Cerebral Palsy: Arbitrary like eye colour?

Francesca Martinez, comedian (pictured)

A fellow cerebral palsean has remarked that Cerebral Palsy is no different or more important than something such as eye colour. She refuses to be limited by her mild form of CP, and has remarked on something that I cannot agree more with here:

"No wonder people are still so nervous about disability, and I can only conclude that names for them are hand-picked from a tombola of words most likely to induce fear and panic. Just stick your hand in and pull one out. Syndrome. Disorder. Cerebral. Palsy. Disease. Spina. Bifida. The rest is easy. Take two words, mix them together, apply to one human being and, hey presto, you've got a ready-made freak. Labels are powerful tools that shape attitudes and tell us much about how the things they are describing are viewed. I have spent my life trying to extricate myself from the label that was plastered all over me at birth. "

This is probably very true: from my own experience, I have been rejected for interviews at jobs where they have been looking for applicants - which I have put down to CP (Asda being the main example here). It's demoralizing to the point where you just don't really want to bother, really. Perhaps a "normal" manual job like that is out of my reach.

Josh Blue, who also has CP, jokes in the video below that the reason he is a stand-up because he didn't have much choice to be anything else. "What was I was gonna do, be a traffic cop?" *flaps arms around*



You can read the Francesca Martinez article here - it also addresses the politicisation of Cerebral Palsy by David Cameron and his son Ivan, who recently passed away. Plus a good personal account.

Little's Disease goes Dancing on Ice!

A True Story:


Anyway. This morning I need to get to Manchester to get books. I got outside and it felt like I was on ice. I thought about turning around and forgetting the whole ordeal, but instead I called for a taxi.

I have Cerebral Palsy, which affects my mobility. To my extent, I have zero balance so it can get quite entertaining.

The taxi came but even though it was just a few steps away, I knew I'd have a job on my hands getting in. This proved to be the.case, as I skated my way to the car but fell, nearly ripping off the guys mirror in the process. Fun!

He was convinced I was drunk, which reminds me of a certain Josh Blue joke about the drunk tank.

"Nobody is on the road. They all gone home! Black ice!" He says in his Asian accent.

"Yeah it's like dancing on ice out there. I gotta get to Manchester. Hope I don't fall over again." I replied.

"Well I don't know you nearly broke my mirror. It's loose!"

"Im sorry" I said, nearly pissing myself laughing.

"I always tell people not to drink, I don't know." says the driver.

I nearly burst out in more laughter, but I didn't bother explaining I have Little's Disease (CP).... It seems my Stevie Wonder 'blind man' shades didn't serve as a warning either... Shame.

To make matters worse, it feels like I've wet myself. Turns out my can of relentless exploded on impact when I fell over! So I smell of energy.

I'm glad there was no one around to see it. Though it certain was worth paying to see!





EDIT: Also, after getting to University Library, I discover that my glasses are broken (again), presumably by the fall from getting into the taxi.

FUN!


-- Post From My iPhone