I HAVE CEREBRAL PALSY, and I can’t leave my wheelchair. But that doesn’t mean that I feel handicapped – only that I need your understanding. You see, I’m not sick. And I definitely don’t think I’m suffering. In fact, I’m glad I’m me and not someone else!
Oh, yes, sometimes I wish I could run and jump and dance. But it’s not the end of the world if I don’t. Besides, there are too many things I CAN do to worry about the few things I can’t.
Unless you know me well, my speech is hard to understand; my tongue and mouth won’t make the sounds that you know. And typing out my thoughts on paper takes concentration, effort and time – just to raise my arm and aim my finger at the keyboard.
Yet, for me, communication is more than that. It’s you seeing me the way I know myself to be inside.
I am MYSELF, a total ME! And when the secret’s shared, it’s twice as joyful!
I’ve grown up in a world that finds me a puzzle. But it’s not my disability that makes me feel handicapped – it’s the people out there who don’t understand.
I can deal with a wheelchair that breaks down, and I can laugh at myself when the spoonful of coffee misses the cup. But I can’t always hold back my tears when people let me down.
That’s my disability. That’s when life hurts the most.
