Calvan Ferguson shares about his daily life, the importance of inclusion and accessible transportation and cultivating a positive attitude. 

Calvan Ferguson believes deeply in the power of a positive attitude.

“I’ve been blessed in many different ways,” he says. “You name it, and I’ve probably experienced it. And it was probably a positive experience.”

Calvan, a New York City native, has been cultivating that positive outlook since childhood. Diagnosed with cerebral palsy as a toddler, he’s used a wheelchair for most of his life. Growing up, Calvan says he often felt like a pioneer as his presence in the classroom often helped to educate other students about living with a disability.

“I went to elementary school in Manhattan,” he says. “Back then, you would have regular education and then what they called special ed, and that school kind of blurred the lines, so you had a lot of people being educated in the same classroom. It was such a beautiful thing because I didn’t feel alone.”

That feeling didn’t continue into middle school, when Calvan felt excluded from class field trips that didn’t account for wheelchair users.

“I don’t like to hold grudges, but there are some things that are hard to forget,” he says. “These field trips were designed for students who had an able, walking body and were not accessible, so I had to stay back and do extra work. Field trips are supposed to open up your horizons and inspire you, but unfortunately that’s sometimes what you get when you pioneer something.”

Eventually, Calvan completed high school, but says his schooling was often interrupted by surgeries to treat his condition. It was after one of those surgeries—Calvan estimates he’s had about 10 over the course of his lifetime—that he met the woman who would become his wife, Jasmine, who was also recovering from surgery in the hospital.

“She got discharged, and I thought, ‘I’m never going to see her again,’” Calvan recalled. “But she would call me and she would come on her free Saturdays to see me in the hospital. It really meant a lot to me because it defied everything I thought I knew about having a girlfriend or a wife.”

Calvan and Jasmine, who also uses complex rehabilitation technology (CRT) equipment for mobility, have now been married for seven years and are the parents of two children. He describes their life together as “countless dates and getting on a lot of peoples’ nerves with accessibility.”

“You know, life is hard,” Calvan says. “But it’s a little bit better if you have somebody to take the bumps with you.”

These days, Jasmine works from home full-time, while Calvan is searching for a full-time job. For now, Calvan’s made it his job to look for employment, spending a significant amount of time each day looking for his next role.

“I feel like I’m the busiest unemployed person in the world,” he says—and he’s not wrong. After helping get his kids ready for school, Calvan drops them off at school, often running errands like running to the supermarket or stopping at the pharmacy, before returning home to continue his job search.

Around 2 p.m., Calvan is usually headed back to school to pick up his kids for the day, before returning home to work on homework, eat dinner and enjoy time together as a family. On Sundays, Calvan serves on the audio/visual team at his church, preparing microphones and monitoring sound levels for the church service.

The Fergusons rely heavily on Access-A-Ride and public transportation to get around the city—their weekly trip to church involves two buses and a train—and Calvan hopes his family’s example creates greater visibility and appreciation for people living with disabilities.

“This is the time,” he says. “Let’s get out of the house and get out on the streets. Let’s get on peoples’ nerves. Some people may feel inconvenienced [by people in wheelchairs] but you never know who you might inspire. As a parent, I get to show my kids what it really means to overcome obstacles.

“So, whatever it is in your life that’s stopping you from growing or maturing, don’t let it stop you,” Calvan continues. “One day, you’ll look back and see how it made a difference, and that’s what I’m hoping to build: a world my kids can live and thrive in.”

To learn more about Calvan’s life, watch his “Day in My Life” video.