\u201cNever allow your disabilities or weaknesses to prevent you from achieving any of your goals,\u201d says 45-year-old Rabin Betkhoodoo. \u201cYou have to look beyond your challenges to succeed in whatever you put your mind to.\u201d<\/p>\n
Born in Iran in 1976, and part of the Assyrian community, he was diagnosed at birth with spastic quad cerebral palsy\u2014the inability to control his legs, arms and body. Unable to speak, he eventually learned to communicate by using his toe to type on a computer. Today, with help from The Salvation Army, he is pursuing his ultimate goal\u2014to use his graphic design skills in a small business of his own.<\/p>\n
Early Life Challenges \u201cI couldn\u2019t speak\u2014even to my own family. Those were difficult times,\u201d says Rabin. It was the inspiration he received by watching the bravery of his parents that encouraged Rabin to never give up.<\/p>\n \u201cFighting and conflict occurred continuously in Iran,\u201d says Rabin. \u201cAnd resources to accommodate my physical challenges were unavailable. My father left his job and moved our family to Turkey, where there was no war and the expectation that we would move to the United States, where medical help would be more readily available for me.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI couldn\u2019t speak\u2014even to my own family\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Before long, the family learned that the United States wasn\u2019t accepting immigrants, and they remained in Turkey for two years. When they heard that Canada was open to the process, they moved forward with applications.<\/p>\n \u201cTo get an exit visa, I had to prove to health authorities that I was capable of counting and thinking for myself,\u201d says Rabin. \u201cAt the hospital, I beat my father at dominoes five times! Our papers were approved and, when I was 13, our family moved to Hamilton, Ont.\u201d<\/p>\n New Ways of Communicating \u201cMy mother instructed me to move my head up and down, indicating yes or no,\u201d says Rabin. \u201cWe had no idea what people were saying.\u201d<\/p>\n The next day, therapists visited Rabin at school. He showed the team and his teacher that he could type using his right toe. A few months later, he was introduced to a \u201dtouch talk\u201d computer. Before long, he was learning English and grammar.<\/p>\n Rabin had always hoped that his condition could be cured through surgery. He wanted to walk and talk on his own. But doctors said that wouldn\u2019t be possible.<\/p>\n \u201cThe thought of never being able to walk or speak my language, Assyrian, was unbearable\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n \u201cI was extremely upset,\u201d says Rabin. \u201cThe thought of never being able to walk or speak my language, Assyrian, was unbearable.\u201d<\/p>\n Rabin spent one year in elementary school before high school; therefore, his English was limited. Fortunately, the \u201dtouch talk\u201d had a dictionary that allowed him to compose whole sentences. Later, when he was introduced to a new speech-generating device, he could use his toe to verbally express whatever he typed on the keyboard.<\/p>\n \u201cI wrote e-mails, stories and essays,\u201d says Rabin. \u201cI chatted with friends and played games on the internet.\u201d<\/p>\n Achieving Life-long Goals \u201cI am extremely proud of my accomplishments and am confident that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to,\u201d says Rabin.<\/p>\n \u201cI always receive encouragement from the staff at The Salvation Army\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Rabin eventually got a new computer that helped him communicate with a shoe on. He went to PATH Employment Services for help with his career goals. Meanwhile, he became proficient in designing business cards, party invitations, flyers, posters and calendars. In 2016, Catholic Family Services of Hamilton introduced him to The Salvation Army and he enrolled in programs at its Lawson Ministries in Hamilton, which provides support and social inclusion to individuals with developmental disabilities and their families.<\/p>\n \u201cI always receive encouragement from the staff at The Salvation Army,\u201d says Rabin. \u201cI participate in their digital arts program and, through weekly conversations, assistance and interactions, I have made new friends, improved my English, grammar, spelling, reading and writing skills.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI am confident that I can achieve whatever I put my mind to\u201d<\/span><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Staff at The Salvation Army ask Rabin to create cards for holidays and flyers for events. They help him share and upload his work.<\/p>\n \u201cThanks to parents who proved that giving up wasn\u2019t an option and The Salvation Army\u2019s willingness to come alongside me in my efforts to reach goals, I am well on my way to creating a business of my own. And it feels great.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" \u201cNever allow your disabilities or weaknesses to prevent you from achieving any of your goals,\u201d says 45-year-old Rabin Betkhoodoo. \u201cYou have to look beyond your challenges to succeed in whatever you put your mind to.\u201d Born in Iran in 1976, and part of the Assyrian community, he was diagnosed at birth with spastic quad cerebral […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"location":[],"class_list":["post-9801","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general-interest"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\n
\n<\/strong>Rabin\u2019s inability to use his facial muscles and the core of his body meant he was unable to communicate with others.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>When they arrived in Canada, Rabin, his mother, father and sister, didn\u2019t understand English. His mother accompanied him to elementary school on his first day.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>At age 20, Rabin graduated from high school. He furthered his education at community college, graduating with a certificate in Business Applications for Windows.<\/p>\n