TEDxMacatawa - Chris Klein - seeing unique abilities

Thank you Mr. Klein! It is indeed time for everyone to put down their masks. Your point about letting the world see who you are in order to truly see the world is especially well made.

Great video, very eye opening.

If you have any questions for me, just post them here! I am willing to answer questions! Thank you for taking the time to watch this video!

Again Chris, a powerful message. Thank you. Gina Cunningham

Chris! As a middle school inclusion teacher I was once told by a student: "Miss, don't you see? There are the Nobles, those are the cool people, then there are people who follow the cool people, then there are the Shy people, then the Rejects(but they have each other), then The Its and then the Plain Dumb people." I've always known the Its were the kids without verbal language. Your truth-telling and leadership is so needed in the community of AAC users and their allies.With grateful solidarity.

Chris: I've always been impressed by your courage. One thing I will never forget is that we all have a disability, some of us just hide it better than others. Keep speaking and may your message fall on open ears and hearts!

Excellent video Chris!! You came up with great points and I hope your video will help to open the eyes of many. I will share this video on my fb so hopefully you will get lots of more "views" I would be ecstatic if this video went viral. :)

Thank you for reposting it. I am hoping to get more hits.

So honored to know you Chris and work for you !!!

What a fantastic presentation!!! I have posted it on our Facebook page in the hope of spreading your thoughts about "normalcy", being cool, the importance of AAC and being able to express one's thoughts, ideas, feelings. Keep up the good work, Chris!!!

Excellent message

Excellent message and it really hits home for me. Personally, I've always been socially awkward with those who have a visible handicap. My love and compassion reaches as far if not further with them and when in my childhood days, I would get so frustrated when these minor barriers held me back or when I fell into pity versus love. Chris came to FairHaven church a few months ago and gave one of the best messages that I've ever heard. Truly a massive inspiration and I have the utmost respect.

Such an inspirational video, thank you for sharing your message Chris! (:

This is one of the most inspirational things I have ever seen. What an amazing human being. Society truly needs to sort itself out. We are admiring the wrong people.

I saw the link to your talk from the AGOSCI list-serve.  Thanks for posting.  Great talk.

You rock man, such an inspiration!

Thanks for sharing this terrific speech.  I would like to share it with friends and colleagues who have hearing or auditory processing difficulties, but the autocaptions are inaccurate.  Will you be able to correct the captions so that this message can reach a broader audience?  If you need help, contact CaptionMatch or check the CCACaptioning website.  Thanks!  Judy Bailey,Centreville, VA

You are right, we ALL have a disability that restrains us from living a full life.  Thank you for facing yours head on and leading by example.  YES, THE WORLD NEEDS MORE PEOPLE LIKE YOU!

My daughter is a young AAC user.  I hope she will grow to lead a full life on her own terms. Getting the word out about AAC now helps future generations-KEEP SHARING YOUR STORY

Using this speech to discuss the resurrection of our perfect bodies & the life everlasting on Sunday. Thanks for your willingness to discuss such tough issues with openness, courage, & grace.

I commend you for your Grace and can accept my Disability more now , I appreciate your discussion and pray for you and everyone else that struggle with their Disability. Thank You

Thank you Chris. I am so grateful. I have no words... but can I try ;-) You are brilliant, and beautiful and a blessing. I hope this video will change the world for people with disabilities, and for the billions of people whose disability is blindness to those who are different to them. What a loss for everyone, to miss each other like this.

I'm looking up videos of encouragement for my friend who lost his ability to walk few years ago after his legs became paralysis and because he is a very gifted individual in so many ways, the lost of his ability to walk didn't affect his abilities to take care of himself, his family, and care for others. The only problem right now are people attacking him by saying he cannot walk so he cannot be one of the leaders instead of debating issues. online bullying. The guy has proved himself from when he was a child to the time he lost his ability to walk and that didn't slow him down either. A lot of us who claimed not to have disabilities are very weak and insecure, so when we lose a competition that we were expecting to win, we get mad at ourselves for being weak and throw everything at people we lost to and hope something will stick. I believe Americans call those kind of people sore losers. people like you who make the impossible easy are inspirational to the world. I saw you typing with your feet and making it looks easy, a lot of us struggle typing with our 10 fingers, a lot of us are given everything by others that wants us to succeed and we still failed. you are the man sir.

The problem is "normal". A facet!

Chris you are so amazing and I am so grateful to have discovered you. My son uses the device from your site and it has helped him to communicate thanks to you!!

Way to go, Chris! Mr. Big Toe!