At the University of Virginia, a fourth-year kinesiology major has built his own prosthetic legs to help him walk across the graduation stage.
Building his own prosthetic legs began as an assignment for a summer internship, but for Brian Douglas, this journey has become an empowering one.
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He told WVIR, “Somebody else in a worse situation is putting their best foot forward every single day and pushing through it every single day. So, why can’t I? Why shouldn’t I be doing the same thing?”
Douglas has used prosthetics since he was a child, but he said the opportunity to make his own in the summer of 2023 was different.
He remarked, “It’s super fulfilling. It kind of gave me a greater sense of control over my own mobility.”
He now wants people to see the man behind the prosthetics. He also wants to prove that wearing a prosthetic does not define him.
“We’re tucked and crammed into the monolith that is disability, and I think that is kind of a mindset that needs to be shed as we move forward,” Douglas expressed.
Douglas is now changing the narrative by coaching others and engaging in his favorite pastimes. He said it gives him a “real sense of joy and fulfillment.”
Douglas understands that the journey is not always easy, but he believes that is part of the story.
“A lot of things are difficult, even if you don’t have a disability,” he stated. “I think that people need to know that it’s OK to fail because failure is not the end of our journey. Give yourself some grace.”
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