Author with cerebral palsy writes with his head, literally

MADISON - The government told Steven Salmon he was "unemployable" after he graduated in 1986 from J.I. Case High School in Racine.

Maybe that judgement was understandable on a surface level. Salmon has a severe form of cerebral palsy, a disorder that impairs muscles. It creates herky-jerky movements, and can leave the trunk of a body either floppy or rigid.

The Madison man, now 49,needs to use a wheelchair to move, can't clearly speak and can barely move his hands and arms. It's difficult for him to speak, which can leave many with the impression that he has a cognitive disability.

But his mind is sharp. And he resented the fact that his "unemployable" classification closed off financial aid that would have helped him continue his education.

More than 30 years later, his life is his rebuttal. Salmon has a bachelor of science degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. He is a writer who has penned several books, using his head to tap out Morse code that gets translated to text.

It's a painstaking process that has produced a children's book, "Cat's Tail," and semi-autobiographical novels, "The Unusual Writer," "Buddy Why" and  "Just A Regular Kid Like You." His most recent books, released earlier this year, are a memoir titled "It's a New Life!" which explores his life of independence after his mother died and "A Very New Day," a novel for young teens about a kid struggling to grow up disabled. All his works are based on his own experience.

"I write about what I know," Salmon wrote in an email interview with USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin. "I write about the barriers that I have faced in my life to educate people and improve the lives of the disabled. Often the disabled don't have a voice and I'm their voice. I want to leave a legacy behind to show that people with disabilities can do anything if given a chance to succeed."

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None of what Salmon has accomplished has been simple or easy. With the help of influential teachers, a loving mother and unbreakable resolve, Salmon has broken barriers and found ways to make the most of his mind.

Because Salmon's hands are tightened and the movement in his arms severely limited, typing is impossible. When he started writing he would dictate to someone else. Later he used voice-recognition software. But because his voice can be difficult to decipher, he moved on to another form of technology.

"I sway my head back and forth all day, typing Morse code," Salmon said. His head hits pads placed on either side of him, one pad denoting a dash, the other a dot.

A key component to his success was his time at UW-Stevens Point through the early 1990s.

His mother bought a home in Plover and drove him to campus and back every day. She helped him turn pages of books. "Mom was an amazing woman," Salmon said.

He chose UW-Stevens Point, in part, to study English under Larry Watson, who taught there at the time. Watson, who now teaches at Marquette University in Milwaukee, is the award-winning author of books such as "Orchard" and "Montana 1948."

Salmon had read Watson's book "Justice" and decided he would like to take the author's class.

"I took several classes from Larry, including an independent writing study my last semester," Salmon said. "He helped me start my first novel."

Salmon left an impression on Watson, as well.

"He influenced my life in some pretty significant ways," Watson said. "His determination to write and to keep working is just astonishing."

A lot of people think writing is hard, Watson said. "But think about what Steven Salmon has to go through to write. Yeah, we have it easy."

It took a while for Salmon to find his place at UW-Stevens Point. At first he struggled to fit in, but he persevered. His fellow students soon came to know him for what he could do, not for his physical limitations.

"I quickly became just Steve to my professors and classmates," Salmon said. "When I needed help, my classmates took notes, helped me in the library get research material and proctor tests."

Perhaps Salmon's greatest strength as a writer is his resolve to confront and describe the truth as he sees it. In his memoir, he explores his grief at losing his mother who went to such extraordinary measures to aid him in making his dreams come true.

The loss was devastating, he said, but he explains in "It's a New Life! Mom is Gone" that it opened vistas of freedom. That meant new challenges, but also new opportunities.

"Life keeps changing for the better," Salmon said. "I have a new friend in my life. She makes my happy, which I need like every man. I'm a man, who happens to have cerebral palsy."

Keith Uhlig: 715-845-0651 or kuhlig@gannett.com; on Twitter @UhligK.

To buy the books

Steven Salmon's books are available through Amazon.com. People may purchase books or learn more at Salmon's website: www.stevenbsalmon.com.