ReelPeople

Presented by ReelAbilities

ReelPeople features presentations from remarkable experts that will intimately and urgently reveal the world of disabilities. Join us for an extraordinary evening with extraordinary stories with: Jim Abbott and Ali Stroker‍ and moderator Rhonda Abbott.

Ali Stroker

Ali Stroker is a Tony Award winner for her role as ‘Ado Annie’ in Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Oklahoma! She made history as the first actor in a wheelchair to appear on Broadway in Deaf West’s acclaimed 2015 revival of Spring Awakening.

She’s a series regular in the Netflix series, Echoes, and starred in the Lifetime holiday film, Christmas Ever After. Ali recurred in the final season of Netflix’s Ozark and is recurring in Hulu’s Only Murders in the Building. She co-wrote the novel, The Chance to Fly and its sequel, Cut Loose!; and she wrote the children’s book, Ali and the Sea Stars. She played ‘Lady Anne’ in the Shakespeare in the Park production of Richard III. She’s performed her one woman show all over the country, some of her favorites being the Kennedy Center, Town Hall, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall.

Her mission to improve the lives of others through the arts is captured in her motto: “Turning Your Limitations Into Your Opportunities.”

Jim Abbott

Born without a right hand, Jim Abbott dreamed of becoming a great athlete. Raised in Flint, Michigan by parents who saw his condition not as a disability, but an extraordinary opportunity. Jim would go on to an improbable athletic journey carrying him from Flint onto some of the grandest stages in sports.

Playing football and baseball, Jim was a two-sport standout at Flint Central High School before attending the University of Michigan where he would become a 3-year starter, earning All Big Ten and All American honors. As a collegiate player, Jim was named the Golden Spikes Award winner and the Sullivan Award winner, which is given to the top amateur athlete in the United States.

While in college, Jim would also play on two USA Baseball teams, first the Pan American Team, where he carried the U.S. flag in the opening ceremonies at the Indianapolis Speedway, and then the following summer, traveling to the Olympics in Seoul Korea where he would pitch a complete game 5-3 victory over Japan for the Gold Medal.

Professionally, Jim was selected in the 1st round of the MLB draft in 1989. He would go on to play ten Major League seasons for the Angels, Yankees, White Sox and Brewers. In 1991, Jim finished 3rd in the American League Cy Young voting and in 1993, Jim pitched a 4-0 no-hitter for the New York Yankees in Yankee Stadium.

Jim retired from baseball in 1999 and has spent large portions of his time supporting and advocating for those in the limb-difference community. Jim Abbott’s story serves as encouragement for all that is possible in the face of great odds. Jim and his family spend time in Southern California and Northern Michigan.

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