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Media contact: Gary Kruchowski, (218) 733-7649, g.kruchowski@lsc.edu or Janet Blixt, (218) 723-4743 or j.blixt@lsc.edu
Oct. 11, 2006
NEWS RELEASE
Matt Glowacki to Speak on Expectations; Born Without Legs, Personal Motto is "Walking is Overrated!"
(Duluth, Minn.) "Not an inspiration!" claims speaker Matt Glowacki. However, tens of thousands of people who have listened to his presentations around the country might disagree.
Glowacki, a Paralympic Sit-Volleyball team member for eight years, a small business owner, and professional speaker, was born without legs. Just listing those things might put him in the classification of motivational, but he just views his life as normal. Matt's simple motto is, "Walking is overrated!" His message to people is "Please don't be so surprised when people who are living lives different from yours achieve success. I haven't done anything anyone else couldn't do in my situation."
Matt believes everyone has a responsibility to use the gifts they have to be a productive individual to for themselves and society. "It's not like I've overcome anything. There are people walking around with more hardships and hidden disabilities then I have." Glowacki claims those people are the real inspirations.
Glowacki will speak on the Lake Superior College and Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College campuses. Both events, held on Monday, Oct. 23 at 11 a.m. in the Commons at LSC and 1 p.m. at Fond du Lac's Minitorium, are free and open to the public. The event is sponsored by LSC's Diversity Committee and Disability Services.
His "Expectations" presentation educates the able-bodied population about the abilities of people with disabilities. His stories and sense of humor take subjects that are considered a bit daring and personal to a place where everyone can understand and feel comfortable. He asks what makes people behave differently? Why do people react to things differently? And asserts that the answers to both of these questions can be found by looking at the ways people are brought up and the experiences they call their own individual perspective. "When people who don't even know me see me and judge the quality of my life based on their own stereotypes, their personal prejudices come into play and get in the way and that's their loss, not mine Based on that perspective, individuals develop stereotypes about others without really understanding them and seeing their potential.
Matt Glowacki was born in 1973 in Janesville, Wisconsin. His birth drew attention because even though he was healthy, he was born without legs. From the very beginning, his parents made sure to provide him with every opportunity to participate in a normal life. While attending college and playing wheelchair basketball, Matt developed and administered a community awareness program entitled,"What It Takes: Cornerstones for Success." Matt brought this program and his messages and competitive wheelchair sports to more than 25,000 students across Wisconsin. He now has spoken to more than 100,000 around the country.
Matt earned his position on the USA Paralympic Team for Sit-Volleyball in June of 1998, after he participated in the World Championships in Washington, D>C> He traveled and competed internationally with the team and attended the 2000 Paralympics in Sydney, Australia and the 2002 World Championships in Cairo, Egypt. Matt served as the alternate for the Paralympics in Athens in 2004.
LSC is a member of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system. With more than 3,800 students enrolled this fall semester, LSC is Northeastern Minnesota's largest two-year college. LSC provides a wide range of programs and services, including liberal arts and science courses for transfer, technical programs intended to provide occupational skills, continuing education, and customized training for business and industry. LSC is also the leader in Internet-delivered courses and programs in Minnesota.
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