Wobbling Through 2024: The Positive Stories

Lucy_Scope

  
The new year comes with new reflection and solitude. I want to highlight some positives within the cerebral palsy community in 2024.  

Having worked in my role for 2 months, it is easy to get fixated on the challenges and barriers people with CP face. The individual and institutional apathy we see daily. This is a reminder of the importance of our ongoing work for people with CP. It can be frustrating see overt ableism and lack of understanding about CP. But it is important to celebrate the positives we have seen.  

Disabling attitudes can be just as exhausting as post-impairment syndrome! These types of stereotypes make existing even more difficult.  

2024 saw positive representations of Cerebral Palsy. We saw visibility in different sectors: from sport, fashion and even film. These individual stories bring glimmers of hope that attitudes can shift.  

Take Elliot Caswell, a nineteen-year-old who has quadriplegia. A BBC documentary delved into Elliott's struggles to find paid work.  After the show, Primark approached Elliott to be a model. One of the biggest fashion retailers showcasing CP! Fashion belongs to us, too.  

One of the biggest representations of CP came from Disney. They adapt Sharon M. Draper, best-seller ‘Out of My Mind.’ A main character with Cerebral Palsy that does not completely perpetuate pity. How long did that take?  

This is monumental: cerebral palsy being at the centre of a film. Showcasing every part of life, not just the medical aspect, many assume our life is. This film explores the complexities of having complex quadriplegia as a teenage girl with CP.  

It sees firsthand the barriers society holds over disabled people. Undermining us and not trusting our intelligence because of the use of an AAC. This was not an inspirational slog of a film. It illustrates the social model of disability in action. It shows exclusion from education, attitudinal and physical barriers. I wish I had this film in my CP education growing up. Seeing a character experiencing similar barriers would have been a real comfort. 

I hope we will see other streaming services and production companies follow Disney's lead.  

One of the great joys I have seen since being in post is the inclusion of cerebral palsy within football. We saw England CP come fifth in the World Cup. We are seeing more visibility within Foundation FC football clubs, including Leeds United, Fulham, and West Bromwich Albion.

Giving a space for the next generation of talented players. But most importantly, helping children with CP reap the benefits of exercise. This feels like a growing investment for many football clubs.  This can only improve over time, and then who knows? Maybe England can actually bring it home! 

We continue to fight for Cerebral Palsy to be represented and adequately funded. These small victories need to be celebrated. These examples show that change is possible! 

Mary_Scope

Great to see some positive representation of disability in the media! Especially from massive organizations like Disney!! Hopefully this is just the start of better media rep.

I haven't watched Out Of My Mind yet but I will definitely be putting it on my list, sounds right up my street!

Starman

That does all sound very positive! 🙂 I know it can be a very difficult journey, as with lots of other disabling, debilitating conditions, it's great to hear positive, actual real situations in different walks of life that help people.