tried to talk or the way my body moved.
Once they realized that I was Layna’s sister, though, they’d back off. Layna was well known and liked. It just wouldn’t look good to be on Layna’s bad side.
I knew I had to deal with the new kids in high school who didn’t know Layna or me. That first day of class, I was very overwhelmed. There were too many kids standing and walking through the hallways. Luckily, I was pretty good at driving my wheelchair, so I wasn’t worried about running into anybody. Most of my classes were with the “normal” kids because I’ve always had an above average intelligence. That was never the problem. Still, there were some classes I attended that were segregated with the special needs kids.
Although I was scared at first, I soon realized that it was just like any other school I had attended. The kids didn’t even notice me. While I was driving my wheelchair, I didn’t even get a “hi” from anybody. As a matter of fact, it was like I wasn’t there. These kids just looked right through me.
I guess it would have been easier to feel invisible. Instead, I felt painfully visible, but entirely ignored.
Although I was challenged physically, I was easily able to keep up with the “normal” kids intellectually. I could read, spell, do math, and type with my communication device. My biggest drawback was my physical limitation. Even my speech was severely affected. I could say a few words fairly clearly, but generally, my speech was difficult to understand.
If people didn’t know me, they usually assumed that I was affected cognitively as well. At first, it used to bother me, but by the time I was in high school, I expected it. They would talk to me as if they were talking to a toddler.
Layna had programmed my device to say, “Yes, I have Cerebral Palsy. And, yes, I can have normal conversations with you.” I pressed this button quite a bit just to check the ignorant people.
I was thankful that although I couldn’t control my body, at least I had my mind. Even if physically I continued to decline slowly as I was getting older, at least my mind continued to be sharp.
Yes, the truth of the matter was that as my body was growing, it was harder for me to control my muscles. For example, it was much more challenging to stand and walk. Luckily, I was still able to do it with assistance, but it was much easier when my body was smaller.
I was also thankful that I could still use the toilet and was able to eat regular foods. Sure, somebody had to help clean me after I used the toilet, help feed me and bathe me, but I learned to focus on the positives. At least I didn’t have to wear diapers, and I was still able to enjoy the taste of food.
I would hang on to that as long as I possibly could.
I was used to my routine. Most days, I was a happy girl. I always looked forward to coming home and hanging out with Layna and Duke in the evenings. Although I normally kept a smile on my face, occasionally there were days when things just felt bleak. I had no friends besides Layna. Sure, her friends were nice to me whenever they came over, but they weren’t my friends. Sometimes, I would even find myself being jealous of Layna doing her “girly” things with her friends.
She was always very good with including me. Knowing Layna, she would have it no other way. If she was having people over for a sleepover, I would be right there with them. If she was having a movie night, she would even take me with her. At times, I did feel guilty about it. I didn’t want to hold her back from her social life. But, the selfish part of me—the part that didn’t want Layna to have an independent life away from me—kept tagging along.
One day, Layna was asked to her homecoming dance by a cute boy she had a crush on. Timmy had stopped by the house a few times, and he was always very nice. This was going to be Layna’s first dance with a boy. She was beyond excited.
“Can you believe he asked me,
Once they realized that I was Layna’s sister, though, they’d back off. Layna was well known and liked. It just wouldn’t look good to be on Layna’s bad side.
I knew I had to deal with the new kids in high school who didn’t know Layna or me. That first day of class, I was very overwhelmed. There were too many kids standing and walking through the hallways. Luckily, I was pretty good at driving my wheelchair, so I wasn’t worried about running into anybody. Most of my classes were with the “normal” kids because I’ve always had an above average intelligence. That was never the problem. Still, there were some classes I attended that were segregated with the special needs kids.
Although I was scared at first, I soon realized that it was just like any other school I had attended. The kids didn’t even notice me. While I was driving my wheelchair, I didn’t even get a “hi” from anybody. As a matter of fact, it was like I wasn’t there. These kids just looked right through me.
I guess it would have been easier to feel invisible. Instead, I felt painfully visible, but entirely ignored.
Although I was challenged physically, I was easily able to keep up with the “normal” kids intellectually. I could read, spell, do math, and type with my communication device. My biggest drawback was my physical limitation. Even my speech was severely affected. I could say a few words fairly clearly, but generally, my speech was difficult to understand.
If people didn’t know me, they usually assumed that I was affected cognitively as well. At first, it used to bother me, but by the time I was in high school, I expected it. They would talk to me as if they were talking to a toddler.
Layna had programmed my device to say, “Yes, I have Cerebral Palsy. And, yes, I can have normal conversations with you.” I pressed this button quite a bit just to check the ignorant people.
I was thankful that although I couldn’t control my body, at least I had my mind. Even if physically I continued to decline slowly as I was getting older, at least my mind continued to be sharp.
Yes, the truth of the matter was that as my body was growing, it was harder for me to control my muscles. For example, it was much more challenging to stand and walk. Luckily, I was still able to do it with assistance, but it was much easier when my body was smaller.
I was also thankful that I could still use the toilet and was able to eat regular foods. Sure, somebody had to help clean me after I used the toilet, help feed me and bathe me, but I learned to focus on the positives. At least I didn’t have to wear diapers, and I was still able to enjoy the taste of food.
I would hang on to that as long as I possibly could.
I was used to my routine. Most days, I was a happy girl. I always looked forward to coming home and hanging out with Layna and Duke in the evenings. Although I normally kept a smile on my face, occasionally there were days when things just felt bleak. I had no friends besides Layna. Sure, her friends were nice to me whenever they came over, but they weren’t my friends. Sometimes, I would even find myself being jealous of Layna doing her “girly” things with her friends.
She was always very good with including me. Knowing Layna, she would have it no other way. If she was having people over for a sleepover, I would be right there with them. If she was having a movie night, she would even take me with her. At times, I did feel guilty about it. I didn’t want to hold her back from her social life. But, the selfish part of me—the part that didn’t want Layna to have an independent life away from me—kept tagging along.
One day, Layna was asked to her homecoming dance by a cute boy she had a crush on. Timmy had stopped by the house a few times, and he was always very nice. This was going to be Layna’s first dance with a boy. She was beyond excited.
“Can you believe he asked me,
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