What Sharing My Disability Story Gave Me
In 2017, after searching the web for sites I could contribute to, I came across The Mighty through Facebook. After reading many great stories by people living with disabilities, mental illnesses, etc., I decided to submit one of the high school essays I wrote back in 10th grade English class about the challenges and obstacles I face as a young woman with cerebral palsy.
I can’t say I regret my decision, although at first, I was nervous to come out with my story. Although I was a self-published author, as someone with a disability who had just started to accept my cerebral palsy, I wasn’t ready — mainly because I was afraid people would doubt my abilities to be a writer.
But becoming a contributor for The Mighty taught me that my life experiences matter, and that’s what makes people gravitate towards the stories I have to tell. It’s so important to be part of a community with such a great support system when you need a reminder that you are not alone in the battles you’re facing. Through The Mighty, I’ve have been able to meet some of my best friends like Megan Glosson, Kelly Douglas and Louis Scarantino, who support me daily throughout my journey with cerebral palsy.
The Mighty gave me the courage to come out about my anxiety and depression when I was first diagnosed and didn’t know how to tell my friends and the people who follow me. I went on The Mighty and shared my experiences with the community, and the support I got was amazing. It was emotional for me because I was afraid of what people were going to think. If it wasn’t for The Mighty and the platform, I would have kept all the emotions regarding my daily struggles to myself and I would feel alone in the world.
As I wake up in the morning the first site I head to is The Mighty, where I read stories from all the contributors who make the community so great. I get inspired to be the best I can be every day and I remember that I’m not alone — that I have a purpose for my voice to be heard by those who struggle with their everyday life.
Being part of The Mighty has been an amazing, life-changing experience that has inspired me to be better, whether it be through writing or advocacy. I can thank The Mighty for how far I’ve come in accepting my disability for what it is, and when it comes to speaking out about my cerebral palsy. I will forever be thankful for The Mighty and its platform for what it did for me and my life.
Image provided by contributor
Tylia L. Flores is a twenty-eight-year-old born with Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Despite her condition that affects her mobility, she does not allow it to affect her will and determination to make a difference in the world. Through her many life challenges and obstacles, she discovered her passion for writing. Tylia’s goal in life is to share her stories with the world. In doing so, she hopes to help others with disabilities realize that they, too, have the potential to make their dreams come true. Tylia is not only an author. She’s a radio show personality and a disability activist. Tylia has written about disability-related topics for Yahoo Life, Your Tango, The Mighty, ReadUnwritten.com, Words Between Coasts Project, Wednesday, Spilwords, and Goble Thrive. Worth Living Among her other appearances are Disability on the Spectrum and Why I was Afraid of Sexuality. Previously, Tylia was nominated to Diversabilities list of the most influential Disability Impacts of 2022. Additionally, Tylia holds the position of chairman in the creative director role for the North American Association Of Cerebral Palsy Advocates. She serves as a mentor for the Disability EmpowHer Network as well. Tylia also works for Write It Up Publishing as a sensitivity reader focusing on disability representation. Tylia has also been involved in many movie press releases for Samuel Goldwyn Films Come as you are Piece of me which was the short film directed and written by award winning filmmaker Bruna Cabral as well as the film adaptation of the book Calvin can’t fly by Jenifer Burnes Tylia is also a keynote speaker at 2020’s Cerebral Palsy Awareness conference. She has also been a guest speaker at Northeastern State University Broken Arrow where she talks to college students about disability and inclusion in education. She has also been a guest speaker at Plantation Middle School, where she discussed inclusion and disability with classmates. Tylia is fully certified in Education for All: Disability, Diversity, and Inclusion through Cape Town University. She’s also certified in Understanding Diversity and Inclusion through Purdue University. She’s also certified in creative writing at the University of East Anglia. Tylia hosts the Stomping On cerebral Palsy radio show with DJ Ty on Asheville FM with DJ Mouse during the Come On In the Kitchen segment once a month she also helps the staff behind the scenes, help bring awareness to disability awareness and inclusion within the radio broadcasting industry .
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