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Finding Where I Fit in as Someone With 'Mild' Cerebral Palsy

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Throughout my life I have kind of felt like I don’t fit in anywhere. When I was small it felt like there was no one like me in this world. I wasn’t quite like all my friends at school because I had mild cerebral palsy and was only in mainstream classes, yet I felt not quite like anyone else I met with a disability, either. As a small child, it was so hard to find acceptance of my CP and to truly understand it is OK to be unlike anyone else. Everyone is different. I truthfully struggled with this for quite some time.

I feel those of us with a disability the world may see as “mild” can struggle extremely hard to find our place in the world. Sometimes it can seem as if you aren’t accepted anywhere. This is where acceptance of yourself is very important. The realization that in all honesty, no one is like anyone else can be a hard one to reach. But in my experience, once you find it you feel as if a weight has been lifted from your shoulders!

To be yourself in a world that doesn’t embrace differences can be difficult. But within yourself, you can find the light to sparkle like a diamond! You are perfect just the way you are — you just need to believe that for yourself. Never be afraid to be yourself, believe in yourself and understand that no matter what the world thinks, within yourself you will find acceptance.

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Photo by contributor.

Originally published: August 29, 2017
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