Embracing Life on Wheels — Jessica Grono

Recently I had to walk home from my car repair shop because my brakes need to be replaced. As we were walking, my friend asked me why people look at us strangely when I’m just walking in town? I’ve stopped noticing the obvious stares and live my life.

I entered college full of hope to be a special education teacher, knowing there were challenges, and the road would be bumpy. I have athetoid cerebral palsy that includes involuntary movements and a speech impediment. That my heart was born to teach had been known since my elementary…

Having cerebral palsy is as natural to me as walking is to someone else. A common request I receive is to explain what it’s like to have cerebral palsy. While I can easily explain the bulk of the disability, the specific details might fall through the cracks. Here…

Dating and relationships are something many people want in life. But with a disability such as cerebral palsy, dating can seem an astronomical task. Having athetoid spastic cerebral palsy can lead to challenges, socially and romantically. However, at a young age, I set a goal of a happy marriage,…

World Cerebral Palsy Day is tomorrow — Oct. 5, 2016. World Cerebral Palsy Day (click here) is a social movement for, with, and by individuals who have cerebral palsy and is designed to spread awareness. The vision for the social movement is that every person with cerebral palsy is…

People with cerebral palsy and other disabilities would like society to see them equally. Society has a way of giving people with disabilities the term “special” when all we really want is to be seen as normal — just needing to do some things differently. Depicting people with disabilities…

Ten years ago, I became a mother for the first time. Being a mother had always been my dream and goal ever since I was five years old. To me, cerebral palsy wasn’t a factor in my decision. I knew I had love and knowledge so everything else…

The word “limitation” means so much more to a person with a disability than to someone without a disability. For someone with cerebral palsy, the word limitation begins to be heard and often repeated as early as infancy. I remember hearing limitations from doctors, teachers, camp counselors, family,…

Going to a doctor is important for both preventing sickness or dealing with it. Unfortunately, having cerebral palsy prevents many people from seeing their doctor on a regular basis. Sadly, most medical professionals have little to no idea about how to take care of, or even talk to, someone with cerebral palsy.