Disability History & Awareness Month: Christine Ha, a chef who is blind, wins "MasterChef" in 2012
Office of the Governor Texas sent this bulletin at 10/03/2012 09:13 AM CDTCommittee on People with Disabilities
Disability History and Awareness Month: Christine Ha, a chef who is blind, wins "MasterChef" in 2012
Christine Ha of Houston, Texas, is an accomplished amatuer chef and was recently propelled to national acclaim. Ha won the third season of Fox’s reality cooking competition series “MasterChef” in September 2012. She defeated over 100 other chefs to earn the $250,000 prize, the title of “MasterChef,” and a cookbook deal. Throughout the competition, Ha had to overcome time pressure and the scrutiny of judge and celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay, who is notorious for his scathing criticism.
Ha lost some of her vision in 1999 and by 2007 was completely blind. She relies on her senses of taste, touch, and smell to guide her in the kitchen. She believes her blindness contributed to her win on “MasterChef:” “I couldn't see what anyone else was doing, I was solely focused on myself, and I think that helped me. It gave me an advantage.”
Things weren’t always easy for Ha, who reports that the first time she tried to make a peanut butter and jelly sandwich after losing her vision, the experience was so frustrating that it left her in tears. Still, Ha loved food and cooking too much to give up. “I just want people to realize that they have it in themselves if they really want to,” she said. “If they have that passion, that fire, that drive, that desire... you can overcome any obstacle and any challenges to really achieve what you want and prove yourself to the world. Everyone is very capable. Much more capable than they think they are.”
Sources: http://abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/masterchef-finale-blind-chef-christine-ha-wins-season/story?id=17210282; http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christine_Ha
October is Persons with Disabilities History and Awareness Month in Texas. Each workday in October 2012 , the Governor’ Committee on People with Disabilities will post a daily Disability History Fact highlighting the accomplishments of people with disabilities or important dates and events related to the history of people with disabilities. These daily history facts will be presented to celebrate “Persons with Disabilities History and Awareness Month” in Texas.
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