I recently saw a television news story about Ali Stroker, a young singer and actress, performing in a new New York musical, “Spring Awakening”. The story showed Ali singing in a chorus and dancing with the ensemble. What makes Ali’s story so remarkable is that she performed sitting in a wheelchair. She lost the use of her legs when she was 2 in a car accident. But she was attracted to the stage early in life and given the chance to participate in school.
What makes this Broadway musical even more special is that the cast includes eight deaf actors along with Ali in a wheelchair. The entire cast had to learn sign language and include Ali in the choreography.
What Ali did was take an obstacle and overcame it to open up opportunities for herself. She hopes to inspire others with disabilities who have an interest in performing on stage. Her story is an inspiration to others, showing that a disability should not get in the way of a dream.
