Allow me to take a moment to introduce myself. My name is Michael Lifshitz. I am your average, run of the mill 33 year old. I am a financial advisor in Montreal. I have the same ambitions, hopes, dreams, concerns and fears as most of my friends. There is only one difference. I am disabled.
My disability is the result of a condition since birth called Multiple Congenital Musculoskeletal Abnormalities. It is actually Latin, for slightly messed up!! (I actually usually use a little more colorful language for that joke, but just in case there is any younger people reading this site, we will leave it at slightly messed up!!) In short, when I was born, some of my skeleton was not properly formed. The most significant problems was that I did not have a proper knee on my right leg and was missing the tibia, the bone that connects your knee and ankle. As a result, they removed the partial foot I did have and constructed a knee and made a stump so that I could be fitted with an artificial leg and be able to walk. As well, both my hip sockets were not formed, and as such, were constructed. (Just call me lego man!!) As I entered my teen years, I was diagnosed with juvenile arthritis and scoliosis, an irregular curvature of the spine, which was corrected by surgery. All in all, I have had nine surgeries in my lifetime. I am hoping someone buys me a car to celebrate my 10th, if there ever is one!!
Through it all, I tried to keep some form of normalcy, despite spending most summers of my childhood in hospitals and at home recovering. Despite all of it, I managed to go to school and make friends, many of who are still friends to this day. In CEGEP, I graduated from an honors program with honors, and earned certificates in International Studies and Quebec Canada Studies. I was one of ten students accepted into the Accountancy Co-Op at Concordia in my year and graduated the BCOMM program with distinction. I did my stage with a Big Five accounting firm, passed my CA exams on the first shot and ran my own accounting practice for nearly three years. In 2006, I received my MBA from Edinburgh Business School in Scotland. Currently, I live by myself in my own condo, am building a successful financial planning practice, and am involved in a number of charitable causes. All this, despite the fact that I walk with a cane, and for longer distances, use an electric wheelchair.
So how does all this make me special? To be honest, while I am proud of my accomplishments, I really can't tell you why any of this makes me special. However, so many people seem to be in awe of what I can do, since I am disabled. When I turned eighteen, I had to leave an excellent orthopedic doctor at Ste Justine in Montreal since I was now an adult and could no longer go to a children's hospital. The first doctor I had gone to see, who presumably was an educated man, was stunned that I was able to go to CEGEP. It is not reassuring when your doctor believes that you should be sitting home because you can't do anything. Needless to say, this was the last time I went to see him.
When I was moving into my condo, I had gone furniture shopping. Without exception, all the salesmen were in awe that I was even working, let alone that I was eligible for financing. My personal favorite was the salesman who started to explain how to fill in my name on the form. I have actually decided that the next time I am talking to someone who is shocked that I work, I am going to have some fun with them. If they want to know what I work as, I am going to tell them I am a fireman. That's right. I am a fireman.
To a large extent, I think people's awe is a result of a lack of experience dealing with and exposure to people with disabilities. I remember prior to starting at Deloitte & Touche, I was at a group retreat up north. The managing partner responsible for our team, pulled me aside during one of the coffee breaks and said to me that sometimes when there is someone who has a disability, people are not always sure how to act or if they should offer help. So he just wanted me to know that he was planning to treat me the same as everyone else but that if ever I had a problem or issue I needed help with, that his door was always open. Over my years there, I realized this was not just a nicety but a genuine willingness to help me and make the necessary accommodations for me. Those words always stuck with me, because I think that is what is the ideal. It is not a question to treat disabled people differently, but rather a question of providing them, where possible, with the necessary accommodations and integrating them into society.
I am not here to say that someone with a disability can do everything an "able bodied" person can do. I guarantee I am not suiting up to play for the Canadiens anytime soon. What I am saying is that for 33 years, I have listened to people saying I can't do things. Hence the name for the website, Sure I Can. The reality is that most people with disabilities can do more than they are given credit for. It is just a question of giving them the opportunity. It is my hope that through my writing, comedy and speaking, I can not only educate people as to just how much people with disabilities can accomplish, but also to inspire them to overcome their own challenges.
