Ever since I’ve launched this brand and released the logo, people have asked me, “Was there anyone in particular who said you couldn’t that motivated you to create this brand?” And the short answer to that question is no. But it doesn’t take someone literally telling you that you can’t to understand they don’t think you can. For example, countless times I’m out with friends a stranger will approach me and tell me it’s amazing I’m out or that I’m such an inspiration for no reason at all. I mean, why isn’t everyone else at the same bar amazing or an inspiration? They are doing the same thing as me, but the difference is that people have different expectations of me because I’m in a chair. Or, another example, when I got my job, state officials told me it’d be better for me to stay home and let the state take care of me, than earn a living. Through my experiences, I’ve observed that people don’t have the same expectations for people with disabilities as they do for able-bodied people, and that feeds into the misconception that people with disabilities “can’t do” because we are often encouraged to underachieve; however, society’s substandard expectations only motivate me to strive to achieve my true potential. Expect great things from me, or better yet, bet on it!