Wednesday, October 7, 2015

World CP Day

246 words
2 minute read

Today is World CP Day, which is all about making the world better for those of us with CP.

Having CP does come with some perks.  First and foremost, a great community of people who are living with it, too.  Our shared experiences with it.  Our particular facial features (I like to call it CP Face) which are often seen among people with CP.  We have awesome transportation (seriously, let's hear it for Greenie, my wheelchair.)

As World CP Day is about making the world better for us, here are a few things I'd like to see improved upon:

Awareness:  Look up Cerebral Palsy on your own time. Learn about it.  Realize that having CP is not a tragedy.  It is not something to be overcome

Access:  This goes beyond physical access (which, of course, is needed and awesome) and extends to conversations about things that concern those of us with CP.  Don't shut us out of those conversations.  Don't shut us down because we are not saying what you think we should.  We are the only ones who can speak for our own experiences as disabled people.

Ableism:  Telling someone with CP "I've never seen you as handicapped", pushing us without permission, or demanding we educate you are all forms of discrimination against disabled people.  Extend to us the same common courtesy you would to a nondisabled person.  We deserve the same respect.

CP Friends, celebrate yourselves and each other today!  Happy World CP Day!


***

Don't forget to connect on Facebook / Twitter / Instagram


No comments:

Post a Comment

Please feel free to leave a comment. I always love hearing from people. :)