CNN recently named their annual Hero of the Year for 2017. The recipient of the award was a woman named Amy Wright who is actively working to reframe the perception of people with disabilities. According to the article on CNN, 70 percent of adults with disabilities (intellectual and developmental) are not employed. Wright set out to change that. And we here at the Center for Effective Living applaud her!
From CNN: Wright, who employs and advocates for dozens of intellectually and developmentally disabled (IDD) people at her North Carolina coffee shop, Bitty & Beau’s Coffee, addressed her two children who have Down syndrome during her acceptance speech Sunday night.
“I would not change you for the world, but I will change the world for you,” she promised during “CNN Heroes: An All Star Tribute.”
Wright opened Bitty & Beau’s Coffee in January 2016 and named the shop for two of her four children.
She was named 2017 CNN Hero of the Year for her efforts to advocate for disabled people. The award is determined by online voters who selected Wright from among the top 10 CNN Heroes finalists.
Wright will receive $100,000 to grow her cause. All of the top 10 CNN Heroes for 2017 will receive a $10,000 cash award. Donations made to each of their designated nonprofit organizations are also being matched up to $50,000.
“It is a very personal story for me,” Wright told Camerota. “When Beau was born 13 years ago, my husband Ben and I didn’t know anything about Down syndrome, and I reflect on that and the fear we felt and the grief we felt and how we transformed that into some of the greatest joy we’ve known in our lives.”
Wright and her husband were inspired to act on behalf of people with disabilities when they learned about the lack of opportunities within the population.
Click here for the complete article and to read on about Amy Wright’s work.