Living Beyond Barriers

Many people, even today, look at someone with a severe disability and think, "They won't amount to much". In other words, they need to stay in their disability world and never strive to go very far. In particular, many think it is a great accomplishment to finish the state blind institution and then work to make brooms or sell light bulbs. Many go to college but then take jobs in the disability community, helping others to follow their same path. Other visually impaired people are encouraged to become small businessmen and women by running a vending stand in a local government facility. Though all of these careers are commendable and add much to the community at large, they cannot be the only resort to which visually impaired citizens go with their lives. It is this drive that led Tony Cothren to write this book based on a life where he went beyond the expectations for his life and tried to accomplish the conquering of barriers to a life that can be out of the norm, a life also guided by faith, hope and love. "LIVING BEYOND BARRIERS" is the journey of a blind man with faith, hope and love. You will learn about the foundation firmly planted by his parents as they dealt with the enormity of raising a visually impaired child. Because of his disability, Tony spent his first five years of school at the state school for the blind, before becoming the first mainstreamed graduate of the public schools in Birmingham, Alabama. He faced huge challenges as a student at the University of Alabama. Then by faith Tony became the first blind graduate of Dallas Theological Seminary. After bouncing from job to job due to the lack of understanding by the church at large, He was led by the Lord and obtained his law degree from Cumberland School of Law. As he established a private law practice while always seeking the Lord's direction daily for his life and becoming involved in various groups of disabled citizens, Tony was appointed by Presidents Reagan and Bush as a Presidential appointee. Because of his desire to help disabled individuals in their pursuit of their dreams and full accessibility into our society, Tony was instrumental in the passage and implementation of the Americans With Disabilities Act of 1990. Not only did he work with Congress in getting the law passed, he also worked on two of the task forces that developed the accessibility guidelines to ensure inclusion of the disabled into the mainstream of our society. Following this service, Tony worked with disability groups, government entities and businesses to help them understand how the law could benefit their various interests as well as incorporate the disabled into the mainstream. The culmination of these efforts, at least for this book, came when Governor Fob James of Alabama appointed Tony to be a Circuit Judge for the Tenth Judicial Circuit of Alabama, handling both trials and complicated civil actions. As you read you will experience his faith in his Lord, the continuing hope for understanding and the love of many as he sought to serve his God by "living beyond barriers".