They See What’s Different-Not What’s Possible

Disability Pride series

Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie

There have been so many moments in my life when people noticed my disability before they noticed me.

They saw my walker before they saw my smile.

They noticed my cerebral palsy before they noticed my personality.

Sometimes they made up their minds about what I could or couldn’t do before I ever had the chance to introduce myself.

For much of my life, I felt like I had to prove myself.

Not because I doubted who I was.

But because other people doubted what they thought I was capable of.

Growing up, there were teachers who weren’t sure how to include me.

There were people who assumed I would always need someone to speak for me.

There were places that weren’t built with someone like me in mind.

Those experiences could have convinced me that my future was limited.

Instead, they taught me something else.

The greatest barriers I have faced haven’t always been physical.

Many of them have been assumptions.

Assumptions that I couldn’t live independently.

Assumptions that I couldn’t build meaningful relationships.

Assumptions that I couldn’t earn a college degree.

Assumptions that I couldn’t become a writer, an advocate, or a speaker.

Yet here I am.

I earned my degree.

I moved into my own apartment.

I built a life I once thought might never be possible.

I found love.

I created Work Out With Cerebral Palsy (WOWCP).

I started Our Beautiful Challenges.

I discovered that my voice could help other people feel seen.

None of those accomplishments happened because my disability disappeared.

They happened because I refused to let other people’s expectations define my future.

Having cerebral palsy has never meant I don’t have dreams.

It has simply meant that my path to reaching those dreams has looked different.

Different does not mean less.

Different does not mean impossible.

One of the things I hope people begin to understand is that disability is only one part of a person’s story.

When you meet someone with a disability, don’t stop at what you notice first.

Take time to discover who they are.

Ask about their passions.

Their goals.

Their talents.

Their sense of humor.

Their dreams.

You may be surprised by everything you find beyond the disability.

Today, I no longer feel the need to prove my worth.

I know who I am.

I know what I am capable of.

And I know that my disability is not the most interesting thing about me.

It is simply one chapter in a much bigger story.

My hope is that one day people won’t see my walker before they see me.

They’ll see a woman who loves to write.

A woman who advocates for others.

A woman who believes in kindness, inclusion, and possibility.

Because when we stop focusing on what makes someone different and start looking for what makes them unique, we create a world where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.

When people only see what’s different, they miss everything that’s possible.

And I hope my life reminds them to look a little deeper.