Introduction

All of my life I had to deal with being misunderstood for what I had no control over, my disability. When you have cerebral palsy, every day you walk out into the world not quite knowing what to expect. If someone I have never met sees me walk or hears me talk, they assume a variety of different things about me, all of them untrue. The reality is that I thrive off of my independence and that most days my CP doesn’t even factor into who I am or how I live my life. While I may have imperfect speech, this has no reflection on my intelligence. Unfortunately, this is not always how others see me. While I’ve come across quite a few open minded people in the past few years, I still find that people with disabilities are misrepresented as having the minds of children and incapable of speaking up for themselves.

I realize we’ve come far; that many of us have the same access to education and employment that everyone else has.  However, I still encounter those who use a different tone of voice when speaking to me, who try to help with everything and think that they’re doing what’s right. I mean, I appreciate that they are making an effort to be more understanding, but I feel treating someone with a disability as even a little more helpless than yourself is where naivety comes from. So many of us are afraid of what we don’t understand. Given the recent event in the news over the couple with cerebral palsy from Ontario fighting to keep their son, I feel compelled to step up and say something instead of resorting to the shy silence that I usually do. I want you all to know that I am no different from you; I just express myself through the power of words and imagination.

I know that there are many without disabilities that do this as well, but how I perceive the world and those around me has always been through the lens of someone who must life their life with their flaws showing up on the outside. I recognize the fight and the struggles on the faces of the unknown. There have been times where I felt their pain and wanted to reach out and help them in any way that I could. Growing up, I struggled with how I could do anything of value for anyone else when others had been helping me since I was only a baby. I started with the one skill I was most confident in—writing. I wrote poems and the greatest part of that process has always been when they can touch and inspire others. Through the poetry and fiction I've written, my hope is that I can one day reach as many people as possible with my message and maybe even change the way they perceive both those with disabilities and artists, because belonging to both of these groups, I believe that we have important things to say to those who truly have an open mind and are willing to listen. My ultimate goal is to give others the chance to draw a new conclusion.

Through this blog, I plan to give you my perspective on life, covering such topics as relationships, music, traveling and volunteering. I will talk honestly about what it’s like to live my life and the integral role the written word has played in being able to share my voice. I hope that through these posts, I can begin to eradicate pity for myself and others with disabilities and inspire a positive change in perspective. Don’t be afraid to give me your opinions, there is no reason to hold back. I aim for this blog to serve as an upfront and honest platform. I’ve wanted to start something like this for a long time now, so I hope that all of my readers enjoy it.