1 Reitz Union September 1, 2004 "the incredible hulk" Good evening. Welcome. To the students disabilities assembly. My name is John Denny, the director of disabilities resources at the dean of students office. I want to welcome everybody here and extend a special welcome to our transfer and students. I'm excited you're here on campus and want to welcome our returning students and want to welcome the members of the community here tonight. This is a great turnout. We really appreciate your support. I've been the director of disability resources going on four years now. Had the opportunity to attend four out of the five of these events. It's been really amazing for me to watch this event evolve from a very small group of people, students and staff, maybe 40 people to taking up half of the grand ballroom in the Reitz Union. It's very encouraging and exciting. When we had our first assembly in 2001 , I remember first feeling a little discouraged because we had such a small turnout. Thinking back to that night, I remember after the program was done, there was a small table in the room, there's a group of students around, about eight or ten students. I didn't think about it at the time, looking back that was quite a significant meeting because those students at that table evolved into the union students of disabilities. Two of the groups responsible for bringing Lou to campus and putting this event on tonight. I can tell you a little bit about the disability issues forum they put on and I can tell you a little bit about the leadership conference the students with disabilities and I can tell you about the wheelchair basketball games, all the great things they've done. The thing I'm most proud of the students doing, certainly what I think will be the most enduring contribution to the University of Florida. In the fall of 2003, they started a petition. This is a petition to create a accommodated technology center for our students with disabilities We serve almost 1200 students with disabilities here on campus. And we have yet to have a designated place for these students, special technology for persons with disabilities. We don't have a designated place for them to take their tests. One of our most common accommodations for students with disabilities is extra time on test in a quiet separate environment. We've been making do up until this time just by using classroom space, by partnering with our colleagues down there. But now, through the hard work of our students, we are going to have a designated testing center in the ground floor of the resident shall, a 2700 square foot facility that students can use to take their tests in a great environment and also be in training on the latest technology hardware and software design for students with disabilities. It will make a huge difference. [~Applause~] >> okay. Well, without further adieu, we're going to move along. I don't want to make your keynote speaker angry because I've seen what happens when he gets angry. 2 I'm unique and I didn't like that when I was younger. Now, I'm in a law school right now, where many people look the same, they all kind of dress the same, and I don't. You've probably seen me around, wearing odd hats. I enjoy that. I enjoy being unique. It's kind of fun. On another level, being disabled, it's kind of interesting along a priority, base level, I have interesting perspective to my life. It's an interesting way to view the world, I have to confess to you. While the majority do not see from this perspective, I will tell you the University of Florida provides and excellent view. For that, I have to thank all of you. Thank you very much. [~Applause~] I promise I'm not trying to overwhelm you, I'm looking straight ahead. How about we get to the real reason why we're all here? The only man in history to garner the Mr. Universe title two years consecutively. The current star of kings of queens. A large and powerful man, best known for his work as "the hulk" let's hear it for Mr. Lou Ferrigno ! [~Applause~] >> it's great to be here. Just got off the plane, no storm or nothing. I'm glad I made it here tonight. You know, it's funny, before I get to speak, I have a disability, I don't know if you know everyone is disabled, everyone has a disability, even the ail gaiters, the cat outside, everyone. Nobody has a disability in this world. I lost 80% of my hearing. I couldn't hear, I couldn't speak. So that was in 1951, I'm 52 now. I never look my age because i'm hero image, villain. That's why I'm so big. Anyway, at the age about 2, my mother was clapping her hands and I wouldn't respond because I didn't hear her. I had to wear a hearing aid. When you're very young and have a severe hearing problem like nerve damage, you don't understand, you can't understand the words, you can't hear, so people thought I was slow, like retarded or dumb, everything, my mother clapped her hands and I wouldn't respond, they took me to the doctor to diagnose me. They found out I had a hearing problem. I wore a small hearing aid. Back in those days the hearing aid was behind the ears, one of them would go all the way down to the chest. I would have a microphone on my chest. This made me very self-conscious. When I went to school I talked to two different schools when I was young first I went to parochial school and New York hard of hearing When you're young, children don't have the psychological defenses to defend themselves. So they called me deaf Louie, deaf mute, different names. I was introverted. I was a skinny little kid, believe it or not, skinny, little. So I totally believe I