After years of exclusively seeing able-bodied actors on my favorite TV shows, I never felt represented as a woman with a disability. But as I watched Netflix's Special alongside one of my best friends, I witnessed an authentic, honest portrayal of the nuances of life with mild cerebral palsy. The struggles faced by main character Ryan Hayes mirror my own experiences with navigating life with extremely mild Cp.
To others, I wasn't living with a limp; I was just "tired from a run." I wasn't brain-injured; I was simply "really, really clumsy."
For the past 13 years, I've been able to "pass" as able-bodied or mildly injured and thus completely negate my disability identity. And for nearly a decade, I took full advantage of my "passing privilege." Like Ryan Hayes, who uses his recent car accident to explain away his cerebral palsy symptoms when he begins a coveted new internship,...
To others, I wasn't living with a limp; I was just "tired from a run." I wasn't brain-injured; I was simply "really, really clumsy."
For the past 13 years, I've been able to "pass" as able-bodied or mildly injured and thus completely negate my disability identity. And for nearly a decade, I took full advantage of my "passing privilege." Like Ryan Hayes, who uses his recent car accident to explain away his cerebral palsy symptoms when he begins a coveted new internship,...
- 4/20/2021
- by Kelly Douglas
- Popsugar.com
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