Isaac Jean-Paul is a Paralympic medalist, world-record–holding track and field athlete, author, screenwriter, and community advocate whose work challenges how culture—not disability—defines human potential. Diagnosed at the age of two with juvenile retinoschisis, Isaac is legally blind, yet has built an elite career in international athletics.

He is a two-time Paralympic medalist, earning bronze at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games and silver at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Competing in the T13 classification for visually impaired athletes, he became a World Champion at the 2017 World ParaAthletics Championships and remains the current world record holder in the high jump. At the collegiate level, Isaac captured an NCAA Division II national title and earned All-American honors. He is currently training to become the first Paralympian to win Olympic gold at the LA 2028 Olympic Games.

Beyond sport, Isaac is a storyteller—author of the Mya children’s book series and The Guardians of Orisha—and a screenwriter developing projects including the animated feature WINGS. Through his community work with Ready Set Gold, Olympic Inspire, and Inclusion Matters, he empowers young people to embrace identity, resilience, and imagination—proving true vision is shaped not by sight, but by belief.

At TEDxBeverlyGrove
Isaac Jean-Paul will share “We Don’t Handicap People. We Handicap Environments.” His claim is blunt: performance is shaped less by labels than by the ceilings built around them—lowered expectations, overprotection, and systems that quietly train limitation. You’ll leave with a sharper lens for what to redesign—at home, at work, and in your own standards—so potential has room to show up.

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