It’s Your Life Story- YOU Write It!

“I think when God created me, He must have used left over funny bones. Because of my cerebral palsy, I look like a basket case. Yet, I no longer feel like a basket case. Most of the time now, I forget how I am. I forget what my outsides look like. Inside I am just me. And to me, I’m normal.”

These words of Carolyn Martin from her book, I Can’t Walk, So I’ll Learn to Dance, really resonate with me. I, too, was born with cerebral palsy, affecting all my movements and my speech. Additionally, I am totally blind. I have been unable to walk and have used a wheelchair for as long as I can remember. Lots of things have changed since my beginning 76 years ago. People like me were often institutionalized. I remember being sent to the Washington State School for the Blind when I was young, returning home only for vacations and holidays. While I was there, they did not know how to adapt for my wheelchair and cerebral palsy prevented me from learning Braille.

Then I went to a center for cerebral palsy. There, they did not know what to do with me because of my blindness. They made me do pantomime and charades. As you can imagine, there were not many job openings for a blind charade player and disabled mime.

I remember my mother taking me to see the Superintendent of Schools in Monroe begging and pleading for something for me. He said, “We have nothing for your daughter and that is that.” After the Americans with Disabilities Act was passed in 1990, educators are no longer able to say, “We have nothing for you.”

Eventually, I quit school and stayed home with my parents, living and learning since then. In many ways, I was lucky. I had a social worker who believed in me. She advocated with a lot of people to find opportunities for me, but more importantly, I never gave up. I never quit trying and wanting to be part of the community and contribute to society. I could have been called the woman who fell through the cracks. I call myself the woman who never quit finding her way. That is my message to all of you. Don’t ever let anyone write your story for you.

Today, I remain active in attending monthly meetings of the Snohomish Council County of the Blind where I have been elected Second Vice President. I participate weekly in Speech Recognition Word Cue. I use Access and Dial-a-ride independently. I enjoy visiting with friends with my iPhone and listening to talking books from NLS.”

It is testimonials such as this one from Nancy that remind us there are those who face much greater challenges than many of us will ever face and yet, through it all, their spirit shines because they never give up. They are still writing their own story.

Categorised in: Bridge Story