Travis Roy

Hopefully your child told you all about our visit from Travis Roy. Travis Roy came to Eliot on Friday to teach us about his life, and his life with a disability. He ended up inspiring so many of us.

 As you may know, Mr. Roy sustained a terrible injury during his very first game as a hockey player at Boston University. Since then, he has been paralyzed from the neck down, with the exception of some movement in his right arm.

Mr. Roy shared a tremendous amount with his young audience. But there were two ideas I hope your children walked away with.

 1. Set goals and work hard to reach them.
           Mr. Roy told us about a list of goals he made when we was 15. One of them was to play hockey at the college level. Although he was devastated by his injury, both he and his father were proud of the fact that he made one of his dreams come true.

 2. Do not treat people with disabilities as if they are invisible.
          Mr. Roy shared a story of a time after his accident when he was eating lunch in a B.U. cafeteria. He sat at an empty table, eating alone. Everyone walked by him as if he wasn't there. I know I was taught as a child not to stare at people who seemed different to me. Although it is not polite to stare, I want kids to know that it's okay (and kind) to say hello. I want them to know that people with disabilities are not scary. They are people, just like you and I.

The Travis Roy Foundation raises money to support others who have spinal cord injuries. They also raise money to find a cure for such injuries. You can learn more at their website.