CNN
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When Jeison Aristizábal grew to become the CNN Hero of the 12 months in 2016 – the primary from Latin America – he shared a strong message for younger folks with disabilities and their households.

“I need to let you know that, sure, you possibly can. You possibly can dream and you may obtain your goals,” he mentioned.

Rising up with cerebral palsy in one of many poorest areas of Cali, Colombia, Aristizábal pushed himself to defy society’s expectations. He has devoted his life to bringing remedy, schooling, and help to different younger folks with disabilities in his group to allow them to notice their potential.

Since 2016, his group, Asodisvalle, has expanded in large methods, opening much more doorways of alternative for these he helps.

Along with his prize cash and donations, Aristizábal and his group bought the land the place they constructed a a lot bigger rehabilitation middle geared up with new know-how and extra medical instruments for all the kids’s wants. They’ve grown from serving to some 400 younger folks to greater than 1,000 as we speak, he mentioned.

Together with specialised therapies, his middle offers college students with free schooling and a number of packages, together with dance, sports activities, and music. Older college students can even study job expertise.

Not solely has Aristizábal expanded his nonprofit, he was impressed to turn into a lawyer and graduated from regulation faculty three years in the past.

“I spotted that the world wants extra folks to defend the rights of these with disabilities,” he mentioned. “My objective is to assist change the legal guidelines of this nation in order that these with disabilities can have extra alternatives.”

This CNN Hero of the 12 months helps youngsters with disabilities defy expectations

This 12 months, he and his basis realized yet one more large dream: Constructing a college. Impressed by a bunch of older college students from this system, the group started building two years in the past.

“Right now we’ve got the primary college for younger folks with disabilities in Latin America,” he mentioned.

Now in its first 12 months, with 300 college students enrolled, the college gives a variety of lessons, together with pc programming, 3D know-how, graphic design, and languages. College students can even study expertise in culinary arts, carpentry, music, and tailoring.

“It has all of the tools so that folks with disabilities can research in an accessible means,” Aristizábal mentioned. “We have now ocular know-how, for instance. Those that can’t transfer their arms or ft are working computer systems with their eyes.”

Aristizábal says the main focus shouldn’t be solely to assist college students attain their faculty schooling however to organize them for employment to allow them to be part of the workforce, turn into suppliers of their households, and contribute to quite a lot of fields.

“The muse is altering the idea of the phrase ‘incapacity,’ understanding that they’ll, that they’re succesful,” he mentioned.

The younger individuals who impressed the thought for the college, Aristizábal says, began out studying to be bakers on the basis. Now, they’re employed at a neighborhood meals manufacturing plant.

“Earlier than, their households noticed them as if they weren’t going to have the ability to do a lot,” he mentioned. “Right now, they’ve a job, they’ve a wage. They’re those who put meals on the desk.”

In the end, Aristizábal desires to indicate the world what anyone can obtain if given the possibility.

“Jeison is a job mannequin for us,” mentioned Ayleen, who began on the basis when she was 4 and plans to enroll on the college subsequent 12 months to turn into a trainer. “He’s proven us that there isn’t any limitation, no incapacity, no nothing stopping us from attaining our goals.”