The Man Who Can Do It All
John Kraimer was born and raised in the city of Cincinnati, and he still currently resides there. He went to high school at Moeller and graduated with the class of 1981. After graduation, he studied at Butler University as well as Xavier University. He married his wife Teresa in 2011.
One day in 1998, Kraimer saw an advertisement for in the newspaper for his position at Blue Ash College. Kraimer is the program director for Accessibility Resources at Blue Ash and has been here for 21 years. Being part of the staff of Accessibility Resources, Kraimer strives to ensure that any and all students with disabilities can freely and easily participate in college life. When asked what his goals are for his work, he stated, “Help students be successful, and to provide support and encouragement.”
Before becoming the accessibility resource program director, Kraimer had gotten into a bicycling accident in 1990. There was a serious injury to his spinal cord which left him partially paralyzed, also known as quadriplegic. John Kraimer doesn’t let his disability stop him from living his everyday life. He has a personalized van that allows him to drive himself to and from places. He stated that he “had tremendous support while rebuilding his life.” Before the accident, Kraimer was a musician, for he played the piano. He didn’t stop after the accident, he just had to find a new way to adjust to in order to play. Now, he uses a typing stick and three fingers that allow him to play the keys on his keyboard. People are touched by his story, “John Kraimer is a musician, magician and poet. He inspires and performs around the Cincinnati area,” according to a friend.
But that’s not all. He also is a poet. Kraimer has several poems he loves to share with the world. On occasion, he will go to classrooms and share his story and his love for poetry. He states that he “became a slam poet at the age of 39 and has over 400 pages of material.”
A teacher whose classroom Kraimer visited stated that “John Kraimer is a poet and magician. He comes every year to inspire my students. Not only is he a poet and magician, he is a musician as well and has developed a way to perform his keyboard.” Another thing that he is proud of is his art. Kraimer became a visual artist at the age of 43. He adores creating paintings.
In and out of his office in Muntz Hall, hangs his over 60 pieces of art work for everyone to see. Kraimer says that he has had nearly 100 coworkers and students make spin art on a machine he designed and built.
Despite his disability, Kraimer goes out and lives every day to his fullest. He plays wheelchair football, he creates poems, plays music, and creates paintings. One of his acquaintances says, “Not many people have the opportunity to use what could be perceived as a weakness to inspire so many people.”
John Kraimer is an inspiration to many, and “is trying to pay that forward and help others with disabilities. For the future, he hopes to see the concept of universal design built into all aspects of school and of daily living.
