My Disability--God's Ability: 7 Principles of Triumphant Life

by Young Woo Kang

The inspirational story of Dr. Young Woo Kang, a devout Christian who has overcome many hardships with faith and will. He is the first disabled Korean to obtain a Ph.D. degree in Philosophy from the University of Pittsburgh. He has contributed himself to public service by educating disabled individuals in the US as well as by building hospitals for disabled persons in Korea.

160 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2004

Reviews

[Khanh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dr. Young Woo Kang’s God’s Ability, My Disability is an account of a life shaped by loss, major transition, and sustained effort. Kang recounts the deaths of his parents and older sister, the sudden loss of his eyesight as a teenager, the anger and disorientation that followed, and the long process through which he established an academic and professional life. His eventual accomplishments—earning a Ph.D., immigrating to the United States, establishing a family, and becoming a respected professor and national advisor—are presented against the backdrop of a deep and steady religious faith that he identifies as central to his decisions.

As a reader and a disabled woman who understands too well what it feels like to constantly fight for equal access and equal treatment, I do not share the common impulse to treat achievements by disabled people as inherently extraordinary or “inspirational.” I do not buy the narrative that someone succeeds despite a disability in a way that makes the success itself more impressive. Accomplishment is driven by the same set of factors for everyone: discipline, sustained work, intelligence, and motivation. Kang’s life illustrates this clearly. His success is not a function of disability; it is a function of what he did, consistently, over time.

Stylistically, the book often feels heavily edited to produce an uplifting effect. The tone leans sentimental, with hardships described but then quickly softened. Chapters written by family members reinforce this polished atmosphere. The result is a memoir that presents the key events of Kang’s life but tends to smooth out complexity and minimize the more difficult or ambiguous parts of his experiences. While the narrative is engaging, it is also sanitized to a degree that limits its depth.

Still, Kang’s story stands on its own: a record of loss, adjustment, education, work, family, and faith. What remains is not a tale of overcoming disability but a reminder that the core elements of a life—its decisions, commitments, and labor—are what ultimately define it.