My senior year as a high school student was exciting. As for all High School seniors, the  final year of high school can have its bittersweet moments, as well as having its ups and downs. That year, I took World History. This subject was not always easy for me, but my teacher did not give up on me. When she saw I struggled with the regular textbook, she found an alternative that was clearer and easier to understand.  This simple act made a huge difference! I was also relieved that I could understand and comprehend the material that was given to me out of this new textbook. My senior ..read more

  My name is Samara. At the tender age of 3 years old, I was diagnosed with Spastic Hemiplegia CP– Cerebral palsy that affects one side of the side of the body. Growing up, I had foot pain, soreness, and muscle spasms. I did countless hours of physical therapy as a child. During my teenage years, the pain in my legs only got more annoying as time went on. By the time I was in my 20s, I knew I had a lot of damage in my feet. I could never flex my left foot, and my right leg was always overcompensating for my left leg. At the time, my doctor was one of the only top 5 sports/medicine doctors ..read more

The family courts in the state of Florida decided that my mother was not capable anymore in order to take care of my siblings and I. Therefore, they ruled that my mother needed to sign away her parental rights. This, of course, made me sad, as well as angry. I knew why the courts ruled this way. However, I was sad and angry because I was rooting for my mother to get better, and that we would have the possibility of being with her again. I had to realize that this was no longer the possibility, and I was now put up for adoption. While I was in foster care, I met a wonderful family. I became fri ..read more

March is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, and March 25 is an entire day devoted to awareness of this common cause of disability. Created in 2006, the day and the month came from a need to recognize the lack of progress in cerebral palsy research. Cerebral palsy is the most common motor condition that causes lifelong disabilities. March is set aside as a time to recognize this and to raise awareness about all aspects of cerebral palsy. Here are several things you can do to support the cause. 1. Learn More About Cerebral Palsy If you don’t live with CP or have a close family member or friend wit ..read more

  I am writing to you on behalf of The Sedoo Initiative for Children with Special Needs (SECHILD) with great enthusiasm to present our proposal for potential projects aimed at supporting children with Cerebral Palsy (CP). We deeply admire your commitment to empowering individuals with disabilities and believe that our proposed initiatives align closely with your mission. 1. Early Intervention Programs: Our proposal centers around the development and implementation of early intervention programs tailored specifically to infants and young children diagnosed with CP. These programs will prov ..read more

  My name is Stephen Ferrante and I was born with Cerebral Palsy. When I was in the womb, the umbilical cord got wrapped around my neck. In the process of everything, I choked on fluid, and it filled my lungs. I was born into this beautiful world through an emergency C-section. The first 12 days of my life, I had tubes everywhere, trying to suck the fluids out of my lungs. I was a fighter! Through the process my doctor diagnosed me with mild cerebral Palsy. I didn’t know anything different until I started going to school. I would be pulled out of my regular classes to go to special classe ..read more

Bathing Babies…A Seagull That Prepared Me For Mainstreaming Into Public High School…Where I Was Taught By A Falcon Do you remember your preschool or kindergarten years as a child? Would you be able to recall specific days, moments with you and your friends playing on the playground, or specific interactions with teachers? Or, do  those memories seem like fragments or snippets of a video? When you attempt to play the video (like a VHS tape ? ?), static or white lines appear for a few minutes, then a snippet of the video is clear. Then that static, and more white lines continue. The latter ..read more

  My name is Peter Bowling Anderson and I worked in Fort Worth, Texas for five years as a caregiver/tutor for a man with cerebral palsy named Richard Herrin. It was the best job I ever had, and I learned many valuable insights and lessons from Richard during our years together. I decided to write a book about our time together, and it’s called Life at 8 mph: How a Man with Cerebral Palsy Taught Me the Secret to Happiness. It was recently published, and the following is the opening excerpt from the book. Meet Mr. Persistent, Richard Herrin…   The only thing I knew for certain was I d ..read more

Adults with cerebral palsy are often left out of the discussion of this condition that affects people from childhood through their entire lives. Now, researchers need adults living with cerebral palsy to contribute to an important project. The project is part of an effort to use voice recordings to train voice recognition technology. This technology will help improve communication for individuals of all ages and with various speech disorders. Cerebral Palsy and Speech Disorders Cerebral palsy is the most common movement and motor disorder of childhood. It is not progressive, but it is also in ..read more

Assisted reproductive technology (ART) has helped many parents with fertility issues conceive and have children. ART is involved in nearly 8% of European births and more than 5% of children born in the U.S. Previous studies have proven that these children have a greater risk of developing cerebral palsy, but the risk is now declining. Assisted Reproductive Technology and Cerebral Palsy Cerebral palsy results from brain damage during childbirth or abnormal brain development while in the womb. It affects motor functions and can cause or contribute to multiple symptoms and associated conditions ..read more