Dance of Victory
by Sandy Morgan
A tale of triumph despite trying circumstances, Sandy Morgan was born with cerebral palsy in a time when the condition was still a mystery. Her parents struggled to cope while swimming in grief and stumbling along in a world with virtually no services, programs or physical therapies—just nursing homes and hospitals where those who were different were left to survive. Sandy’s mother refused to give up and insisted that under the façade of Sandy’s stiff and rebellious muscles, a gifted mind lay hidden.
Published Date
October 2010
Description
From summers at Camp Courage to finishing college as a person with disabilities to holding job after job and giving back to others outside the norm, Sandy became a hero, role model, and activist, successfully advocating for better services like improved transportation for the disabled community.
This is the story of a tenacious and fiercely intelligent woman whose mind never stops and whose body never began, who protested in every way she could to ensure access and independence, making a difference for future generations.
About The Author
Sandy Morgan was born in 1948 and has lived with cerebral palsy since birth. Dance of Victory tells of her growing up as a disabled person who refused to give in to her condition, to what doctors, professionals — and at times, her parents — said she would never do. “I listened to my inner self,” says Sandy “That voice said I was a beautiful child of the Universe who could accomplish anything I desired.” Typing just eight words per minute, Sandy hired an intuitive ghost writer to help in telling her story. She lives with her life partner of over 20 years, Rod, in central Minnesota, and despite doctors’ predictions, has just celebrated her 60th birthday and is still going strong!
Sandy received a Bachelor of Arts form Southwest Minnesota State University in 1973. She worked as a teacher’s assistant for the St. Paul, Minnesota, schools from 1973 through 1981; at the Metropolitan Center for Independent Living from 1981 through 1989, and wrote teachers’ independent living manuals for the Minnesota Department of Education from 1989 to 1992.
Sandy received the Miss Wheelchair Minnesota Achievement Award in 1979 and the Governor’s State Victory Award — the first in Minnesota — in 1988. She has been an active volunteer as well, including work with the Laker Lions Club, Telecommunication Accessibility for Communication Impaired People, Voices for Disability Rights (created to endorse MN Candidates), Minnesota Governor’s Advisory Council on Technology for People with Disabilities, Sister Kenny Institute Public Relation Department, Minnesota Women with Disabilities, Inc., Transit Access Coalition, United Handicapped Federation (MN), and CareBus (para-transit provider).
Sandy currently works from home with an amazing network marketing company, SendOutCards, allowing her to express her creativity through computer-generated real paper greeting cards, which she sends regularly to friends, family, business associates and prospects. The company allows her to create a card on her own computer, and after she presses “send,” the card is printed on UV-coated card stock, put into a real envelope, addressed and sent with a real first class stamp — something Sandy thought she would never be able to do with her physical limitations.
