Meet Bill Volkmann | Disability Advocate & Entrepreneur

We had the good fortune of connecting with Bill Volkmann and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Bill, we’d love to hear about how you approach risk and risk-taking.
To take a risk is more about success than failure. You learn from failure, but success is built on risk-taking. I had a traumatic brain injury at birth, the doctors didn’t think I would live but here I am. I was dealt a cruel blow right out of the womb resulting in Cerebral Palsy. I never viewed myself as different, a lesson I learned from my mother. A strong woman who had to care for me, my dad with MS, and my two sisters. I was placed in a special needs school at the age of two, by nine years old my mom and my teacher saw a bright kid, yes with a physical disability, but a sharp mind. My mother fought the New Jersey public school system for years, once the ADA, was passed my parents sued and won. I was the first student with a severe disability they deemed at the time to go to public school. At the age of 11, I took my first risk and broke down those barriers of someone with a speech disability, CP couldn’t succeed, so I proved them wrong in the classroom and on the playground making friends. A few years later more students with all kinds of disabilities attended every public school in the state. Over 30 years later I went back to my special needs school to talk to the students, they were disabled a medically fragile, so I asked the principal where are all the kids like me. She said you are the reason those kids are in public school. It finally hit me I did that. Before high school, my parents and I moved to Florida, and I did the same thing made friends, learned to drive, and had girlfriends it all took risks to succeed in my life. During college, my dad was diagnosed with stage four lung cancer, quickly I went home to be with him for his last year. Right after his death, my mother was diagnosed with Leukemia, I stayed home and helped take care of her, for five years later she passed away. I decided to take a risk a moving to Houston, where I had never even been before, one of my sisters moved there. This was the first time I was fully independent, learning to live on my own, cooking, etc, going back to college. I met some great people, one of them was my age with CP, we met and became friends. He saw how independent I was, and he wanted that too. I encouraged him to take a risk and move out of his parent’s house, on his own, I offered my knowledge and he succeeded. Years later my family moved back to New Jersey, we lived in the same house, and my sister’s son had Autism and attended public school. A few years later my sister fell ill, and she and her husband moved back to Houston. My nephew had a year left of high school. We bonded more over watching TV and he was influenced by what he saw positively and negatively, because of his disability. I remember my mom telling me to make a show about my life in high school, I took that year and wrote one that is not about disability it is about what you could achieve no matter what your disability is. It takes on society’s incorrect assumptions of people with disabilities and turns them on its head. It is a very powerful show that will change perceptions. My sister passed away, I was there for his prom graduation. I decided life is short you never know what the next day holds. My dream was to move to San Diego, I knew no one, all of my family was on the East Coast. I packed up my things and moved, armed with the speech app on my phone and courage, I took the biggest risk of my life and succeeded. I connected with local foundations, Villa de Vida and the Challenged Athletes Foundation (CAF), and I gained strength, confidence, and friendships through them. I discovered all the great things California offers people with disabilities. I lived in many states nothing compares. Through my relationships, I gained employment at CAF in the business development division. I was offered a job at Citivas Supportive Living as the director of business development. Where I developed programs for people’s lives with disabilities. It is very rewarding, but I have more to do. I believe in using my knowledge of having a disability to make other people’s lives with disabilities have no barriers to what they can achieve in their lives. I am about to start a two-prong approach. Being more active in the disability community and gaining more skills to help people with disabilities in San Diego. My goal is my passion to have my TV show become a reality and help the 65 million Americans living with disabilities gain equality and inclusion in all areas of society. We want to be viewed as people. In the documentary “Crip Camp” they were saying the same thing 50 years ago. The time has come to rise as one and make it a reality. This is my biggest risk yet but I truly believe that the first time I walk through those public school doors, this will be my biggest success.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
I don’t fit a category or a box, I like to be known as a disruptor for good. A good attitude, a positive outlook, and having fun are keys to success in business and life. As you see in my risk section I overcame many challenges, I had almost 50 surgeries in my life, and almost died after three of them. Another two surgeries, my legs were paralyzed for a few months, and in another surgery my arms were. I just never give up, you have to fight, failure isn’t an excuse it is a lesson to learn and try again. I want everyone to know with or without a disability, you have to work hard to achieve success even if you don’t see it right away, or even down the road. Just always believe in yourself if you have a solid plan and concept and don’t let anyone no or that impossible. Use that as motivation to keep going, try harder, and always adjust your thinking to achieve the same goal. It will happen, I am living proof.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
You have to take them to La Jolla, hang out on the cove, go to the contemporary art museum, go to one of the many fine restaurants, and stop by Hennesy’s for a nightcap. Head down to PB to watch the surfers at Tourmaline, and say hi to the three old dudes that protol it. Go to Baked Bear get the ice cream cookie sandwich, and then head out to Mavericks and the sandbox. Take a trip to North Park get hopped on coffee at Subterain and go to Lafetteye for lunch, go to Vertibum books, checkout the artwork. Head to Pomegranate for some great food, and a good next store to Gilly’s to forget your worries. Head to Clairemont to grab a beer at O’Brien’s, and head to a great Asian restaurant on Convy for lunch. Go to Balboa Park and hang out, Then head over to Kava for some relaxing tea. Baja Betty’s in Hillcrest for dinner. Make it an OB day (Ocean Beach) you will see some crazy stuff, go to the beach, and then to the Holding Company for drinks and food. Don’t forget the bonfire on the beach. Lastly go explore downtown “Half Door” The American Comedy Club, Tacos El Gordo, The Tipsy Crow, and Prohibition. Then go to the airport kick them on the plane, Say I’m Tired, but at least I live in San Diego.

The Shoutout series is all about recognizing that our success and where we are in life is at least somewhat thanks to the efforts, support, mentorship, love and encouragement of others. So is there someone that you want to dedicate your shoutout to?
Hunter Christian Executive Director of Vida de Vida, for her passion, support, and her family she has given me. To the Challenged Athletes Foundation for welcoming me into their big family and support. To David Cross and my Civitas family for always having my back, and the friendships I have made.

Instagram: @bvolkmann1