Freefall

Recently, I’ve read a lot of articles, blogs and the like, highlighting what is often referred to as ‘CP successes’. That is to say, people who have achieved some level of success, personally or professionally, while living with cerebral palsy.

The fact that these people are seen as a success because they have achieved something, despite having a disability, annoys me greatly.

My issue is not that these people should be taken from the limelight. They deserve kudos for their success. My issue is only that the impact of their disability should sometimes be downplayed if not disregarded.

For example, if someone living with CP discovers a cure for cancer, would the fact that they have a disability really have contributed to or detracted from their success? Sometimes a person’s physical state can and should be seen as irrelevant to whatever that person does or does not do.

To think that our disability impacts either positively or negatively on everything that we do, is like interacting with the rest of society from inside a bubble. A bubble that, depending on the moment, either overshadows or adds undue pressure to who we are.

We are more than our physical being. I cannot speak for everyone, but I would guess that the majority of people living with a disability would shy away from the idea of anything they think or do being attributed to their level of physical ability. I would like to think that my thoughts and actions would remain the same whether or not I had cerebral palsy. It’s only a small part of who I am. It doesn’t deserve that much air time.

If a person is viewed by society as a success, this should stand alone as a testament to that person’s talents or character. Something that is often completely separate from having a disability.

People can be amazing people, period.