Meet Gregg Abbott – Texas’ First Handicapped Governor

Greg Abbott is paralyzed from the waist down and is dependent on a wheelchair for mobility. This has not stopped the Texas politician from succeeding and getting elected as the first handicapped governor of the Lone Star State and the first governor to be wheelchair bound since Alabama’s George Wallace back in 1982.

The Texas Republican became paralyzed when a tree fell on him and broke his spine while he was jogging on July 14, 1984 — the same date he chose to run for governor nearly three decades later. In the thirty years since his accident, Abbott has learned to not only cope with his disability, but to succeed to the highest office in the state. It was during his recovery from his accident that the then 26-year-old developed an interest in politics. A law student already, Abbot passed the bar exam and eventually became a judge. As a part of his campaign for governor, Abbot used footage of himself climbing several parking garage levels in his wheelchair to illustrate the strength he has developed as a result of his partial paralyzation.

Abbott has never let his disability deter him from accomplishing his goals in life and political rivals who underestimate him because he is in a wheelchair do so at the risk of losing elections. His high visibility in the public eye also serves as an inspiration to other disabled Americans and helps raise awareness of the disabled and shows they can be just as successful in life as anyone else.