know, whatever the weather, whatever is going on and its up to you to find the drivers van. There we go. If you miss three trips, in a month period, they actually suspend your service. I was saving up you know, all my extra income for two years to try buy a new wheelchair that would be better for me. This one it has an electrical problem, sometimes it will stop and not go anymore. Well, the brackets bent and i think thats causing the screw to be stripped because its not going through the threading properly. Right. Hopefully, the chair is going to be donated pretty soon. Yeah. Thats the best youre going to get. Okay. Thanks for the help. Sure. I needed my wheelchair joy stick fixed. It was really loose. I needed to replace some of the reachers that i have and that i use at home. Unfortunately, our taxi that was supposed to take us back a couple blocks to get to where the access a ride is going to take me the rest of the way, is now an hour late. I missed access aride, i was penalized for that, i wasnt at the stop where they would pick me up at the right time. Now were waiting hopefully for cab to come. So this is why i usually dont come out to the city. Because i just have tons of problems whenever i do. I actually think you know in comparison to people like other people that work, in poverty, most people dont have the luxury of even having 20 per day left over. They dont have any money left at the end of the day, and i know lots of people like that. In debt, left to choose between the bills that they pay. Im lucky in that i do get some support from the government and i do have money left over at the end of the month. When we come back whos your favorite athlete . Tatiana. Without doubt. A star athlete whos never led her wheelchair get in the way. Its a weekday morning in new york city and a line forms well before doors open at this east harlem food pantry. The people waiting for food range from Young Mothers to older people on fixed incomes. Inside the pantry, the number of people needing food is only growing. Congress cut 5 billion dollars from s. N. A. P. Or the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in late 2013; because of that, the new york common pantry, one of the largest in new york serving 3 million meals annually, reports a 26 increase in recipients in the last year. New york ranked 4 in a recent survey of cities around the globe with the highest percentage of millionaires. Joel berg, who heads the new York Coalition against hunger says, as the city gets wealthier, demand at the 1000 plus food kitchens he represents is only increasing. Well when neighborhoods gentrify, the demand goes up because rent is the single greatest cost that low income people face and if they cant afford to pay rent, they cant afford to buy food. And with Less Government aid for food, the strain is on charities to fill the void and depend on donations to keep feeding new yorks hungry. Hi, im thomas drayton. Coming up in our prime time newscast at the top of the hour. Dozens of injuries and arrests in hong kong, american couple acquitted of their childs death in qatar are still not allowed to leave. Well talk about Charitable Giving in our sunday segment the week ahead. All that straight ahead, well see you then. One of the biggest hurdles is how often they are underestimated. Remember last years winter games in sochi, including russias ban on adoptions by american families. But for one russian orphan sochi was also an opportunity to defy expectations. We get her story from america tonights adam may. Take the weight . Yes. Meet the beast. Thats what her friend of callr. Shes a recordbreaking athlete. The only person male or female to run four major marathons in a single year. What do you think your prospects are . Well i mean my goals are to make it you know definitely top 10 which i did in world championships. And to make it into the final for the sprint. Tatiana mcfadden is no stranger to winning. Shes been in a wheelchair her whole life. In fact shes one of the fastest wheelchair racers in the world. But for paralympics in sochi earlier this year, she decided to try something new. This is my first winter games. Youre a track athlete. Yeah, its going to be cold for me. And you just took up skiing recently . I took up skiing last year the first time trying skiing. Thats right. Mcfadden had only started skiing 13 months before. But she qualified for the u. S. Paralympics nordic ski team, different terrain than what shes used to. In wheelchair racing you have a different stroke where you push down, and around, and its really about the power in your arms and your back and your core, all those things. And skiing is really about having the the power mostly in your core and being able to synchronize it with your arms. How she became an elite athlete goes back to her childhood. She was born in russia with spina bifida, a condition that left her without the use of her legs and for the first six years of her life, without a family. There was tatiana crawling on the floor with a hues bo huge br hair. Her legs were atrophied. Barbara was the commissioner of the u. S. Department of health and human services. In 1994 she was on a tour of russian orphanages,. She kept pointing to my camera. I said yes this is the camera, this is the aperture, this is the speed. I was being silly. She picked up my camera and started playing with the buttons. Did you mo you were possibly going to adopt a child . No. I went back to my hotel room and couldnt get her off my mind. Unbeknowns to me, the orphanage director said, thats my mom. Shes never said that. Can you imagine what your life would be like if shed never stopped in there . I dont think i would be living that long. But for the first six years of my life i didnt go to the doctors once i didnt have medical treatment once in the first six years of my life. Its hard to imagine when tatiana came to the u. S. , she was so sick that doctors felt the cute little girl rescued from russia wont make it. I was worried, how do i keep her a live . Get her involved in swimming. Swimming is good for the heart. Eventually, tatiana joined the bennett blazers, a program for disabled athletic children in baltimore, maryland. Coach Glen Herrmann says tatiana was an immediate standout. She always wanted to do everything. Her speed was phenomenal and she always had a natural ability, a natural athleticism. The coaches said shes amazing. I said yes, look how shes trying these. As she progressed through the years shes winning all the events. When did you decide having fun playing sports just wasnt enough, and you wanted to become an olympian . I wanted more, and i had the competitive edge. When tatiana was 15 years old she begged her mother to take her to california to try out for the paralympic track trials. She gets on the track and i dont want anything to do with coaching her. Shes on the track and she says what should i do . I said go fast. Dont know what else to do, go fast. She made the team at 15. Unbelievable, youngest person on the team. Tatiana was off to the athens paralympics. She came around the track and when she saw me i was crying. She said why are you crying . I said its a mom thing. Tatiana mcfadden from the class of 2008. Tatiana was inducted into the sports hall of fame. Getting the honor did not come easily. Her family ended up in a legal battle with the school when tatiana was denied a spot on the schools track team. The legal battle led to a new federal law. It guarantees disabled students the right to join High School Sports teams. I mean, its the 21st century. How can you deny people and say you have your own program. When tatiana won three gold medals in the 2012 summer paralympics in london, she decided to make a trip back Home Visiting the orphanage in russia. Things were similar, the smells, but everything was so much smaller, i was walking on my hands and knees. Everything looked big but it was quite small. If you got up on the platform and accepted another medal what would you think it would say to the people of russia . I would probably be balling but i think it would be bawling. But it shows how oorms determined a person i am and nothing is going to stand in my way. And medal or not, she continues to be an inspiration to little girls like rebecca wood. Who is your special athlete . Tatiana. What is it you look up to . She has won so many gold medals. You want to be like her. You are practicing. For it. Tatiana was for more than gold. In a country where the president has vilified adoption of she would be exhibit a. You realize they dont have the same opportunity . The only thick that was sad was knowing that the adoption between america and russia has stopped, it does make me sad. Because kids are being born every day. You dont know whos going to end up next in the orphanage. People know she was in the orphanage. Thats something to watch in those games. It is. Could send a message. I think thats point. To send a neafnlg i message thm alive, im well. Tatiana was born for a reason. She is a gifted athlete. Shes a gifted academic student and, you know what . Maybe she can show someone its worth it to let kids be raised in a family. Shes still defying expectations. Tatiana won a silver medal at the paralympics in Cross Country skiing. It was her 11th medal overall. A reminder of the strength of all of those overcoming disability. Thanks for joining us. Im joie chen. Lets get you caught up to the top stories at this hour. Thousands of prodemocracy demonstrators clash with police in hong kong. 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