“Do not underestimate me,” says Prospect employee, Ruth Morrison who perseveres through her disability.

Ruth Morrison plays basketball regularly and has loved it since she was a teen.

When she got her driver's license, she had to take the test twice because, like so many of us, she was tripped up by parallel parking. ?She enjoys her job and loves her friends and family. Her goal is to save enough money to buy her own house.

Ruth may have been born with her disability, but she has never allowed it to define her.

"I have Spina Bifida," says Ruth. "I've used a wheelchair and crutches for as long as I can remember, but I was lucky that my family never treated me differently or looked at me as having a disability.”

The Prospect Airport Services, Inc. Ticket Counter Supervisor is quick to smile, laugh, and count her blessings. At work, Ruth spends her days at work helping American Airlines passengers with reduced mobility.

"It does make passengers [who need wheelchairs] feel more comfortable when they see that I'm there, and I'm the one that's helping them," says Ruth. "I think they know they have someone who understands what they might be going through, and I'm also grateful I can help people."

According to Ruth, the daily opportunities to help are one of the best parts of her job. But it isn't THE BEST part—that distinction is reserved for one special duty.

"I love it when I can go meet the kids who travel as unaccompanied minors," says Ruth with a laugh. "The kids are always very sweet, and it's a nice break to the day when I get to go do that."

Growing up, Ruth says she was always able to do the things her siblings did and was never excluded from any experiences. “I went to parties and school dances – I just did it in my chair," she says. "I pretty much lived a normal life, and I'm grateful that I can function the way I do because I wasn't supposed to be able to do any of this. I'm not even supposed to be alive."

It's a sobering thought but one that Ruth views with positivity and gratitude. After moving to Georgia at 14, she was introduced to the community at Roosevelt Warm Springs Institute for Rehabilitation for students with disabilities. The institute's goal is to give its students the care and opportunities to build thriving, independent lives where they can find employment and support themselves.

"I was there for a year, and they teach how to be independent, speak up for yourself, and go on job interviews," recounts Ruth. "I just really learned a lot going there."

After her time in Warm Springs, Ruth started attending the Shepherd Center for care. It's a place that will always be special to Ruth because it was where she fell in love with one of her big passions – wheelchair basketball.

Ruth has been playing the game [through the Shepherd Center ] since she was a teenager. Last April, the team placed 8th out of 22 teams in the National Championships held in Richmond, Va.

"Playing basketball has opened up many doors for me as far as being around others with disabilities," says Ruth. "We live in a world where most people don't have them, and you feel like you are in a different place when surrounded by others like me. I feel like I'm at home with my teammates and when I travel with them."

It's hard to imagine that Ruth Morrison can't accomplish anything she sets her mind to. She says defying the odds is something she has been doing her whole life.

"I was born in a small town; I lost my dad at an early age, and I was told I would never be able to go to school, let alone graduate. But I did graduate and went on to get my associate's degree and even my driver's license," says Ruth. "When you have a disability, people count you out, but I'm doing a lot of things I wasn't supposed to be doing."