Disability Awareness

I cannot believe that in the year 2016, in a modern society where people are accepted for everything from homosexuality to having bright green hair and pierced eyeballs people with a disability are still treated as a lesser human being. Yes, perhaps life for someone with a disability is vastly different to someone who does not have a disability. However life for someone with a disability is also hugely similar to that of someone who does not have a disability. 

 Almost everyone feels emotions of some sort, everyone has basic human needs, everyone needs emotional and mental stimulation and support. Someone who is in a wheelchair is not necessarily 'stuck in a wheelchair', they most certainly do not 'have no prospects for an independent future' and most importantly of all many of them do not 'suffer'. The Oxford English Dictionary defines the word 'suffer' as 'Experience or be subjected to (something bad or unpleasant).' A disability is not necessarily bad or unpleasant. It can on occasion limit someone's ability to experience certain things but most of the time that is just due to a lack of awareness and support from other people. 

 Disabled people have been known to do 'normal' things such as get jobs, settle down, drive a car, bake cakes and garden. They have also been known to do extraordinary things such as gain doctorates, have families, invent things and run countries. 

 Your life is only as limited as you allow it to be. Peoples barriers go up when they are treated like less of a person, and they lose confidence in themselves and interest in doing things. Right now, all over the world, people who are defined as 'disabled' are achieving incredible things. Things that as little as 40 years ago would have been nigh on impossible. 

 A disability is defined as 'A physical or mental condition that limits a person’s movements, senses, or activities' by the Oxford English Dictionary. And the operative word in this sentence is limits.  Because as the days and months go on, slowly but surely the members of the population who have a disability are changing the definition of disabled, making a difference to the world and most importantly, changing the thought pattern of the rest of the world. 

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month 😁

March is Cerebral Palsy awareness month 🙂 

'Cerebral' means to do with the brain. 

'Palsy' means weakness or to do with the muscles.

1. CP is the most common childhood motor disability.

2. It can affect people in many different ways - some people are unable to walk and need lifelong care, others may walk only slightly awkwardly and need no further support. 

3. There are 3 main types of cerebral palsy. Many people will have a mixture of these types.

4. People with CP can live perfectly acceptably 'normal' lives 😁 

CP affects muscle control and movement. It's usually caused by an injury to the brain before, during or after birth. Children with cerebral palsy have difficulties in controlling muscles and movements as they grow and develop.

*The current UK incidence rate is around 1 in 400 births.

*Approximately 1,800 children are diagnosed with cerebral palsy every year.

*There are an estimated 30,000 children with cerebral palsy in the UK.

*There are more boys born with cerebral palsy than girls. For every 100 girls with cerebral palsy, there are 135 boys with cerebral palsy.

*Just under a half of children with cerebral palsy were born prematurely (before 37 weeks gestation).

*One in three children with cerebral palsy is unable to walk.

*One in four children with cerebral palsy cannot feed or dress themselves.

*One in four children with cerebral palsy has a severe learning disability.

*A child who is mildly affected by CP can expect to have much the same length of life as a child without CP.

*A child of two who cannot walk, and cannot feed or dress himself, and has severe learning difficulties is as likely as not to live to age 25.