A disability can prove to be a hurdle that many people can’t overcome. Not only did one disabled soldier leap over this hurdle, he paved the way for something extraordinary.
Matthew Fontaine Maury joined the US Navy in 1825 when he was only 19 years old. He began to study the seas and navigation aboard the USS Brandywine. But when a leg injury took him out of service and left him disabled, he decided to use his abilities to continue to serve from the shore. He began mapping data from shipping logs onto charts and found a pattern in winds, weather and currents that was previously unknown to the world.
He published his book in 1855 titled The Physical Geography of the Sea. He then did something truly groundbreaking: he shipped his data to anyone who wanted it in return for contributions of data. It became a project that spanned the world which paved the way for the U.S. Naval Observatory and made Maury its first superintendent.
Having a disability doesn’t mean your success has to end. While it can cause many to lapse into depression and feelings of low self-worth, Maury proved that a disability doesn’t have to hold you back. Maury is proof you can use your feelings of failure and lead yourself to success!