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Name: Judith
Your family member's disability: Cerebral Palsy and Type I Diabetes

If there was one thing that you wish people better understood about your family member's disability, what would it be?
I wish that people would understand that even though Phillip, my son, may be slow to answer, that he has a rich, creative intelligent mind. The C.P. tends to mask his ability to speak clearly and quickly. That is a quality that society associates with intelligence.

One thing that people can do to make other people with disabilities feel more included, whether it is at work, school, or another community organization would be:
Young people with disabilities are often excluded from the last-minute parties and gatherings, that characterizes teen social lives. These informal gatherings are usually held in homes. I wish that teens could learn to include other teens with disabilities in these informal "hanging out" events. The young person with the disability usually is the one who has to invite his or her classmates to his home, and rarely is invited back to their homes to just watch TV and have a Coke. When the other kids learn to drive, this becomes more of an issue. Once the six month drive alone period is passed, they could go pick up their friend with a disability and hang out more together. This just is not happening in our culture. After age 16, the teen with a disability actually becomes more isolated as their able-bodied counterparts feel to busy and distracted to appreciate the friendship of people who seem so different to them.

When you consider your family member's accomplishments, what is your greatest source of pride?
Perhaps his finest hour was when he was 15 and developed Type I Diabetes. The C.P. masked many of the symptoms, and he almost died. But he courageously was determined to live and manage his diabetes to the best of his ability. Another moment was graduation: Our son participated in his high school graduation ceremony, strolling across the stage to receive his diploma. He graduated with honors and received the $27,000 Hope Scholarship.

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