Just an Everyday Disabled Woman
by Vicky Page

My name is Vicky Page. I live in Wingdale, New York. I'm 29 years old, and I have cerebral palsy. I use a wheelchair.

I was due to arrive on the planet on July 2nd. I arrived April 24th. I've always told my mom I liked spring better anyway. I weighed 3 lbs, 9 ounces and spent weeks in the neonatal ICU. My parents brought me home to my 5 1/2 year old sister, who had been promised by grandmother "a cute little doll" was going to arrive shortly for her. When she saw me, she asked where the doll was! Despite this, she quickly developed a mothering instinct with me. I was in a stroller being carried, or I crawled to get around. The diagnosis of cerebral palsy came at the age of 2 1/2. The type I have is called spastic diplegia. My legs are more affected by the disorder than my arms.

My parents were told that my IQ would never be higher then that of a 12-year old. I'm happy they didn't listen to such low expectations! When I was five my parents moved further upstate and since my local school didn't have an accessible kindergarten, my parents kept me back a year and I had a tutor come to my home three hours a day, five days a week, paid by my school district. Also I received my first wheelchair. I entered school "mainstreamed"—a term used back in the 80s when a disabled student went into a class room with non-disabled peers. My parents fought for this because they felt that I could handle it with the proper support of a one-to-one aide. The district wanted me to be bussed back and forth two hours away from my home to a school for children with special needs. Mom and Dad felt, why should I go for long bus rides when my local school was ten minutes away.

I had lot of friends during my elementary school years, Parties and phone calls. Then around sixth grade friends started to pull away. Nobody sat with me at the lunch table, and when I finally got the courage to ask my friends why they had left they said "we are just busy we'll be back later." "Later" never arrived. The good thing about being shunned by my so-called friends was that I became psychologically self-reliant. The bad part was my introversion and lonely feelings of isolation. During that time period I met a wonderful occupational therapist who was a mentor and friend to me. She unknowingly set me on a course to my current career of public speaking when at the age of 16 I spoke to occupational therapy graduate students. And I do have one friend from high school, whom I keep in touch with on a regular basis.

As my ten-year class reunion approaches this year, I have no desire to revisit the past; only to look toward the future. I went on to college and received a bachelor's degree in psychology. I tried to look for jobs in everything from nursing homes to child care agencies, to no avail. Vocational counselors told me that I was too smart to be placed anywhere by them. Often I was told jobs weren't available in the places I applied, when the reality was nobody wanted to deal with a disabled employee. Roadblocks were hit when state agencies failed to help pay for graduate school or transportation. I felt isolated again.

The one thing I still had was my public speaking at various universities. Places such as Mercy College. New York University, Sacred Heat Heart University in Connecticut, just to name a few, and the occasional volunteer writing gig. My lecture touches upon many topics such as: disability awareness, misconceptions and prejudices, friendship, the role of the family and the role of the professional, special education, inclusion and mainstreaming. I also speak about the many hurdles of daily living, being a female in today's society and recreational activities. I have found many friends but have been unlucky in romance so far...

I've been called negative words such as guarded and bitter. I don't see myself this way. I truly hope that I can help others transcend negative expectations of the disabled and become a positive force in helping others to understand that I'm just an every day disabled woman, and proud of it! If you are interested in contacting me please email me at Minnie497@aol.com.