Cerebral Palsy Scotland

Going to school with cerebral palsy – Melissa Cassidy

As part of Cerebral Palsy Awareness month, Melissa shares her experiences of education as a person with cerebral palsy.

Melissa is a young author and disability activist. Growing up, writing was the most effective way she could communicate. Melissa has her own blog called Buttons and Ramps which you can find here – https://buttonsandramps.wordpress.com

Going to school with cerebral palsy – Melissa Cassidy. 

School – the foundations of almost every modern life or at least somewhere parents can temporarily abandon their annoying children. Regardless of how you see it, everyone has a different experience of school. When you have a disability though it adds a whole new layer of physical, emotional and social challenges. I want to share my experience of education in the hope that it illuminates what going to school can look like when you have a disability.

Let’s start at the beginning: after a traumatic birth my parents are left with a (abnormally good looking) disabled baby and a future of uncertainty of what my life was going to be. They didn’t know where to send me to go to nursery until the health visitor suggests a special nursery conjoined with a school called Kelburn Park. My parents didn’t know too much about disability but decided to check it out as an option. My mum tells me that the first visit we had I came out with a beaming smile and begged her to let me go there. The nursery was perfect for me and I honestly don’t have one bad memory of it. My mum said it was quite scary at first as they collected the kids from their homes to take to nursery and she didn’t enjoy having to hand me over every morning which is ironic because she’d probably love a moment of peace like that nowadays. I was a really happy, outgoing child so at nursery I could often be found pretending to perform plays, writing stories and painting.

Special nursery was definitely the right place for me but things changed when I went into primary one at the special school. While I was having fun, my parents grew concerned that by Christmas in primary one I hadn’t really developed my reading skills and by the end of the year they made the tough choice to move me into mainstream school. While this wasn’t easy, they felt I needed the same level of education as my sister. Ultimately this was the right decision, although I was starting a year late I settled in really well. This kickstarted the phase of me realising that I was different to my peers which got me down for a few years and definitely affected the way I felt about myself but I was fortunate to be relatively included and accepted by my peers and definitely flourished at my primary school.

Then came Secondary school and this is where I really started struggling. The first year at Secondary school, I found it incredibly difficult to make friends as I watched most of my other friends find other friendship groups while I struggled to speak to people because I was so self-conscious. This also resulted in me having some resentment against my helpers at school because I just wanted to be “normal”.

Looking back, I wish I had had better role models and more confidence as my lack of confidence then has definitely had a ripple effect on where I am now. Eventually I had to let go of the internal desperation to be like everyone else and this is where I started forming better relationships with my assistants and even made a few friends. Forming that bond with my assistants especially my closest one whom I often refer to as “my second mother” was crucial to me getting my confidence back.

Another thing that had a huge impact on my confidence was the arrival of a new drama teacher, in the space of a month I went from silently loathing drama to confidently laughing and performing with my class. Once I felt that encouragement nothing stopped me and I actually ended up getting a drama qualification two years after.

What I’ve learned about going to mainstream school is that confidence in yourself is everything. I lost a lot of time in my life being self-conscious and not wanting to put myself out there when that is the only way you are going to thrive in a mainstream school. My family and I have all been through an incredibly transformative journey as I’ve gone through school but the opportunity to get that mainstream education has been entirely worth it.

How I look after mental and physical health as a disabled teenager – Melissa Cassidy

As part of Cerebral Palsy Awareness month, Melissa shares how she looks after her mental and physical wellbeing as a disabled teen.

Melissa is a young author and disability activist who has cerebral palsy. Growing up, writing was the most effective way she could communicate. Melissa has her own blog called Buttons and Ramps which you can find here – https://buttonsandramps.wordpress.com

How I look after mental and physical health

Being disabled and attending mainstream school can be a lot for me sometimes and despite being a relatively happy person, I have times where I drop the ball on making sure I stay healthy. So I thought it might be helpful to share some of the things I do to keep myself both physically and mentally well.

When it comes to physical health when you have cerebral palsy it’s often hard to find the balance between doing enough activity to keep your muscles strong and taking enough rest so you don’t burn out. I find this difficult as someone who loves learning, working, sports and essentially most creative or physical activities. I’m constantly working on projects like my blog, or my social media and sometimes I forget that everything I do costs me energy. So recently I’ve been working on striking this balance by accepting the fact that sometimes I need to just say no to things; saying no to going out, to going to my usual clubs, and sometimes saying no to opportunities. Being able to understand and accept my limitations has been really valuable because it allows me to conserve energy for things I really care about and want to do.

Another thing I do to take care of my physical health is making sure I divide my time equally between being in a wheelchair and walking around. Since I spend most of my day at school in a wheelchair, I generally avoid my wheelchair outside of school. I’m extremely fortunate to be a ambulant wheelchair user and I often try to take advantage of that by picking and choosing when I’m in my chair and when I’m up and about.

I have found my mental health is much harder to take care of as a teenager with cerebral palsy. I have an amazing support network around me which makes life easier but I find that often having a physical disability takes a toll on how I manage my thoughts and feelings. As I previously referenced, my energy is really limited and this can make it hard sometimes to process everything going on which becomes stressful. I think because CP is so physical, people don’t consider the impact it has on our mental states. This as well as the social challenges and physical difficulties adds up and can ultimately be quite draining. But there are things that I have found that really help like trying to openly communicate how I feel to someone close to me just to get it out there, or taking hours out my day to just sit and watch TV and switch off. It sounds like common sense but I think people often don’t understand or downplay the mental side of being disabled.

Whether you’re disabled yourself, a parent or carer of someone disabled or even just know a disabled person, it’s important to understand how their mental and physical health may be impacted by different things and strive to be more accommodating of this.

Navigating my way through college – Ciara McCarthy

As part of Cerebral Palsy Awareness month, Ciara shares her helpful guide to help you through your time at college.

Hello, my name is Ciara McCarthy, and I am a college student with cerebral palsy, autism, and profound hearing loss. For a cerebral palsy month, I compiled tips to help guide you through your time at college as someone with cerebral palsy.

I began at college in the autumn of 2022, and these are things I found helpful in navigating my way through college.

Attend the Open Days of the college you’re going to.

  • It can be helpful to familiarise the surroundings and to communicate with lecturers and support staff. Often these open days have useful information about the course you’re attending, and you can ask questions

Get to know student advisors or support staff who will help you through college.

  • They can reassure you about your anxieties or support needs. Their job is to support you throughout your course. If you have specific accommodations, they ensure that you have them. The earlier you reach out to them, the quicker your Disabled Student Allowance can be processed.

Ask for a tour around the college.

  • This helped me visualise where the nearest lifts and classes were. You can get tours on open days; however, the person that supports you can have a personal one so that you feel more comfortable attending college.

Sit with people in the class.

  • As someone bullied for having cerebral palsy, it can be scary talking to new people all over again. Still, I have met incredible friends in my class; sometimes, overcoming your anxieties can help.

Join Societies.

  • Societies are a fantastic way to make friends outside of class. There are various interest-based and community-based societies. I joined the disabled students’ network, and it’s so much fun.

Don’t be embarrassed to use mobility aids.

  • If they help you, then use them as they are designed to support you. Please don’t focus on anyone else; it’s what supports you and keeps you safe.

Contact your guidance or support teacher if you’re scared about transitioning from secondary school to college. You deserve to have a smooth and safe transition tailored to your needs.

This is my personal experience at college, and it will not apply to everyone, but I hope this gives you some reassurance for your journey to college.