Heroes are hard to find these days. Or so it seems. Browsing through my Google News RSS for disability news, I found this story. Its one I've heard before, and it angers and inspires me each time I do.
An ordinary need for pancakes changed the life of Richard Pimentel. A Vietnam vet who was deaf from a bomb blast, Pimentel was out with his friend Arthur Honneymann, who has cerebral palsy at a diner when the waitress they leave. She said the sight of Honeymann was disturbing customers, citing "ugly laws" that allowed businesses to do this. They were eventually arrested, and this set Pimentel on his journey as an advocate for people with disabilities.
I won't go any further, the NY Post does a good job with the story. But I am excited to read that a movie has been made about that friendship, The Music Within". Its out to limited release, and I can't wait to at least see it on DVD.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/10292007/jobs/the_warrior.htm
