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John Robinson
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John Robinson is a motivational/inspirational speaker. In the past two years, Robinson has been from Australia to the White House discussing the Obstacles he has Overcome! John Robinson has spoken to Fortune 500 Corporations to high school students. Robinson can speak to audiences about Overcoming Obstacles in Life, Businesses or Sales!

Presently, Robinson is President /CEO of Our Ability – a company designed to tell video stories about successful people with disabilities, and provide mentoring to young people with disabilities.

In 2010, John Robinson started a not-for-profit organization/501(c) 3 dedicated to educating people in schools and businesses about people with disabilities titled Disability Education Forum of New York (DEFNY).

Prior to Our Ability, Robinson worked for 20 years for television stations in New York State from sales to management. He is a 1990 graduate of the S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University.

John Robinson is the subject of a national documentary shown on Public Broadcasting Stations titled Get Off Your Knees: The John Robinson Story and authored an autobiography Get Off Your Knees: A Story of Faith, Courage, and Determination published by Syracuse University Press.

John has been married for over fifteen years and has three children. In 2001, he was selected to carry the Olympic torch as it passed through Albany on its way to Salt Lake City for the 2002 games.

Blog Entries by John Robinson

Accessible New York?

(3) Comments | Posted April 9, 2013 | 11:23 AM

Mayor Bloomberg, I applaud your efforts to make New York a better city. I ask you to take a look at a new area -- accessibility. If you need help, I am in your debt. Literally.

Last week, I was a tourist in New York City. I carried no gun...

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Angela Mackey: National Governor's Association and Ability

(0) Comments | Posted December 5, 2012 | 10:40 AM

Angela Mackey is a wonderful person who loves her job. She especially enjoys recruiting others to Walgreens. Angela has cerebral palsy. She is hiring and managing people with disabilities all while trying to share Walgreen's successful recipe with others. Why is this important?

There are 54 million people...

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Nick Springer: Quad Amputee and Paralympian

(0) Comments | Posted September 10, 2012 | 10:48 AM

At age 14, bacterial meningococcal meningitis took four limbs from Nick Springer. It didn't take his determination.

Springer plays wheelchair rugby with passion, grit and a little bit of nasty. He is a defensive specialist. Early in the game against Team Great Britain, Ross Morrison seemed unstoppable. Morrison is Team...

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What the U.S. Should Learn About 'Being Ready'

(0) Comments | Posted September 7, 2012 | 4:07 PM

You know what happens when you show the London 2012 Paralympics on TV as you would other international sports? You get interest in diversity now and for years to come.

As we are approaching another presidential election in the United States, we hear nothing from our political leaders about...

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School Yard Pranks Are Unacceptable

(0) Comments | Posted May 10, 2012 | 3:39 PM

Our Ability is neutral politically. I try to be neutral politically. There are conservatives and liberals alike with disabilities, or who have children or family members with disabilities. Disability does NOT discriminate.

It sounds like one of our political leaders in the United States does, or did. When you...

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Take a Stand against Bullying Children with Disabilities

(1) Comments | Posted March 27, 2012 | 12:36 PM

Bullying in schools is a major topic of discussion right now. Bullying children with disabilities is especially prevalent. At Our Ability, we are helping by answering questions about bullying in school speeches and creating a PSA we are producing for television.

At every speech I give, a child...

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The Dumbing Down of America Continues With Rosie O'Donnell and Chelsea Handler

(17) Comments | Posted February 16, 2012 | 4:12 PM

I've worked in media for 20+ years, and know when there is a set up. A tease for ratings. Publicity grab. Rosie did it again.

By now, you may know that Rosie just alienated ALL of the the little people in America. Even the Little People of America...

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Her Ability to Connect: Lacey Tompkins Inspires

(0) Comments | Posted February 2, 2012 | 8:26 AM

Lacey Tompkins came to us from an impromptu meeting with Dave Kerpen at Likeable Media in New York. I read Dave's book this past summer as I was building the marketing plan for Our Ability.

Dave mentioned an intern Likeable had and introduced us...

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A Lannister Always Pays His Debts... Peter Dinklage Too!

(2) Comments | Posted January 17, 2012 | 10:56 AM

I am not sure if there is a cooler character in novels, today. I know there isn't one I enjoy following the trials and tribulations more in reading. George R.R. Martin's Tyrion Lannister is a great character! Not good, great!

I was referred to Game of Thrones by...

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Our Ability: Lieutenant Brown's Journey

(1) Comments | Posted December 30, 2011 | 1:22 PM

Lieutenant Ian James Brown exemplifies perseverance. As a person with a physical disability, he has overcome an amazing physical challenge in a very short period of time.

