Bonnie J. Consolo née Bonnie Jean Pflug, was a Kentucky

Kentucky

The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...

 native, and motivational speaker

Motivational speaker

A motivational speaker or inspirational speaker is a speaker who makes speeches intended to motivate or inspire an audience. In a business context, they are employed to communicate company strategy with clarity and help employees to see the future in a positive light and inspire workers to pull...

 who was born without hands or arms. Consolo was the third of five children born to Wendell & Ruby (Sorrell) Pflug, and the only one with born with a disability in the family.

Consolo was raised on her parents farm in rural Kentucky, and graduated from high school in Frenchburg, Kentucky

Frenchburg, Kentucky

Frenchburg is a city in Menifee County, Kentucky, United States. The population was 551 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Menifee County, and the only incorporated city in the rural county. It is located at the junction of US 460 and Kentucky Route 36...

. Consolo tried artificial arms, however she found them uncomfortable and never acclimated to them. She married Frank Consolo in 1966 near Hayward, California

Hayward, California

Hayward is a city located in the East Bay in Alameda County, California. With a population of 144,186, Hayward is the sixth largest city in the San Francisco Bay Area and the third largest in Alameda County. Hayward was ranked as the 37th most populous municipality in California. It is included in...

.

Consolo's life captured the attention of the American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 media in the 1970s when the independent

Independent film

An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...

 documentary film

Documentary film

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

 A Day in the Life of Bonnie Consolo was released in 1975. At the time, Consolo was a housewife living in Columbus, Ohio

Columbus, Ohio

Columbus is the capital of and the largest city in the U.S. state of Ohio. The broader metropolitan area encompasses several counties and is the third largest in Ohio behind those of Cleveland and Cincinnati. Columbus is the third largest city in the American Midwest, and the fifteenth largest city...

 with her husband Frank and their two young sons, Mark and Matthew. The film received an Academy Award nomination February 12, 1976 for Live Action Short Film

Academy Award for Live Action Short Film

This name for the Academy Award for Live Action Short Film was introduced in 1974. For the three preceding years it was known as "Short Subjects, Live Action Films." The term "Short Subjects, Live Action Subjects" was used from 1957 until 1970. From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate...

.

The release of the film lead Mike Wallace

Mike Wallace (journalist)

Myron Leon "Mike" Wallace is an American journalist, former game show host, actor and media personality. During his 60+ year career, he has interviewed a wide range of prominent newsmakers....

 of CBS

CBS

CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...

' 60 Minutes

60 Minutes

60 Minutes is an American television news magazine, which has run on CBS since 1968. The program was created by producer Don Hewitt who set it apart by using a unique style of reporter-centered investigation....

news program to interview Consolo for the program. During the interview Consolo was shown tending for her children and driving (her automobile was not modified for her disability) while doing errands, and shown preparing food and cooking the family meal while seated on a stool, using her feet to wash and peel vegetables. Because of ideas about what those with disabilities were thought unable to do, the scene of Consolo cooking was considered a revelation to the viewing public. When queried by Wallace about what she thought viewers would think of a woman handling food with her feet, Consolo quickly countered that she washed her feet more frequently than most people washed their own hands. The episode concluded with film of Consolo driving Wallace to Port Columbus International Airport

Port Columbus International Airport

Port Columbus International Airport , commonly shortened to Port Columbus, is a Class C international airport located east of downtown Columbus, Ohio, USA. It is managed by the Columbus Regional Airport Authority, which also oversees operations at Rickenbacker International Airport and Bolton Field...

 in her Cadillac

Cadillac

Cadillac is an American luxury vehicle marque owned by General Motors . Cadillac vehicles are sold in over 50 countries and territories, but mostly in North America. Cadillac is currently the second oldest American automobile manufacturer behind fellow GM marque Buick and is among the oldest...

.

Following its initial airing, the segment became of the programs most popular interviews, and went on to become one of the shows most heavily requested repeat segments. Wallace would later say that Consolo was one of his most unforgettable people during his time on 60 Minutes.

Consolo undertook public speaking appearances talking about her experiences in life, and speaking on the rights of those with physical limitations.

Consolo later divorced her husband and returned to her native Kentucky where she completed her college education earning a BA degree in psychology from Morehead State University

Morehead State University

Morehead State University is a public, co-educational university located in Morehead, Kentucky, United States in the foothills of the Daniel Boone National Forest in Rowan County, midway between Lexington, Kentucky, and Huntington, West Virginia. The 2012 edition of "America's Best Colleges" by U.S...

. In 1986 she married Ronald M. Duncan in Montgomery County, Kentucky

Montgomery County, Kentucky

Montgomery County is a county located in the U.S. state of Kentucky. The population was 26,499. Its county seat is Mount Sterling. With regard to the sale of alcohol, it is classified as a moist county—a county in which alcohol sales are prohibited , but containing a "wet" city where package...

. In 1993 she self-published her autobiography, Bonnie, an Autobiography.

Bonnie J. Consolo died in Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington, Kentucky

Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...

 on December 27, 2005. Her ashes were scattered in the Red River Gorge.

Sources

• A Day in the Life of Bonnie Consolo
• Video of Bonnie Consolo typing
• Mother without arms Independent Press-Telegram, Long Beach, California, December 5, 1971, Page A2.
• She Makes Her Life in Foot Oriented World, Fresno Bee Republican, Fresno, California, July 14, 1968.
• She changes diapers with her feet, Oakland Tribune, December 4, 1971, page 4A.
• Social Security Death Index, Bonnie J. Consolo.