had a love-hate relationship with my father. I didn't want to be ashamed of the size of myself. I think you have to mastermind what you have. 3 aids, I go to the gym now and have a conversation. In the old days, I could not have a conversation. People talked to me I wouldn't answer, they thought I was rude and sarcastic. Now the technology changes it. That's why now, I'm going slightly backwards. I go to a big gym now and do lots of training. The old days I go back and I made the best of it. Sometimes today they give you too much. You say to yourself, you know, I think one day you'll better yourself. Like not have the fear of using computers before, now I'm using computers now. Because I would take classes. They didn't want me to take a public class, I would take private lessons I take action for myself. That is so important. I can't tell you. The most important thing I've done in my life. That's why now I have a chance to travel all over the world, meet people all over the world and talk to many different people. The thing I learned and see all the time, be in touch with your body, feeling good about yourself. Back then, every time you hear stories about people maybe 20 to 30 years, when they retire, they go on vacation, have a heart attack. Why? They never really exercised. When they were working they were acquiring physical experience and stopped working, go on vacation, body suddenly not physical, stopped working puts a strain on your heart. That's why you need to be physical because it reverses the aging muscles. I'm at the age the muscle stats starts to atrophy. It starts to go to fat. That's why people say you how they look and don't train, but those who do train it saves them a long time. There's a big myth over these years, if you train, after a certain age, your body will go down. I came back to competition at the age of 44. After 17 years, I competed again at 325 pounds 2% body fat. I predict I would come back. I was going to be a 90s body-builder, not a 70s body-builder. I was 325, spent two years training. I believed I had a hunger again to compete. You have to be hungry. You have to be hungry for success. You have to go out there. You have to feel. All of us have fear. If you let fear dominate you, fear will kill you. If you let disability dominate you, the disability will be wonderful, they'll love to tell you to be sorry for yourself, sit in a corner and say you're not good enough to be anybody. But you say, okay, disability is what other people say, that's fine. It's not for me. I'm just as good as anybody, I'm going to reach for the moon, train, do everything I can do to maximize myself. If I can do that I can be as good as anybody the next person because I can be the best I can be for myself. That's what I'm saying to you. [~Applause~] What? So, my fear, everything, you're not going to get rid of the fear, but embrace it, use it to your 4 building, I was on stage with the best, it was a lot of fun, knowing the two of us big names in the sport posing, to me, it was really very rewarding because when I was a little kid I would read about it in the comic book and who knows, five, seven years, if anybody told me, I wouldn't believe it I'm on the same stage with the guy, I wouldn't believe it. He was a lot of fun, a fun guy to be with ! >> will you flex for us? >> you take your clothes off, I'll take my clothes off ! One time a girl did take her clothes off. At a speaking engagement, actually took her clothes off because she wanted me to take my clothes off. But anyway, no. Yes. >> what are the ages of your children and have you encouraged them to do any body building? You didn't say much about them >> you mean my children? >> how old are your children >> I have a daughter 23, two boys 19 and 14. >> are they into body building? >> they all work out. My son is 19. He goes to the gym with me, we work out together. So last week we go to the gym, I was doing presses, 80 pounds, I did about eight reps, so he laid down and doing nine reps. I said to him how many reps did you do, nine reps? Okay. I do eight reps. He gets on the floor and does nine reps. Uh-oh. But he's very motivated, watches what he either, brawn, handsome, women love him. They're on him all the time. I couldn't be happier because he's with me and my younger son is playing football and my daughter works out, everybody in my family works out, which is important because to have a sport for the whole family and now going around the country and we all work out together. It's a wonderful thing because I see my son now, 19, and he's blossoming, too. He has no desire to be a competitive body-builder but maybe go into acting or martial arts. He works out regularly. >> what would you consider to be your biggest success so far >> my biggest success? My wife and kids. [~Applause~] >> I wanted to share with you, I didn't have a gift many people have, I wanted to be different than my parents. They did the best they could. If you don't get along with them, try to gain what you can, to be the best with them. Try not to criticize them or change them because they've done the best they could. They can't see certain things. Do better yourself. Try not to change them, try to be friends with them but don't try to fight or try to have your way all the time because I know parents it's a sensitive thing. And education is important. I know people with disability and with hearing, sports without hearing, they rejected it, that's why I'm telling you now, if you have disability,, raise yourself, don't let it affect you, other people don't respect you unless you respect