Couple of things before I start:
Uno- this blog now has an Instagram, go follow @theCPblogger for updates (And there is a link at the bottom as well)
Dos- I am FINALLY on Easter break whoop-whoop!
Tres- we've only gone and got 6k views.....PARRRRRRRTTTTTYYYYYYYY. THANKS YOU LOT!
Now lets get on with this...
Okay, so before I properly started blogging, I entered a writing competition and nothing really came about it; so the other day I was looking at my entry and well its quite something. All I'm going say is that we were given the brief it had to be based on an experience or opinion.......
Just because I’m disabled it doesn’t means I’m thick
or a baby!
Ok then, as a 12 year old
disabled girl, who goes to a mainstream school, I’m going to get bullied,
aren’t I? So far, in my eventful life, I haven’t been constantly bullied, as
I’m very fortunate to have brilliant friends who stick up for me; it’s not
really that bad. Yes, I may have a psycho arm, which is ruthless and without me
controlling it - most of the time – it hits people without warning (which is
thanks to my cerebral palsy!) I have to have a bulky wheelchair that gets me a
lift pass, which to be completely honest with you is one of the perks of being
disabled, but yet having the chair means I have to leave for classes earlier to
get to them on time-so it has its positives and negatives. For me, it’s not
that big of a deal because ‘I just shake it off, shake it off’. Sorry for the
Taylor swift reference, I couldn’t stop myself!
So, the one thing that really
bugs me about school, is the fact that people automatically, without even
thinking, assume that I’m thick or I’m a big baby. This is because in my
profile, it says in big… bold… letters SEN. The easiest way to describe what
SEN means is, that I am disabled! When people see these three letters they
normally start treating me like a toddler, I’m a year 8 pupil for the record,
stop treating me like a freaking baby!
For example, way back in year
6, our teacher was working with my table and we were doing about ww2 evacuees.
I was working by myself, not struggling or anything, but she still came and sat
next to me. I thought to myself “well this feels a bit intimidating and strange
but ok, I’m fine with Miss ****** sitting that close to me whilst I work.” (I’m
not saying her name and also it isn’t a swear word that I use as nick name for
her either! Promise!). So I carried on working. When I was starting to do the
arty bits she asked me “Oh Ruthie, let me help you with that.” She proceeded to
move my work nearer her; in my head I was thinking, “Oh hell no!” but I said
instead “Oh I can cope on my own thanks.” Came out. And I slid my work back.
You may think that was just her trying to help me, but the thing that got me
was later that lesson I showed her the work and miss ******* said “you are such
an inspiration Ruthie, I couldn’t be as motivated as you.” Or something along
those lines, which would be fine and I wouldn’t be offended. However, the tone
of her voice, which was sort of patronising ‘as if I just went on the potty and
did a wee’ well done voice, one where she spoke slowly as though I couldn’t
understand her! Like why? I’m not a 2 year old. That’s a memory that I’ll
remember because it’s the first time I felt someone was patronising me.
Many people, don’t think some
people have a disability if it is not a physical one, such as dyslexia, but as
soon as they are told that you have a disability, the patronisation starts.
1800 babies are born in the UK, a year, with cerebral palsy. It is individual
to the person, so it can effect on side of the body (called Hemiplegia), it can
effect one limb (called Monoplegia) and many more. There are different
strengths of each type of cerebral palsy so it can sometimes only affect a
child’s speech. This is unnoticeable until the child starts to talk. People,
such as teachers, wouldn’t treat people with a disability which is not
noticeable differently, so why treat people with a disability that is
noticeable like 2 year olds!
Do you want to know why I
think people have this idea, that if a person has a disability then they should
be treated different to the norm? Well when you think about disabilities you
see the differences between a person with a condition and one without that
condition. You don’t see the similarities, so in theory in a social situation,
you know that the person is different so thus treating him/her not in the same
way as ‘normal’ person. There is one
question that I think we need to know the answer to. What is the definition of
normal? For all we know, having a disability is normal! But there is a flaw,
no-one knows, at first, what the person’s capabilities are resulting in you treating
them like they are younger than they are. This is fine until the point when you
know what their capabilities are, but you still treat them like they are
younger because it is easier or you don’t have an understanding of how they
work. Then it turns into discrimination or patronisation which isn’t right. So
just because we are disabled don’t treat us any different to other people!
I don't even know what this is, you can tell I was new at this. I think we can all say this was my first rant. Oh and shout out to my best friend who edited this for me, I AM SO SO SORRY.
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This is so cringe I can't say much more.
Happy Easter
Byeeeeeeeeeee
