CP=Cinema Princess

Interview :

Name:Margot Cole from new York in her early 20's 

Q1:What is your disability? 

1: My disability is Spastic Diplegia Cerebral Palsy.

 Q2:What is it? 

2: Cerebral Palsy is is a brain injury that happens before, during, or shortly after birth. It can be caused by lack of oxygen to the brain or conditions such as a fetal brain hemorrhage which is similar to a stroke, but in most cases the reason for the brain damage is unknown. Cerebral Palsy affects the motor areas of the brain in a vast amount of ways depending on where the damage in the brain occurs. It usually causes the muscles to be too tight (spastic) or too loose because the brain signals are constantly being misfired throughout the person's entire life. The misfiring can lead to issues with balancing, coordination, speech, proprioception, and body alignment. In my case it mainly effects my walking.

 Q3: What age they received diagnosis? Story behind it.

3: I was initially diagnosed with Cerebral Palsy around 8 months old. The specific type of Cerebral Palsy called “Spastic Diplegia”  was confirmed when I was about 1 year old through an evaluation by a doctor and physical therapist.

Q4: What is the treatment plan? how does it help?

4: I have had surgery and physical therapy as a treatment. I had two surgeries for the treatment of my Cerebral Palsy where doctors lengthened tendons near my knees and ankles to relieve spasticity and allow me to stand up and walk. I could not walk at all until after my first surgery at three years old. I have had many types of physical therapy throughout my life such as aqua therapy and horse back riding as physical therapy.  I also dance and do martial arts.

 Q5:Were you ever hospitalized for it?

5: I was hospitalized overnight for both of my surgeries. The experience of being in a hospital made me fascinated with medical shows but I’m still terrified of medical procedures when they are done to my own body.

 Q6:How does it effect your everyday life?what type of therapy?

 6: My Cerebral Palsy effects me physically. In daily life, I use gray forearm crutches to walk in most situations. If I have to walk a longer distance I use a scooter. Having to use crutches and/or a scooter on a daily basis means that it is better for me to plan events with friends a few days ahead of time so I can plan out how much walking or standing might be involved in the activity and how long it could take me to walk there. In college I have my classes moved closer together to shorten the walking distance required. My CP sometimes makes my handwriting look wavy and hard to read so I type my writing exams. 

 Q7:Have you ever felt discrmanated and How so?

7: I felt truly discriminated against when the only high school where I was living had no elevator so I was forced to home school for high school. Luckily I ended up really liking home schooling. I have also surprisingly experienced ableism from other disabled people who only focus on my Cerebral Palsy instead of getting to know other aspects of my interests, and expect me to prove that I fit their definition of what an independent person with CP should be like, instead of letting me make my own choices. I was disappointed to find out how ableist some of the disabled community was.

 Q8:Is it something you try to hide?

8: I have never felt the need to hide my disability. I feel that by sharing my life experiences as someone with Cerebral Palsy it gives me agency and by sharing I can help others with disabilities embrace their disability. Even if I wanted to hide my disability it is impossible for me to hide my CP because it is very visible. My body discloses my condition for me whether I want to or not.

 Q9:Did it ever effect your self-esteem? 

9: I have always felt that I had high self esteem. I have supportive family and many friends. I feel my life with CP is a very wonderful, full life. If I have certain positive or negative emotions about my disability come up in my mind, I write about them in my films which can be viewed online for free here http://cripvideoproductions.com   as a way to process what I feel in a healthy way.  The films I’v written so far are titled “Drama Sighted” “Only Those Who Limp Allowed”, “Crips Not Creeps” and “A Stroke Of Endurance”.

Q10:What is your future plan? 

10: My future plans are to get a BA in Biology and to continue writing about my experiences