I was born in Mississippi in the 1960s. My disabilities were caused by lack of oxygen to my brain when I was a five-year-old boy. I grew up knowing I was different. The first time I felt hurt and left out was in Grade Five. The other fourth and fifth graders played together in gym class, while I was put in the second grade gym class. One day, a famous football player visited the fourth and fifth grade P.E. class. All the kids got his autograph except me because I was with the second graders playing games. Mom called the school to tell them it wasn’t fair, but the school scolded me for complaining too much.
In the 1980s, when my mom was giving birth to my sister, she had made a major stroke（中风）and died. My dad became even more distant. I was very sad and began using alcohol to ease the pain.
Dad got remarried in 1985. Everyone went to his wedding except me; he told me to stay at home and watch the house. When my high school ball came around, I wanted to go but wasn’t allowed. When I graduated, my dad and step-mom refused to hold a party for me. They put me in a group home after graduation.
My life changed when I became a local leader of the National Self-advocacy（自我辩护）Group. At first, I thought the group wasn’t for me, until I found out it was all about empowerment（授权）! My goal is to be the voice for people who haven’t been heard and to empower them. Many families, like mine, don’t believe their disabled families have a voice or mind of their own.
Looking back over my 16 years of leadership experience, I ’m proud that I ’ve helped disabled people. They should be encouraged to never give up and to follow their own path.
56. When the writer was in the fifth grade, he .
A. was hurt by his classmates in school
B. felt left out for the first time in his life
C. studied with the second graders
D. often complained about the school
57. According to the passage, the writer .
A. was born disabled B. didn’t study well at school
C. was happy in his childhood D. didn’t get along well with his father
58. From the passage we can know that the National Self-advocacy Group is .
A. an organization that gives disabled people help
B. a club organized completely by disabled people
C. a hospital which only treats people with disabilities
D. a school that teaches parents how to deal with their disabled kids
