He is one of thousands of people for whom the center (which had been called University Hospital School until a name change effective July 1, 2001) has been a real resource. Created by the Iowa General Assembly in 1947, the center remains the only tertiary program in Iowa created specifically to serve people with disabilities.

Joy Krull, a center physical therapist who has worked with Chalupa for about 10 years, says, "Michael is a really good example for other people. He's someone who can be independent even though he has a pretty significant disability. He's managing his own life and knows he can turn to us and his friends whenever he needs help."

A native of Davenport, Iowa, Chalupa was born two months prematurely in 1967.

Doctors suspect that he developed cerebral palsy, a chronic condition affecting the brain's ability to control muscle movement, as a result of his premature birth.

Chalupa's mother took him to the Center for Disabilities and Development where Alfred Healy, M.D., almost immediately diagnosed him with cerebral palsy.

"They taught me to walk when I was four," he says with a laugh. "It felt great to do that. My problem was that I was always talking to everyone as I walked so it took me a long time to get somewhere."

Walking and talking seem to be a pattern in Chalupa's life. He has a human services degree from Kirkwood Community College and works as a long-distance telephone operator for GC Services, a division of MCI in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. To assist him, Michael takes his service dog, JJ, with him to open doors, pull grocery carts, and perform other tasks. JJ also will travel to Des Moines for meetings of the Iowa Governor's Diabilities Council, where Chalupa will serve as an advocate for people with disabilities.

"I'm excited to do it. The appointment says they trust me and value my work and opinion. I really think it's an honor."

Slowed but not stopped by cerebral palsy, Mike Chalupa visits the State Capitol as a member of the Iowa Governor's Developmental Disabilities Council. With him is his service dog, JJ.