My parents married in 1998, and one year later, I was born. My mom was given a private room in a private hospital, but shortly after that, she was transported to a public hospital. She felt me moving and told the nurse that something was wrong, but the nurse did…
My life has been a good one, despite its ups and downs. I was born in Tokyo and during my early years of living in Japan, I experienced discrimination due to my diagnoses of spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and esotropia. My parents tried to shield me from prejudice as…
I’m going to take you through a day in my life. It was a day not long ago when I was by myself in public at the University of Southern California (USC). I woke up around 8:30 a.m. as usual, and my morning caregiver got me ready. I got…
Today, I will introduce you to a young man named Steven Hachigian. I hope his story will give you a new perspective on cerebral palsy (CP). I first met Steven by coincidence when my mother purchased his old adaptive bike for me to use. After that, we lost touch for…
Third in a series. Read parts one and two. Dear Teachers of the United States, Hi, my name is Reo Kobayashi. I am 20 and live with cerebral palsy, which only affects my physical ability. I hope my story will help you treat students with physical disabilities…
Second in a series. Read part one. Dear people, My name is Reo Kobayashi, and I live with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and visual impairment, physical conditions that affect my mobility but don’t affect my mental capacity. If you’ve ever wondered how to interact with a physically…
First in a series. Dear caregivers and assistants, My name is Reo Kobayashi. I’ve lived with spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and visual impairment all my life, and have had many assistants and caregivers over the years, including at school, at home, and out in public. Pictured below is…
Dear Reo, It’s the day before you come to America. I know you’re thinking that you’re going there for a vacation like you did when you were 4 years old. But you’ll be gone for two months, and your return trip to Tokyo will be a brief one to attend…
My story of how I overcame depression and self-doubt started when I first moved to the United States from Japan when I was 6. My family and I were in search of a better quality of life for me, given my diagnosis of spastic quadriplegic cerebral palsy and visual…
Second in a series. Read part one. It was on a weekend in March 2017. My high school classmates told me to check my admissions portal for the University of Southern California (USC). My mother and I opened the portal, and we saw on the right-hand side of the…