By: Julie Gartland
Norman Smith, founder of Project Freedom Inc., is 47 years old, but most people mistake him for a 25-year-old, he said.
Confined to a wheelchair due to the physical limitations of cerebral palsy, Mr. Smith, with his youthful appearance and exuberant sense of humor, leads a fulfilling life.
Mr. Smith attended Long Island University, graduating with degrees in journalism and political science. With the aid of his roommate, who was also his personal care attendant, Mr. Smith said college wasn’t that difficult.
Since he was born with cerebral palsy, being physically disabled is all he knows. Besides, he said, "You do what you have to do." Cerebral palsy primarily is the result of a lack of oxygen at birth that prevents the correct signals leading from the brain to the muscles.
Many people with developmental physical disabilities are cognitively fine, according to Tim Doherty, executive director of PFI and father of a 26-year-old physically disabled daughter.
"They are able to carry on conversations, can make decisions and can live independently, if they choose," he said.
Mr. Smith’s dream for Project Freedom stemmed from living a successful independent life while in college. Several years ago he began a recreational program for young adults with physical disabilities known as the Nottingham Recreation Center for the Physically Limited (NRCPL).
Out of the program came the realization that the disabled have specific needs, not only in recreation and socializing, but in affordable, accessible housing.
In 1991, the 30-unit apartment complex built by Project Freedom Inc., was Mr. Smith’s dream come true – accessible, affordable housing where people with disabilities make their own decisions, live as independently as possible with some support and are productive members of society.
Mr. Smith said one of the most difficult things about being physically disabled is it is not easy to be spontaneous.
"My wife and I can’t just pick up and go out for an ice cream," he said, "because we have to arrange for transportation."
Mr. Smith believes disabled people have as much right to be free as anyone else, and along with that comes the possibility of making wrong decisions. Mr. Smith embraces this possibility, saying, "If you can’t make mistakes, you can’t learn, you can’t live."
