Nancy Becker Kennedy

In addition to complaining about her hair, dating, and staying thin just long enough to land another husband, Nancy Becker Kennedy plunges heart and soul into her one-one show, "I had to Break My Neck to Get Here." Unfortunately, that is true both figuratively and literally. Injured in a diving accident at age twenty, Nancy suffered a broken neck with spinal cord injuries resulting. With the assistance of her electric chair, she returned to college to complete both a Bachelor and Master's Degree in Communications. She went on to become a news producer for public television, a published playwrite, award winning writer and composer, as well as an actress appearing regularly for 2 1/2 years on daytime's General Hospital. She even became the first primetime player who is quadriplegic appearing on the ABC series, "The Louie Anderson Show". Nancy is committed to opening doors. Combining her comedy and communication skills, she has made a powerful impact as a member of ADAPT (American Disabled for Attendant Programs) a civil rights organization that fights for the release of people with disabilities who are inappropriately locked away in nursing homes and institutions. With her comedy, she is opening another kind of door--the door to the heart that sometimes closes in fear when you see someone who uses a chair. Becker Kennedy's power with candor and warmth uniquely qualifies her to help college students deal with the discomfort that exists between the non-disabled and disabled worlds. Having spent equal time in both worlds, Nancy speaks with insight and authority. When asked how she can so comfortably answer intimate questions from the audience, she replies, "The deeply seated answer is that I'm unbelievably insensitive." As you listen to Nancy give her presentation, you will see that that is not true. A nationally recognized expert, Ms. Kennedy has been featured in and contributed to Ms. Magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and The New Republic. She is also a contributing editor of the award winning national magazine, Spinal Network's New Mobility. She has been seen on Sixty Minutes, Nightwatch with Charlie rose, and A Closer Look with Faith Daniels. She is the first person to address the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and edited the first consumer section of the Western Journal of Medicine