Living With A Disability by Lezetta Clayton

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Certain experiences have caused me to become the way I am today. I was born with Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is not a disease, but is characterized by nerve and muscle disfunction. It is caused by damage to the part of the brain that control and coordinates muscular action. My disability has caused me to stutter when I speak, feel differently when I meet new people, and it causes me to think about myself in a negative way. I don't like letting people see me with my disability. I think they won't accept me for who I am. I don't think very much of myself because of the way I look. I find it very hard to talk about my disability.

My biggest problem is my stuttering. I don't like to talk because of it. When I stutter, I get scared and nervous. I also get embarrassed when I stutter. Sometimes, I stutter telling someone my name. I don't like people hearing me stutter. I try not to talk in a group because I know I will stutter. I just don't stutter around new people, I stutter around my family and friends. My friends have gotten use to my stuttering. I also lost some friends because of my stuttering. That's why I am so shy too. My family didn't really know about my stuttering until I got into high school.

Meeting new people is very hard with my disability. When I meet someone for the first time, I feel they won't like me. I also feel uncomfortable because I feel left out. I think that they will not want to talk to me because of my chair. I get shy because I have to tell them my name. Meeting new people makes me feel scared, jumpy, and nervous. Sometimes, I think people talk to me because their friends talk to me. Sometimes, I feel like I am being ignored when meeting new people.

I don't like the way I look because of my disability. I feel my chair gets in the way when people are around me. When people are around me, I feel left out because of my disability. Sometimes, I get depressed because of my disability. I think I'm not pretty enough to meet people. Most people take me for granted because of my disability. They think I don't have a brain or feelings. I feel that I have to prove to people that I do have a brain and feelings like everyone else does.

In conclusion, I hope someday that people will realize people with disabilities have feelings too. Meeting new people makes me feel very uncomfortable because of my stuttering and shyness. But I have started to over come that. I try not to worry about what people say or think. I had to realize some people would not be friends with me because of my disability. At least I know that the friends I have now are my good friends. My friends helped me to realize that I should believe in myself. I have rights like anyone else in this world. I went through a painful time in my life and still do today, but it is not as bad now.