Kevin Mintz rolled his electric wheelchair up to the podium in the middle of the stage Friday. He looked down at his white graduation gown and then addressed the crowd, his speech slow and labored.

The teenagers in the audience, buzzing with restless energy minutes earlier, quickly hushed.

In the front row, his parents held hands and smiled: Their son, who will never walk, who they once feared would never even talk, had risen to the top of his Robert Morgan Educational Center class -- and was tapped to address the student body at the Pharmed Arena at Florida International University.

Next, he is headed to Harvard on a full scholarship.

Kevin, 18, has cerebral palsy. He has limited use of his arms and legs, and has been in a wheelchair his entire life. It took 10 years of therapy for him to speak and be fully understood.

But Kevin was never discouraged by what others regard as a handicap. He excelled in school. He became an advocate for students with disabilities. He gained the respect and admiration of his classmates.

Friday marked his latest milestone.

''It was very rough at times, but when I was going through all of the traumatic stuff, I didn't feel like I was doing anything heroic or profound,'' Kevin said before his presentation. ``It just felt like something I needed to do for myself, to be considered normal.''

He paused.

``Although recently, I realized that normal is in the eye of the beholder.''

The youngest of four children, Kevin was born one month premature. The doctors said he was in distress before delivery, remembers Howard Mintz, his father.

Kevin was diagnosed with cerebral palsy at 9 months old. He was unable to speak until after his third birthday.

But his parents were undeterred by the specialists' gloomy predictions of a life of limits for Kevin. The couple shuttled him back and forth from Gainesville for special surgeries to increase his mobility. They enrolled him in early intervention programs.

Once he began talking, his vocabulary grew at an extraordinary rate. By kindergarten, the adults around him were convinced he was gifted.

His mother fought to have him placed in a regular kindergarten class at Gloria Floyd Elementary School in Kendall. It was a time before ''mainstreaming'' was a common practice.

At school, Kevin needed help getting situated. A school-district assistant helped him maneuver around the building, handle his books and write assignments.

Still, the boy's passion for learning was evident.

''He couldn't open the doors or carry a backpack, but he loved being at school,'' his father said. ``He wasn't going to let his disability stop him.''

In middle school, Kevin shined. He took advanced courses in math, science, English and social studies. He joined the school paper and developed skills as a writer, despite his inability to physically put pen to paper.

''He was one of the most extraordinary writers I had ever had in class,'' newspaper advisor Mona Abramesco said.

SON'S ASSISTANT

Kevin's father, a semi-retired systems manager, left his job to become the boy's full-time assistant.

Kevin took the most challenging classes his school offered. His senior-year schedule included six Advanced Placement classes, ranging from art history to advanced calculus.

He never earned a grade lower than an A.

''When Kevin was in my class, he motivated me to go beyond what was on the page,'' said history teacher Bob Barnett. ``I wanted to go into debates. I wanted to go further.''

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