Norman — Leaving home for college is supposed to be one of the most promising and exciting times in a young adult’s life. Some students may suffer from homesickness. Others their first broken heart. Difficult classes and homework may be overwhelming. For others, add in another obstacle: a physical disability. The addition of a physical disability can make it seem as if the obstacles and adversity already present in a college realm are insurmountable.

Despite facing limitations which may make a college career more difficult, disabled students are capable of finding success in the face of adversity. The definition of success varies from one person to another, and individuals can find satisfaction in reaching what they believe to be a successful goal.

For Eric Gaffney, aviation-professional pilot senior, his success stems from a childhood passion. Through travels with his father’s job as a mechanic for American Airlines, Gaffney decided he wanted to become a pilot, despite being born without his right hand.

“I initially doubted myself when coming to OU,” Gaffney says. “At first, I was in biochemistry, but I wanted to do what I had always wanted to do, which was fly. I feel like that was what I was born to do.”

The task of flying an airplane is not a simple one for Gaffney. To prove his capability as a pilot, he had to pass three special medical flight tests that pilots with two hands are not required to take.

He says he first had to prove he could fly the airplane by himself, then that he could fly the plane from both seats and finally that he could fly with manual flaps instead of electrical ones.

Today, he is essentially restriction free.

“To overcome the restrictions and earn those extra certificates is something that I smile about everyday,” Gaffney says. “It makes me really happy to know that there is no difference between me and another pilot. I may have to work a little harder and quicker, and by no means is it easy, but it is definitely nice to know I am restriction free.”

Business junior Colin Bober sees a positive attitude as key in discovering success.

“The main thing that has contributed to my success as a student is having an open mind and saying, ‘This is what I have, this is what I need to do, this is why I am here, and I can’t let this really define who I am because ultimately the way I grew up in my household and through my life is that I don’t see myself as disabled’,” Bober says.

Bober, who was born with cerebral palsy, has regular motor function but is unable to maintain his own balance. Still, he found college intimidating following a high school career where some people made fun of him after not taking time to understand his situation.

“As a freshman, I didn’t know where I fit into a college community, but to put it into perspective, nobody does,” Bober says.

Through a need for involvement, Bober joined the Association of Disabled Students and now serves as president. Attending law school is an option, and he understands the importance of support from others in his life.

“My overall success has to be a collaborative effort between me, the university and everyone around me,” Bober says.

While some students have adapted to a born disability, others are forced to adjust to a new situation following injury.

A double major in political science and international and area studies, senior Kyle Morrison experienced an injury resulting in quadriplegia at the age of 16.

Morrison says he broke his neck while jumping a bike. The impact snapped and dislocated his fifth vertebra and damaged the sixth, resulting in an incomplete injury of his spinal cord. Now, he lacks most motor movement and sensory feeling below his chest and down the back of his arms, requiring him to use an electric wheelchair.

“Beyond the physical limitations, which I do not believe I will ever be ‘okay’ with, are the social barriers,” Morrison says. “Obviously, I am not ‘just like everyone else’ physically, and I think it would be a mistake to assert otherwise.”

Socially, Morrison feels as if it may be difficult for disabled people to associate with people because an average person may want to avoid offending someone with a disability.

“But, overall, I think that people can overcome this initial uneasiness after getting to know us and realizing that we are pretty similar,” he says.

Yet Morrison understands the feelings of awkwardness and uneasiness he felt around disabled people before suffering his injury.

“I can recognize that many young, disabled people do not go to college and essentially ‘shut-down’ and give in to depression and helplessness, so I have had success in continuing my education and staying somewhat active,” Morrison says.

Physical disabilities are often frustrating and discouraging issues to face, but it is possible for students to find happiness and success in the midst of the troubles.

“It all comes down to how you perceive yourself and what you are willing to do,” Bober says.