What to do when you feel bullied? Emotional, mentally, physically drained? When is enough enough! When and where should one raise their voice to create a change? Where does the fear come from the word disability? Yes. Everyone in someway seems to be afraid of the disabled community no matter what the disability. I personally think it’s from the unknown, possibly the lack of knowledge, one may have, concerning the specific disability. As an example cerebral palsy, there are a lot of uneducated individuals concerning the disability. A lot of people even children wonder what is wrong with that person. Why do they limp, or why do they have an arm that does not straighten out? How come they talk different? To name a few examples. We are simply different bodied individuals that have different limitations due to brain damage. As a result we who are different have had to encounter unnecessary bullying as children and even as adults. As well as other baggage that abled bodied individuals face such as depression, anxiety, anger. All of which takes a toll on the mind and body, emotionally, mentally, and physically. Can we stand up and raise our voices? Yes. Is it hard? Yes. But it’s not impossible. Nothing will change unless you speak up to the powers that be and declare a change to the situation. Yes easier said than done I know, I’ve been there a people pleaser. It was not until I became an adult that I started to stand up for myself. I was told no one is going to look out for you but you. I learned I had to go to bed and face every morning with decisions I’ve made and I had to ask myself can I live with this decision. Life is hard but the mold can be broken. Are you at that point in your life where you have had enough, that you need to break the mold and create change to your situation? As we speak up and advocate for ourselves we get stronger and eventually can advocate for others. I encourage the different bodied individuals to raise your voice, educate, inform and declare a change to your situation, whatever, that may be. No longer tolerate bullying and getting beat down with unnecessary baggage you do not need, rather, shed light on the unknown of your disability and know it’s ok to embrace it and accept it cuz you can not change it. Inform those who do not know about your limitations and skills that you deal with and conquer daily. Always remember you are a warrior and you can do anything you set your mind to do. If you are an abled bodied person do not be afraid to ask questions, strike a conversation with a hi, give an opportunity for a different bodied person to show you what they are like on the inside and do not ever assume. Happy reading everyone!
Living w/ cerebral palsy 