Spencer West (born 1981) is an American

motivational speaker A motivational speaker (or inspirational speaker) is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. Such speakers may attempt to challenge or transform their audiences. The speech itself is popularly known as a pep ta ...

and

disability advocate The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around t ...

. West became an

amputee Amputation is the removal of a limb or other body part by trauma, medical illness, or surgery. As a surgical measure, it is used to control pain or a disease process in the affected limb, such as malignancy or gangrene. In some cases, it is ...

after being born with

sacral agenesis Sacral may refer to: *Sacred, associated with divinity and considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion *Of the sacrum The sacrum (: sacra or sacrums), in human anatomy, is a triangular bone at the base of the spine that forms by the f ...

. He speaks about overcoming adversity and uses social media to advocate for the disability justice movement and the

LGBTQ community The LGBTQ community (also known as the LGBT, LGBT+, LGBTQ+, LGBTQIA, LGBTQIA+, or queer community) comprises LGBTQ individuals united by a common culture and social movements. These communities generally celebrate pride, diversity, individu ...

Early life and education

Spencer West was born in 1981, in

Rock Springs, Wyoming Rock Springs is a city in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 23,526 at the 2020 census, making it the fifth most populous city in the state of Wyoming, and the most populous city in Sweetwater County. Rock Springs is ...

, to Tonette and Kenny West. He has a sister named Annie. West was born with a birth defect,

, causing his spine and legs to not work properly. When he was three years old, his legs were amputated to his knees.

Prosthetics In medicine, a prosthesis (: prostheses; from ), or a prosthetic implant, is an artificial device that replaces a missing body part, which may be lost through physical trauma, disease, or a condition present at birth (congenital disorder). Prosthe ...

did not work, so doctors removed his legs when West was five years old. He learned to move around using his hands and a wheelchair. He was bullied as a child for his disability. West graduated from Rock Springs High School, where he was a cheerleader. He earned a degree in communications from Westminster College.

Career

West moved to

Phoenix, Arizona Phoenix ( ) is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of cities and towns in Arizona#List of cities and towns, most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, it is the ...

and worked as an operations manager at a salon and spa. He volunteered at a TV newsroom. In 2008, West traveled to Kenya with a friend to support the

Free the Children WE Charity (), formerly known as Free the Children (), is an international development charity and youth empowerment movement founded in 1995 by human rights advocates Marc and Craig Kielburger. The organization implemented development progra ...

's school building effort. The trip inspired West to share his personal experiences as an amputee. He joined

ME to WE Me to We (stylized as ME to WE) is a for-profit company selling lifestyle products, leadership training and travel experience. Me to We was founded in 2008 by brothers Craig Kielburger, Craig and Marc Kielburger. ME to WE’s engagements with th ...

as an ambassador. At the suggestion of

Craig Kielburger Craig Kielburger (born December 17, 1982) is a Canadian human rights activist and social entrepreneur. He is the co-founder, with his brother Marc Kielburger, of the WE Charity, as well as We Day and the independent, social enterprise Me to ...

, West climbed

Mount Kilimanjaro Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world, at above sea level and above its plateau base. It is also the highest volcano i ...

with his friends David Johnson and Alex Meers in June 2012. The trio fundraised over $500,000 in support of Free the Children charity to provide clean water to 100,000 people in

East Africa East Africa, also known as Eastern Africa or the East of Africa, is a region at the eastern edge of the Africa, African continent, distinguished by its unique geographical, historical, and cultural landscape. Defined in varying scopes, the regi ...

. West is a motivational speaker and shares his personal and medical story. He speaks at schools and to corporations about overcoming adversity. After meeting singer

Demi Lovato Demetria Devonne "Demi" Lovato ( ; born August 20, 1992) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. After appearing on the children's television series ''Barney & Friends'' (2002–2004), she starred in the Disney Channel short series ...

at a charity event, in 2014, West was an opening speaker during the

Demi World Tour The Demi World Tour was the fourth headlining concert tour and second worldwide tour by American singer Demi Lovato. It was her second tour in support of her fourth studio album ''Demi'' (2013), following The Neon Lights Tour. During most of the ...

. The

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

impacted West's advocacy efforts; he had previously traveled 200 days a year as a speaker. West developed a following on

TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...

where he posts about the disability justice movement and his personal experiences as a gay

Personal life

West resides in

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

. He applied for Canadian citizenship after living there for 4 years. West has

tennis elbow Tennis elbow, also known as lateral epicondylitis is an enthesopathy (attachment point disease) of the origin of the extensor carpi radialis brevis on the lateral epicondyle. It causes pain and tenderness over the bony part of the lateral epi ...

due to using his arms to walk. He is gay and advocates for disabled members in the

Selected works

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:West, Spencer Living people 1981 births People from Rock Springs, Wyoming Westminster University (Utah) alumni Activists from Wyoming American motivational speakers American disability rights activists American emigrants to Canada American LGBTQ rights activists LGBTQ people from Wyoming American gay men American amputees American activists with disabilities LGBTQ writers with disabilities