Empowering Those with Disabilities – Debra Ruh on The Empowerment Show

Debra knew that her daughter Sara was bound for great things.  But no one else seemed to agree.  Not the doctors who said she would never speak or walk.  Not her teachers who thought her best hope was becoming a bagger at a supermarket.  Debra and Sara knew differently and now Sara in her 20’s has been named one of the Top 40 Under 40 in Richmond Virginia and has spoken to groups around the world.  Sara also has Down syndrome. Sara and her story have affected those near and far to her changing the course of their lives.  One person thus affected is her mother Debra who wrote in The Mobility Resource,  “I believe that God does not make mistakes when a child with Down syndrome is born.  Instead many people with Down syndrome are great teachers – if we stop and listen to their wisdom.  Disabilities are part of life.  We need to embrace the lessons that we are taught by our abilities and disabilities.”  Debra’s experience not only affected her viewpoint on life, but also her career. In an effort to show all her daughter and others with disabilities are capable of, Sara founded TecAccess which helps businesses ensure their products and websites are truly usable by those with disabilities by hiring individuals with disabilities to test them.  The world of marketing has advanced to include many different ethnicities in their marketing and product development, yet the community of people with disabilities (PwD) is largely underserved.  It is TecAccess and Ruh Global’s goals to give PwD more of a voice in the marketplace and the world.