People always ask me “Hey what’s wrong with you, did you get in a car accident”? I understand that people aren’t always educated on the subject but it is sometimes offensive because they view me as a mistake rather than a person. I am ok with who I am though I get the sense that people are uncomfortable with me in social situations because they either pity me or see me as something that needs to be fixed but I am unique. I was born with Spastic Triplegia Cerebral Palsy. What is Cerebral Palsy you ask? Cerebral Palsy (CP) is an umbrella term for a group of disorders that affect a person’s cognition, ability to move/ maintain balance and posture. CP is the most common motor disability in childhood.
Spastic means there is increased muscle toneresulting in stiff muscles which can make movement difficult or even impossible. Triplegia means three spastic movements in three limbs typically both legs and one arm. Cerebral means having to do with the brain and Palsy means weakness or problems with using the muscles. CP is caused by abnormal brain development or damage to the developing brain that affects a person’s ability to control his or her muscles (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2019). What I usually tell people is, it is like my brain is a TV and the connection going to my legs and left arm are getting a weak signal or sometimes no signal at all.
I love being disabled because it has given me a chance to see different perspectives of life. I’m more open minded, I’m aware of my surroundings and I feel deeply about others. I truly think if I could walk, I wouldn’t have those qualities about me. I would probably be an outsider staring at the disabled person like they are an alien just as they look at me.
The great thing about being Physically Disabled is that there is a huge community out there that makes you feel like you are a family. They understand your issues, boundaries, complications as well as limitations and within having all of that even if it is chaotic you come together to fight for your rights as a union. Some of the issues as a Physically Disabled person I come across is being able to find jobs, going into public places that are not handicapped accessible, being accepted in other communities because of their views or assumptions of what my limitations are without knowing my capabilities. Regardless of the struggles I encounter it doesn’t stop me from fighting and pushing for what I need as an individual because at the end of the day I am HUMAN and Physical Disability or not we all deserve equal opportunity.
-Golda Rae
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2019)
https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/cp/facts.html
