School (part 4)

A friend in my special needs class and I lip-synched Madonna's "Like a Prayer" in our grade four talent show. We entered ourselves in the talent show but didn't have an act yet. A few days later, I was in my room listening to music when "Like a Prayer" came on. The song spoke to me about what I wanted to achieve. Part of me felt like the voice in the song was pushing me to fly when I felt like I was falling. I choreographed all the moves that night.  It was easier for me to perform them on my knees than in my wheelchair so I could somersault around.  My friend and I had free time the next day and I showed her the moves.  It took a while but she got the hang of them!

We practised for the next couple of days before the talent show.  I also practised at home so I would know the moves by heart and feel confident performing them.  It was easy to remember all the words to the song because I was listening to it a lot.  We wore matching outfits for the talent show: shorts over tights and t-shirts.  I was nervous before we performed because I wasn't sure I could do it. But when I got out there, I forgot about everyone and just had fun with it. The whole school cheered for us and we won! It was fun to feel like a normal girl without a disability.

Not everyone in elementary school was able to see past my wheelchair.  I was picked on a lot. They called me every name in the book, which made me furious.  When I would arrive home and vent to my parents, they gave me the advice that it's not my problem if certain people don't like me because that means they probably aren't worth my friendship anyway.  People calling me names didn't stop me from enthusiastically greeting new students in the class, wanting to learn about them and help them out.

I shone in my teacher's eyes; she thought that I would be a great advocacy role model for people with disabilities.  In 8th grade, we saw an article about a young lady who also had C.P. and lived on her own in Calgary.  I wrote her a letter and asked if we could meet.  She agreed and came to my school to visit me.  She said that I inspired her but she too inspired me.  My teacher always said I was an inspiration to her and others because of my positive attitude and drive to challenge every day as I greeted it.

As the hardest worker in the class, I was able to see irony and humour in stories, sometimes better than my classmates.  I have a good memory for stories and could always answer questions about the story we had just read.  This surprised my classmates who thought I couldn't do much.  I ran the lunch kiosk and counted all the money.  I always had the brightest smile and a good sense of humour.  I was always well behaved and never argued.  I would lead the calendar exercise every morning and was very keen to learn and do new things.  When I was tired, I was willing to negotiate.  I went through all the things everyone else goes through.

In first grade, I stormed across the playground in my electric wheelchair, swinging my favourite Barbie doll by her hair and yelling, all because someone had dared to say that my Barbie's dress wasn't very pretty.  I always had friends inside and outside of resource class; they would cluster around me but we would occasionally fight like any other group of kids.  I was in Brownies and Girl Guides; it was fun to be part of a group and the kids treated me as if I was like anyone else, even though I used my walker.  I loved our camping trips and selling cookies.

School (part 2)

Dr. Townsend's was my last school in Calgary; after that, I stayed closer to my Airdrie home and attended school in the area of Rocky View for all twelve years of school.  When my parents met with the school district administrators to see if I could start grade one, they tried to convince my parents that I should return to Dr. Townsend School.  Their reason was that there wasn't room in the classroom for my electric wheelchair.  Thank goodness there was a principal at the meeting who said they should at least try it.  Going to school wasn't as simple for me as for the other students in my class.  I needed a few customizations to the daily school routine for me to participate.  There was an aide to assist me in the classroom, assistive technology to help me communicate, and transportation to make it there and home.

Because I cannot write on my own, I have always needed a computer for schoolwork, although my aide would write for me in the regular class.  She would read the questions to me and I would tell her what to write.  When I was in the resource class, I used a computer for my work; it was a way for me to be independent and helped tell my story to the class.  I did not even need to use the steel grid on the computer keyboard (a steel grid goes over the keyboard so that you can only hit one key at a time, a helpful tool for some people).  

Assistive technology has been helping me ever since I was five and used my first computer. It helps people be independent in a lot of different ways.  It can be as general as a hearing aid, braille on a keypad, or lowered curbs at crosswalks so anyone with limited mobility, strollers, or walkers can easily cross the street.  There are computer programs that convert speech into text or read your writing back to you.  I used a special joystick where I could control the cursor direction and speed; my hand-eye coordination and muscle control makes it difficult for me to use a regular mouse.

When I was in grade six, I received a Liberator, which is a small computer that talked, stored, and printed information, and made it easier for people to understand me.  I used it a lot at school but it was too cumbersome to carry with me everywhere so I kept it at school on weekdays.  I donated it after I started using it less and less.  Many people and organizations worked together to raise enough donations so I could receive my Liberator.  I want to thank everyone who helped provide it; it was a great resource for communication and helped me develop beyond the use of my Liberator.  When I donated it back to the main organization, I hoped that it would help someone else.

When I was five years old, I had the opportunity to be involved with public awareness of Cerebral Palsy by being a poster child for the Easter Seals Campaign.  Easter Seals is an organization that provides programs and services for individuals with disabilities and relies heavily on donations.  During the campaign, I met the Calgary Flames players and appeared on a telethon. It was during the telethon that I officially received my first home computer with a printer.  I could communicate with my family and keep my finished products to see what I had accomplished.  I had been using computers for years but never had one in my home. Organizations like the Easter Seals provide opportunities and services in a world where there are still many barriers for people with disabilities.