By Andrew Pillow

Tom Cruise, Albert Einstein and Magic Johnson are all people with disabilities, but all still contribute to society. This was one of the many points made Friday afternoon at a disability rights forum.

The forum featured a showing of a documentary titled “If I Can’t Do It Myself,” which chronicled the life and struggles of keynote speaker and activist Arthur Campbell.

Campbell, who suffers from a severe speech impediment as a result of his spastic cerebral palsy, feels people with disabilities are not properly catered to in the world today.

“I began to realize I didn’t need to be changed or healed, society did,” Campbell said in his film. “If a child is born with a disability, they automatically become a member of a group forgotten and neglected by society.”

The film gave a glimpse into the personal struggles of Campbell, especially those created by his speech. Campbell, who has to speak through an interpreter for most people to understand him, said communication has always been one of his biggest obstacles.

“Most people just aren’t patient enough to understand someone with a severe speech impediment,” Campbell said. “One of my greatest frustrations is when people would come up to me and try and have a conversation. The very minute I opened my mouth to say something, I could see the fear and tension come in their eyes.”

Campbell said the biggest problem facing the disabled community today is transportation.

“Without public transportation, you are denying people their constitutional right to assemble,” Campbell said.

The second presenter, Norb Ryan, the Kentucky coordinator for the Americans with Disabilities Act, gave a presentation on the history and laws dealing with disabilities.

Many disabled people, if they are given the opportunity and are challenged, can live very fruitful lives, Ryan said.

Vince Bingham, a masters student in educational policy studies and evaluation, said he thought the disabled rights movement resembles that of other movements.

“You can say the same for any group that’s been oppressed,” Bingham said. “They’ve been silenced.”