Feature article on Brian Kajiyama

About the impact that Brian has had, Jeff Reinbold said:
"Everybody talks about the greatness of this 12-0 team and how we have a tremendous quarterback. That is so true. (But) is there anybody who has made the impact that guy in the chair is making in terms of changing lives? I don't know." (AP)

AP Note: "Meet Brian Kajiyama, a first-year graduate assistant for Hawaii who was born with cerebral palsy, scoots around in a motorized wheelchair and communicates by typing into a small computer that speaks in a robotic voice. As a member of the coach June Jones' staff, Kajiyama is responsible for breaking down game film and preparing scouting reports for the defense.

Ask Hawaii's players and coaches and they'll tell you Kajiyama has contributed greatly to the best football season the school has ever had. The Warriors are Western Athletic Conference champions, the only unbeaten team in major college football and on their way to their first Bowl Championship Series appearance and a matchup against No. 4 Georgia in the Sugar Bowl on Jan. 1."


About how Brian's role at UH is "groundbreaking", Reinbold said:
"Brian, to my knowledge, is the first wheelchair-bound, non-speaking coach in college football." (AP)

AP Note: "Kajiyama attends every practice. He zips around the field and is generous with his high-fives and smiles. A Warriors logo is proudly displayed on the back of his wheelchair. Above that, there's a sticker that reads, "No Fear."

About how he's always wanted to be part of a team, Brian said:
"It's been a great ride that I never, ever dreamed of, even in my wildest dreams." (AP)

About how he's trying to change the way people with disabilities are perceived, Brian said:
"Many times people think a disability equates to 'cannot,' when the reality is, persons with disabilities have many unique abilities and gifts that are waiting to be shared." (AP)

AP Note: "Kajiyama sits with the fans at Aloha Stadium because the coaches' booth isn't accessible by wheelchair. He's not allowed on the field during the game for safety reasons. Also, Kajiyama hasn't accompanied the Warriors on any of their away games, let alone been on the team bus ride to their home stadium. That'll change Christmas Day. He'll make his first road trip with the team when the Warriors travel to New Orleans. Reinebold and others on the team lobbied for Kajiyama to attend after it appeared he would be left behind, again. The university has arranged for a wheelchair-accessible bus and hotel room to accommodate Kajiyama."

About going with the team to the Sugar Bowl, Brian said:
"To have my official road trip to be a BCS bowl, I'd say that's a heck of a first trip to make." (AP)

AP Note: "At birth, both of his lungs collapsed. He had to have tubes inserted into his chest to breathe and spent 19 days in the hospital."

About Brian's struggle at birth, his mother Grace Kajiyama said:
"For the first hours of life, it was more of a survival thing." (AP)

AP Note: "It wasn't until a few months later that Bert and Grace learned that their firstborn had cerebral palsy, which affected the left side of Kajiyama's body, but not his brain."

About finding out that Brian had cerebral palsy, Grace said:
"I thought it was something that could be corrected with therapy and I could just stay at home with him until he was fully recovered. But I learned it wasn't something he was going to recover from. It's just a lifelong condition. It's just a matter of how you deal with it." (AP)

About how he'd go to all of the UH football games and how he believed that he could one day play for UH, Brian said:
"Back then, I thought I'd become a star athlete. But as I grew and matured, I realized that God's plan didn't have me being that athlete. ... I began to focus on academics since that was one area where physical ability didn't matter." (AP)

AP Note: "This year, Kajiyama earned a masters degree and is now working on his doctorate in education. He hopes one day to become a professor and train future special education teachers."

About how he encouraged Brian to talk to JJ about the grad assistant job, Reinbold said:
"He didn't have the technical background in football, but he had the interest, passion and willingness to work and contribute. That's what you look for in every young coach." (AP)

About Brian, JJ said:
"He's what we're about. It's about helping, and about people. ... He has a real love for football and the students." (AP)

About how everyone on the team accepts Brian, Dennis McKnight said:
"Nobody treats him with kid gloves. He's one of the boys and he knows it. We make fun of him just as much as anybody else." (AP)

About how Brian makes him realize how special every day is, McKnight said:
"Never complains. Never says, 'Why me?' He's always positive." (AP)

About how Brian belonged at the Sugar Bowl, Jacob Patek said:
"He's really an inspiration to all. He's really touched my heart and almost brings me to tears. We treat him as family because that's what he is." (AP)

AP Note: "In his latest entry, he thanks coaches for making him a part of the team and looking past his wheelchair. The coaches "enabled this kid from Hawaii, who loved UH football all his life, to have a role in such a great program. "I will NEVER forget this experience and will cherish it always," he wrote. "I look forward to continuing to be a part of this program, as I feel that this is where I belong." "