His military training has helped in his recovery, attitude and his future goals in a medical career. Our Ability had the opportunity...

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Enough of the Freak Show Oprah

(1) Comments | Posted December 20, 2011 | 5:00 PM

So much for celebrating difference, it's the circus all over again! History repeats itself. You would think I would've learned. It's my fault for believing in something better. "Step right up and see the bearded lady, lizard skinned boy..." Enough already!

Recently, I wrote a blog mentioning Zach Anner's new...

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The Bad of The Good Wife and Television!

(1) Comments | Posted December 15, 2011 | 2:30 PM

I am a big fan of The Good Wife! I love Alicia, Will and the gang. I especially like Michael J. Fox, using his disability in his character -- we need more of this! But, it reminds me of the opportunities we are missing.

Recently, we see on OWN a...

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Hiring People With Disabilities: What You Can Do

(1) Comments | Posted November 4, 2011 | 10:20 AM

November comes as National Disability Employment Awareness Month goes, but our work truly begins now! From South Dakota to Ocean City, Md., I have in the last five weeks, spoken about the need for more employment options for all in America.

Unemployment for people with disabilities hit 18 percent in September, about twice the national unemployment rate. We all have work to do.

Whether you are a business owner looking to add staff (did you know about tax benefits from hiring veterans and people with disabilities?), a school looking to educate, or an individual who wants to start her own business, we all can benefit from adding people who want a career -- an identity. Isn't it always our first question when we meet someone new, "What do you do?"

Let's all help people with disabilities find meaningful employment. At Our Ability, our way is twofold. First, we produce web videos about people we know who can serve as role models in and around employment, education and entrepreneur settings. Second, we work with businesses and universities to support employment. Our work takes us into human resources and organizational development.

Over the next few months Our Ability -- with the help of the Huffington Post -- will be posting stories of people with disabilities. We will post profiles of people succeeding in their quest to live the life they desire. These stories are examples of what we all can accomplish by working together to support employment and education for all.

Our Ability needs your help. Please share these stories with others, let us know about employment opportunities and connect Our Ability with great stories we should know about. As the conversation grows, help us raise the level of awareness in and around employment for people with disabilities.
...

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A New Prayer?

(0) Comments | Posted September 13, 2011 | 12:15 PM

This past Sunday morning our priest in my church was reminding us how full and open places of worship were in the days following Sept. 11, 2001. He mentioned that we were all looking for spiritual help, guidance and community. He called upon all of us to bring people back...

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Crickets Chirping... Silence About the Most Vulnerable

(0) Comments | Posted July 27, 2011 | 4:03 PM

This week the Pew Research Center came out with its study showing, not surprisingly, that the wealth gap of minorities is growing at an alarming pace. According to the study, the median wealth of white households in 2009 was $113,149, compared with $6,325 for Hispanics and $5,677 for African-Americans. You...

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#AskObama; #AskYourself

(1) Comments | Posted July 7, 2011 | 12:57 PM

"You can start a company and suddenly help bring the whole world together..."

Sixty-five minutes into a sixty-six minute twitter session at the White House, Pres. Obama mentioned exactly what I wanted to hear. You can change the world with an entrepreneurial idea and perseverance. It made me think...

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The R Word: Thank You Jane

(1) Comments | Posted May 25, 2011 | 6:37 PM

I had the chance to speak with intellectually-challenged students from all around northern New York state this week. It was an absolutely wonderful experience! We spent the better part of four hours sharing stories about overcoming obstacles. I can't tell you how much inspiration I receive from developmentally disabled individuals...

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Mentoring: Alex, Sara and Becky

(1) Comments | Posted April 27, 2011 | 5:08 PM

"If Alex could have cartwheeled down the hallway after connecting with you, he would have," Terri Morse of Essex County (NY) Social Worker reported on the telephone. Alex made contact with me via email immediately after watching the video.

"He needs to see positive role models. He has a new...
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Our Ability: Web Portal for People With Disabilities

(4) Comments | Posted March 28, 2011 | 2:20 PM

When I was 16 years old, I had no person with a physical disability that I could look up to as a mentor. My heroes were Bob Costas, Dick Stockton and other Syracuse University broadcasters. All able bodied.

I craved someone with a physical disability that I could emulate....

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Where Are You Startup America?

(13) Comments | Posted February 16, 2011 | 10:25 AM

During the State of the Union address, I was lying on the living room floor listening to the president talk about the entrepreneurial spirit and the future of the United States of America. I got chills down my spine thinking about how important that statement is to our future.
...

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