More About Barton Cutter

Barton Cutter is husband, poet, mentor and professional coach. With more than ten years of study in eastern and western spiritual traditions, he challenges those he works with to reunite with their innnate wisdom and act, in resonance with that wisdom, to contribute within their communities. Barton is the author of Youth Leaders in Action, a leadership curriculum for young people with disabilities and has a passion for supporting youth with disabilities and their families in exploring the fullness of their potential. In Addition, Barton brings to his coaching over five years of experience in co-leading life skills seminars.

Barton never allowed his disability, or the perceived limitations thereof, to stand in his way. Throughout his life, his persistence has been evident in nearly everything he does, be it excelling in school and work, teaching others self defense, learning to stand and walk, or following his dreams to marry and raise a family.

A constant balance to his determination, Barton’s exuberance and humor was a beacon throughout high school as he found his voice through poetry and theater arts. It is to these qualities that he has continued to return to, then as now, when faced with the challenges life presents.

When it was time to begin looking beyond high school, for Barton, having been mainstreamed from the beginning of his education, the question was not whether he would attend a college or university but rather where this would be. Despite a councilor who discouraged his application to institutions who’s entrance requirements appeared to be outside of where she saw his capability, Barton recognized that alongside the common academic needs, he was in search of a greater education beyond the classroom.

In him was an innate knowledge that his independence was somehow linked with an environment that drew him out of the trappings that kept him from realizing its fullness. For a boy from Chicago all too familiar with how the layers of binding clothes frustrated his freedom of movement and how the ice and snow halts a wheelchair with only a three inch collection, the Tucson sun seemed to scream liberation in a way that Barton could not ignore.

As he suspected, it was not so much the classes at the University of Arizona that Barton found so appealing to his spirit, though they did satiate his intellect, but it was instead the great and scary freedom of stepping out on his own. Yes, Barton had supports, some system-based, others not. His family had ensured that he was squarely situated within the disability service system as he approached legal adulthood, and he learned to navigate this infrastructure to suit his needs, yet it was in the very distant background and only served to meet the physical aspects of life where Barton required an extra pair of hands.

A much greater and transformative force than the understanding of how to utilize a support system or even the joys of his academic pursuits in poetry came as Barton followed a lifelong dream to study the martial arts. Through training in the martial arts, Barton found a path for endless growth and service. Along the way, he has also discovered a deep faith that further solidified his conviction that, through persistence, anything is possible. As a student of a traditional martial art, Barton continues to explore the profound connection between the physical, intellectual, and emotional world with the realm of the spirit.

Over his ten plus years of training, there were, and continue to be, key moments in which all of assumptions and beliefs concerning his life, be they encouraging or limiting, were tested. The most significant, perhaps, came as he realized his own profound attachment to his disability. This lead to an intense release of an ingrained perception and allowed him the confidence to learn to stand and walk. By facing overwhelming moments such as this, and stepping through any fear and anxiety that surrounded these situations, Barton discovered the freedom that is continually present when one lets go and takes action in each moment.

Today, Barton owns Blooming Lotus Coaching where he works with families impacted by disability to enhance the independence of each member while encouraging alignment within the family as a whole. His mission is to enable people to connect with, listen to, and act upon their inherent wisdom in order to bring about a life of greater connection and fulfillment for themselves that is in line with their unique expression as a whole human being. In Addition, Barton and his wife Megan co-own Cutter’s word, LLC through which he serves as Communications Manager for the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities.  As a contractor for the Council, he coordinates and oversees multiple statewide public awareness campaigns aimed at educating the public on issues important to those with intellectual and developmental disabilities.

With a BA in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona, Barton relocated to Raleigh where he has written on disability-related issues for The Raleigh News & Observer, ABILITY Magazine, the NC Council on Developmental Disabilities, Persona Magazine, the NC Office on Disability & Health, and the NC Disability Action Network.

Prior to working with the North Carolina Council on Developmental Disabilities, Barton worked for Easter Seals UCP North Carolina where he managed Youth Leaders in Action, a program to empower youth with disabilities to develop knowledge, skills, confidence, and relationships necessary to participate as leaders within their community. During that period, he served on the NC Office of Disability & Health Advisory Council and sat on the Board of the NC Youth Leadership Network.  In addition to his many publication credits, Barton is the recipient of the 2006 Triangle Access Award for his efforts in removing attitudinal barriers toward people with disabilities.  

Barton also teaches self defense to children and adults with and without disabilities.  He holds a third degree black belt in Budo Taijutsu, a martial art that stems from nine traditional Japanese martial schools.  Barton’s article “Fight Back: The Importance of Self-Defense” was published in the January 2005 edition of ABILITY Magazine, a national publication that focuses on health and disABILITY issues.