Justin Yoder

Justin Ross Yoder (b. 1987 in Middlebury, Indiana) was the first child with a disability to drive a soapbox in the All American Soapbox Derby.

His efforts made it possible for others to follow him. Because of Yoder, regulations were changed to allow children with disabilities to use cars equipped with a hand brake instead of a foot brake. This hand brake is now called the Justin Brake in Yoder's honor.

The story of this boy who has spina bifida is told in a movie, Miracle in Lane 2, starring Frankie Muniz. In the movie, Yoder's character wins the race, although Yoder himself did not.

Yoder is a Mennonite and attends the same church as Miracle in Lane 2 screenwriters Don Yost and Joel Kauffmann.Yoder is currently a student at Goshen College in Goshen, IN.

References

*Roll It: GC Alums strike success in soap box racing and celluloid, Goshen College Bulletin, September 2000