u/giggling_mezzo

A lot of Autistic people take a neurodiversity approach wherein even if their Autism is a disability (as is part of the diagnostic criteria) they prefer an approach of behavioral health supports combined with social environment modifications (biopsychosocial or social model) and they see their Autism as part of their identity. As a person with mild to moderate cerebral palsy (and severe anxiety but I see that as a disorder in need of curing) I see the ways I adapt, the tools I used the routines I have developed around my access needs and the interests I have developed from activities I have to do to manage living with cerebral palsy such as pilates and lifting as part of what shapes me. I have also made many friends in disability spaces. as such, I take a neurodiversity affirming approach to my CP, a view which has been influenced in part by my Autistic friends' perspective. As such, I am curious: If you are both Autistic and have cerebral palsy do you see both of your conditions as pieces of who you are or just your Autism? Do you see neither condition or both as a part of you? Thank you!

hi! I’m 24 with GMFCS 2/MACS 2 (mild/mild to moderate) spastic diplegia and spastic left monoplegia. I walk on my toes unless I’m wearing inserts or specific shoes and recently I’ve been having an increasingly intense dull ache around the base of my big toe. my physiotherapist has no idea what’s causing it. has anyone here dealt with a similar ache? What caused it and what did you do about it? all my other pain is well managed even though it is one of the medical model things I hate about cerebral palsy.

I am Disabled and studying a masters in disability in ireland and currently taking a class on further education in Ireland that deals with nationally accredited education programs for adults with intellectual disabilities in Ireland. One issue that has come up a lot in other disability justice-related activities I am involved with is that people with intellectual disabilities have a desire to be parents but do not have adequate support to do so. As such, I wanted to design a an accredited completely optional course for expecting parents or new parents with IDD to learn skills that prepare them to be parents which includes a class on parental advocating for their rights. the quality and qualifications board in ireland which is in charge of accrediting courses has courses that teach people with intellectual disabilities very basic self-care skills, literacy/numeracy skills, and basic employable skills. Knowing this, I thought something similar could be created to support people with intellectual disabilities who wish to become parents. If you have an intellectual disability and would like to parent: does this seem reasonable to you as a course/program? is it needed? and does it make sense for a course like that to be natioanlly accredited?

I am disabled and I am currently taking a class on further education in Ireland that deals with QQI accredited education programs for adults with intellectual disabilities in Ireland. One issue that has come up a lot in other disability justice-related activities I am involved with is that people with intellectual disabilities have a desire to be parents but do not have adequate support to do so. As such, I wanted to design a module for either expecting parents or new parents with IDD to learn skills that prepare them to be parents and a module to understand their parental rights. Can this fit reasonably into a QQI framework of levels?

As a person who has grown up with mild to moderate cerebral palsy, I have complex feelings about the catchphrase "your disability does not define you." I definitely view my cerebral palsy as a part of my identity. My access needs, especially in an inaccessible world, affect how I interact with my friends and people's reactions to the fact that I move slower and sometimes need direct support due to my balance or may need to take an alternate more accessible route to be independent tells me a lot about who they are as a person (ironically how they view my disability defines others to me LOL). Fun fact: I have made many close friends from asking for help.

I also am a performing artist and having to adapt to limited fine motor skills when making art or making and learning music, balance issues, standing endurance issues and involuntary movements mean I always sing sitting down in order for my voice to come out richer even though I am not currently a wheelchair user. It also affects how i dance (and ableism affects how much dance I have been able to access, the ways I look when acting and the roles I can play or how we may need to adjust a set or the staging of something like a musical or opera. As such, it really is a part of my identity as a performer. The things I have gone through both physically and societally also have influenced my values and politics, such as valuing interdependence, creativity and believing that universal design, disabled voices and disability wisdom are something to preserve and keep generating. Valuing and needing interdependence has also made me less aggressive and more assertive as an advocate and activist than I believe I would be without cerebral palsy.

Additionally, my access needs, sensory needs support needs influence my daily routine and therefore are my normal. The sensory part as well as the locations I sit or stand at to view events or where I can go are also parts of my physical experience and therefore part of how I anchor memories. In a similar vein, I have gained many hobbies that are a part of my life from both managing my disability and trying to connect with and learn about the Disabled community at large. These include swimming, disability critical theory, disability justice, weight training, Pilates and an interest in ethnomusicology. My career goals have been influenced by some of these interests and values that I wouldn't experience in the same way and would probably not have tried if I did not have cerebral palsy.

Furthermore, the way my family and therapists raised me with cerebral palsy has made me a person who values tiny wins and can be happy from something seemingly small, and I believe that if I got rid of the cerebral palsy a lot of those small joys and opportunities, like achieving mundane tasks or discovering a new way to adapt would go away. Additionally, a lot of my fangirling and fandom experience has been tied to either being a way to cope with the hard parts of both of my disablilites and the lyrics and plotpoints I pay attention to are sometimes influenced by the fact that I am Disabled and by the fact that I am in disability justice spaces. Lastly, my belonging in those spaces and in other disability-related spaces is heavily shaped by the fact that I have existed in a Disabled body my whole life. As such, my congenital disability feels like a thread and facet that has always been there and should stay. For these reasons, I say that it is part of what defines me, even if it is not every single thing. Other parts of me are the places I've grown up, the education I have had, which has been heavily influenced by decisions my parents made due to my access needs, the languages I speak (which was made easier by the early intervention I received, thus being influenced by the fact that I am disabled) as well as other interests, and my fandoms which I connect with my disability. Is it fair to say that my disability is part of what defines me even if there are things I would still have experienced and liked without it in a different way? and to what extent do physically disabled people on here feel this applies? I guess what I am asking is what defines you?