A 10-year-old girl who was born without hands has proven that she can complete tasks as well as anyone else. […]
A 10-year-old girl who was born without hands has proven that she can complete tasks as well as anyone else.
Sara Hinesley, a pupil at St. John’s Regional Catholic School in Frederick, Maryland, won the Nicholas Maxim Award in the 2019 Zaner-Bloser National Handwriting Contest.
The award is given to a student with a cognitive delay, or an intellectual, physical or developmental disability. The judges were occupational therapists.
Sara writes by holding a pen or pencil between her arms, and likens writing in a cursive, joined-up style — for which she won the award — to art.
Although she hasn’t yet decided what she’ll do with the $500 prize, she hopes other children with disabilities will be inspired by her story.
“I felt proud and hope others who have challenges learn from me, that if you try your hardest you can do it,” Sara said.
Sara was born in China and adopted by the Hinesley family in the U.S. four years ago, at age six. She could only speak and write Mandarin when she arrived in the U.S., but quickly picked up English from her older sister, Veronica.
Sara’s mom called her daughter’s award-winning penmanship a “testament to the human spirit.”
“It shows what perseverance and a positive attitude can do,” Hinesley said. “Sara is a great example of that.”
Besides writing, Sara likes to create art, ride her bike, read and swim.