According to the WHO, about 15% of the human population suffer from one form of disability and about 4% of those people have difficulty in functioning in their day to day lives. The struggle for recognition and embracing disability hasn’t ended for most of these people around the world as little provision is made by authorities and institutions to make their lives comfortable. People living with disabilities always have to push the limits and they literally break world records every day because they beat huge odds that the rest of humanity probably couldn’t. Here is a look at ten incredible and very interesting world records held by people with a disability…
Longest Journey On Crutches
You don’t have to lose a leg to understand how hard it is to hop about on crutches for a couple of hundred meters. It wears you out really quickly, which is why making a journey for thousands of miles on crutches is no walk in the park. Guy Amalfitano, a French Paralympic athlete set the record in 2013 when he travelled for 175 day on crutches covering over 6,000km on his journey with an average of 32km a day.
Highest Ramp Jump On A Wheelchair
Aaron Fotheringham has been using a wheelchair since he was 13 but he hasn’t allowed that to limit his ability to set world records. He has become famous for pulling off amazing stunts with his wheelchair for decades including doing backflips and racing. He also set a record of jumping 60cm on a ramp in Rome in 2010 setting the world record which stays unbroken to date.
The World’s First Functional Lego Prosthetic Arm
People with a disability can still play their role in changing the world just like David Aguilar who holds this world record. He was born without the use of his right arm and has always sought to create prototypes of affordable prosthetic arms for those that can’t afford the expensive versions offered in the market. He perfected his Mark 1 Lego prosthetic arm model in 2017 which he could use to grab things. A motorized version of the arm was created in 2017 and more is to come.
Heaviest Aircraft Pulled Over 100 Meters By Wheelchairs
Well, if you thought wheelchairs couldn’t change the world; then think again. In a bid to help a disabled people’s flying charity raise money in 2019, disabled people helped by security and staff of British Airways and Heathrow Airport came together to set this world record. They pulled a whole 127.6 tonne Boeing 787-9 for 106 meters which beat the previous world record by 67 tonnes.
The Fastest Man On Two Hands
If you don’t have legs to race with, then you can still use your arms to shake the world just like Zion Clark. Clark was born with a condition known as Caudal Regression Syndrome that inhibits the development of the spine in the lower part of the body which means he doesn’t have legs. He still trained himself to become a wrestler and is now an athlete with a huge online following and lots of records to his name. His latest record is becoming the fastest man on two hands. He can literally sprint using his arms and finish a 100m race faster than some people could manage on their legs.
Shortest Woman Living (Mobile)
Being born different can a disability or a gift depending on whether you embrace it and use it just like Jyoti Amge has. At just 62.8cm in height, Jyoti holds the record for being the shortest mobile woman alive, and before that, she held a similar record for the shortest female teenager. She has embraced her height and used it to transform her life as an actress starring in lots of films and plays including American Horror Story.
Fastest Time To Solve a 6X6X6 Rubik’s Cube
Did you know that a Rubik’s cube could make you famous? Well, it make Max Park famous in the 2020 Houston Winter Cubing competition where he solved the 6x6x6 cube in 1 minute and 9.5 seconds. Max Park is autistic which is one of the most overlooked forms of disability in the world. His parents introduced him to Cubing as a way of helping him interact better with other people and it has since helped his social skills and also made him a world champion.
Most Manual Wheelchair Spins In A Minute
Spinning a wheelchair isn’t what comes to mind for most people whenever they think of world records but if you start using one at the age of 11, you get super-acquainted and you can do anything you want with its wheels. Stephen Rainey set the world record of 60 spins in one minute in 2015 when he and his colleagues hosted a charity event to address the need for facilities that accommodate people with disabilities in his hometown. He perfected his spinning and wheelchair racing skills while playing basketball with his dad.
Biggest Ever Wheelchair Logo
When people living with a disability come together, they can do wonders on their own and that was the message being sent by over 10,000 people with disabilities in the city of Navsari in Gujarat, India. The group came together to spread awareness on the needs of people with a disability and set three records while in their gathering including the largest number of oil lamps lit in one location simultaneously.
Longest Distance In 24 Hours On A Mouth Controlled Motorized Wheelchair
Don’t let the term motorized fool you, controlling your wheelchair using your mouth for kilometres is no joke. The man behind the wheel in this case was Chang-Hyuan Choi of South Korea who has cerebral palsy and therefore was paralyzed from the neck downwards. He has inspired the world with his wheelchair including setting the record for the longest distance travelled on a motorized wheelchair after travelling through Europe and Asia setting more world records.
