Mitsubishi Electric: Changes for the Better

Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation

May 2008: Lisa Flint of North Attleboro, MA

"In twenty-nine years of living with cerebral palsy and chronic pain, I've managed to get by with the love of family, friends and my strong religious beliefs."

Name: Lisa Flint
City: North Attleboro, MA
Age: 29
Hobbies: Scrapbooking, spending time with Myles her service dog, making collages, activist

In twenty-nine years of living with cerebral palsy and chronic pain, I've managed to get by with the love of family, friends and my strong religious beliefs. From being the poster child for Meeting Street School, graduating high school and going on to college, it has been a terrific experience.

There have been turbulent times in my life but I've managed to overcome them because of my strong religious background.

I'm currently studying accounting procedures and hopefully one day the skills that I've learned will help me open my own business. It's a slow process as I have to take time off for my numerous doctor's appointments, but I do manage to find the time to work on my scrapbooking, spending time with Myles (who happens to be my service dog) and my own special projects. The most current one would be that I'm working on cookbooks using my Grandmother's recipes that I'll be giving out as Christmas gifts to my family. Last year I made collages using leaves that I gathered in the fall so that I could capture the vivid colors of the season.

I have also become an avid activist in disability and women's issues. Theses are areas that I'm very passionate about and feel there's lots of room for change. I recently won a verdict against the Guess clothing company for discrimination against the disabled consumer [inaccessible fitting rooms] and donated my settlement to two organizations that deal with the disabled population [including Partners for Youth with Disabilities, where Lisa has been both a mentee and mentor]. I also testified on behalf of victim's rights in the Massachusetts court system.

Portraits of Youth with Disabilities has been made possible with Lisa's donation to Boston-based Partners for Youth with Disabilities. In her youth, Lisa worked hard to be fully included in school. She was a member of the marching band's color guard and graduated on time with her class, despite having five major back operations. Her cerebral palsy makes it difficult for her to speak, but she says with a smile: "If people are willing to take the time to listen to me, they'll see that I am fun. I tell them if they can't understand me, don't worry. I'll repeat it until they do." As an adult, people are taking the time to hear her, as she advocates for equal treatment and opportunity for women and people with disabilities.