Tag: life
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Cerebral Palsy From the Inside-Part 4
What Is Spastic Diplegia? Let Me Tell You From the Inside If you look up spastic diplegia, you will probably find a medical explanation telling you that it is a form of cerebral palsy that primarily affects the legs. That definition is important. But it doesn’t tell you what it feels like. I can. I…
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Cerebral Palsy From the Inside- Part 3
World Cerebral Palsy Day: More Than a Diagnosis Welcome to October 6 — World Cerebral Palsy Day. 💚 Today means a lot to me and to the cerebral palsy community because it gives us a day to show the world that we are more than just a disability. We are people like anyone else. I…
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Cerebral Palsy: Myths Vs. Facts
What I Wish More People Understood About Living With CP There are many myths about cerebral palsy. Some come from people simply not knowing much about the disability. Others come from assumptions people have made for generations about what someone with a disability can and cannot do. As someone who has lived with cerebral palsy…
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How Long Can I stay
When Transportation Controls the Clock Getting There: Traveling With a Disability — September Series When you depend on paratransit, deciding what time you’re going somewhere is only half of the planning. You also have to decide what time you’re coming home—and sometimes you have to make that decision before you’ve even left your house. When…
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A simple Outing Isn’t Always Simple
Getting There: Traveling With a Disability — September Series Why isn’t a simple outing always so simple when you have a disability? For the average able-bodied person, getting out of the house might not take much thought. You decide where you want to go, get yourself ready, grab what you need, and leave. For someone…
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When a PCA Isn’t the Right Match
Living Independently: The PCA Journey — Part Ten Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie W.O.W.C.P. One of the hardest things about managing your own PCA care is realizing that not everyone is going to be the right match. Someone can be a good person. They can have good intentions. They can genuinely want to help. And…
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The Benefits of Having a PCA- and the Benefits of Learning Without One
Living Independently: The PCA Journey — Part Two Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie W.O.W.C.P. When I first started living on my own, it was at the very beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. Moving into my own apartment was already a huge step in my independence journey. But moving out during a pandemic made that experience…
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What a PCA Really Means
Living Independently: The PCA Journey — Part One Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie W.O.W.C.P. When people hear the words Personal Care Assistant, or PCA, they may assume that having one means a person with a disability cannot be independent. For me, it means almost the exact opposite. Having a PCA doesn’t mean I’m not independent.…
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The Doors That Opened When I Chose to Believe
Closing Disability Pride Month As Disability Pride Month comes to an end, I’ve found myself reflecting on the journey that brought me here. This month, I’ve written about disability history. I’ve reflected on the meaning of the Disability Pride Flag. I’ve shared stories about growing up with cerebral palsy, the barriers I’ve faced, and the…
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Meeting Disability at Different Doors
Our Beautiful Challenges — Marie Disability Pride series One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned is that not everyone meets disability at the same door. Some of us are born with a disability. Some acquire one through an illness, an accident, or simply through the aging process. No matter how we arrive, we all become…
