Thank you for the kind words, Mr. Wamsley. To the graduating class of 2016, I am honored to be here. You may wonder why I talk the way I do. My body is twisted and my speech is hard to understand. I have cerebral palsy. It is a medical condition that affects the muscles, nerves and brain. It is a condition marked by impaired muscle coordination and disability caused by damage to the brain before or after birth. My condition was caused by a lack of oxygen when I was born ( the umbilical cord was wrapped around my neck). One thing I would like for you to know is that my mind works fast , but it takes my muscles a while to catch up. It is not contagious and it is not hereditary. I was diagnosed around 6 months after I was born. My parents were told I wouldn’t live to be 3 years old. Then after going …show more content…
I’ve been fighting all these odds against me all my life. I’m going to take this opportunity to say, “ I have Cerebral Palsy”, What’s your excuse?” If I can do this, so can you. I grew up in Valley Head. I was the youngest of seven kids. When I was younger, I was able to walk and run and jump. I didn’t have the opportunity that kids have today. We could only get 2 TV stations. We didn’t have cell phones or computers. We had to make our own entertainment. We played in the creeks and we played softball in the summer and touch football in the fall and basketball in the wintertime. I never rode the bus until I was in 9th grade going to Tygarts Valley. Back in those days, you didn’t have the peer pressure. Kids and parents looked out for one another. Growing up, I wanted to be a coach and the governor of West Virginia. I did coach little league baseball, grade school basketball and junior high basketball. I didn’t have to do any of those things, but I wanted to give back to the community. If you can give back to your community by volunteering, then do
...with an impairment speaking from their point of view, and this is the greatest way to encourage people to follow and push for equality, inclusion and the social model.
In her essay “On Being a Cripple,” Mairs describes her path of acceptance of her multiple sclerosis (MS) diagnosis by declaring that she is a “cripple” in alternative to the more broadly acceptable terms: disabled or handicapped. Her essay is written with humor, satire, an open heart, and open eyes. Mair’s purpose is to describe her acceptances of her condition by using rhetorical elements and appeals, such as ethos and pathos, in order to allure her audience.
To the County High School Class of 2012: As you sit in front of me, I know what most of you are thinking at the moment. There are those who are already pondering about what life without high school will be like; those who are debating whether or not to tell your crush tonight about your whispers of adoration you’ve secretly held for four years; some simply want to get out of that ungodly chair, get that thing that isn’t really a diploma but only tells you when to pick up the thing, and then be the first one on the green bus to the grad party — you know who you are. And the rest, well, the rest aren’t even paying attention, you’re thinking, “Great, here comes one of the valedictorian speakers. Next up: a boring speech straight out of the pits of scholarly hell.” And it’s OK, I don’t mind — that sort of thing comes with the territory. But tonight, I ask that you give me a chance to break that stereotype so that I may address you in the full splendor that you deserve after 13 grueling years of work. I do not want to be known as your “valedictorian” as I stand here, c’mon guys, there is no time left to place labels on people anymore, instead I ask that you accept me as one of your peers — and as a man who will enjoy becoming a graduate alongside you.
Cerebral palsy is a disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture that is caused by an insult to the immature, developing brain, most often before birth ( http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/cerebral-palsy)
The effects of multiple disabilities are often both multiplicative and interactive. Cerebral Palsy is a disability that originates from damage to the central nervous system, but which is often accompanied by sensory, communication, orthopedic, learning and cognitive abilities. The complex nature of cerebral palsy is related to differences in causation and the nature and degree of motor involvement. In this paper, Cerebral Palsy will be defined and described, followed by discussion of conditions that frequently occur with this disability. A description of the impact of cerebral palsy on physical and communication development will also be discussed.
Cerebral palsy is one of the most common physical disabilities in childhood. It is a life long neurological disorder that affects the physical ability to move. Cerebral palsy is caused by damage to the part of the brain that controls movement during pregnancy or just after birth. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2015) 1 in every 323 children have been identified with cerebral palsy. Every case of cerebral palsy affects the person differently whether it affects muscle control, posture and balance, muscle coordination, body movement, muscle tone, or reflexes. The disease also has many severities and variations. There are four different kinds of cerebral palsy; Spastic, Dyskinetic, Ataxic, and Mixed, but the most
...agnosed at a later stage, most people die within two years of diagnosis and treatment.
“Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react to it,” says Charles R. Swindoll. This statement, although seemingly inaccurate, is brought to life by the testimony of Nancy Mairs. After being diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis (MS), Mairs had every reason to give up on life, but in “On Being a Cripple” she shows her audience that pushing forward was worth the challenge. Her life as a cripple isn’t easy, but through her writing, Mairs hopes to explain and create awareness about her life living with MS. Through her personal experience and positive attitude, Mairs shows her audience that not only is she a source that others can trust but that life is exactly what you make it, no matter what cards you are dealt.
My love for baseball will always be something that I carry with me for the rest of my life and I think that being happy with my career choice is more important than an annual salary or lengthy requirements that go along with becoming a coach. I hope that one day I can coach and teach children at the high school level and be a person that they look up to with respect. I want to set examples of leadership and show younger people and children how to have positive and courageous qualities just as I will hope to have as I work towards my dreams of being a coach. Baseball may just be one diamond, four plates, nine players, a sweaty uniform, cleats, a bat, and a ball to you, but to me it’s a lifestyle and career choice that I want to live and work towards for the rest of my years to
Over the past few years I have volunteered as an usher at my church, as a food vender at the PGA Honda Classic, helping my best friends mom in her classroom, working a food stand at a local softball tournament, as an assistant coach to a 10U travel softball team, and as a camp counselor at a softball camp. Personally, I think that being an assistant coach for a 10U travel softball team helped shape me a lot. Helping coach the younger travel team felt great to give back to the community, and it made me think of where my own softball journey began. I absolutely loved coaching the younger girls because I am now much more experienced in the game and can help them a lot more and get them stronger so that they can excel more in the game. I want them to love the sport just as much as I did when I was younger so that their love for the game will grow even more just as mine did. Coaching these girls was one of the best things I could’ve ever done. Talking to the girls about when I started softball, what my favorite part of the game is, going to college to play the game I love, how much they love the game now, and how they’ll all be in my shoes in a matter of years had me grinning from ear to ear. I loved every minute of it, I loved hitting to the girls, working on their fielding, pushing them to be their best, making sure they put 110% effort into everything they did, and
neurological disorder that is centralized in the brain. It can be caused by fever, infection, and
Very rarely does the diagnosis occur when the disease is already in an advanced, terminal stage. Use the period between the diagnosis and your passing to fully prepare your children – this is another reason why it is a good idea to tell them immediately after the disease is confirmed with a diagnosis. Of course, the length of time you have left to spend with your loved ones will not ease the pain they feel when you reach your terminal
Each day was, and still is, a hard, frustrating and stressful time. This incurable disease has had a dramatic effect over the years starting when I was in kindergarten. I remember when my mother started using a cane so she wouldn't fall when she walked. She could still work, drive, and go on outings with me, her only daughter. In the beginning I didn't know how to grasp it all but I gradually understood a little more each day.
Aside from school I have always been active within my community mainly through youth sports. I have been a volunteer coach for over 8 years now and have managed to juggle coaching throughout my time in college. I coach at Arvada High School, where I am also a tutor for several of their student athletes, as well as through the APEX where I coach youth flag football in the Fall and Spring for kids aged 4-6, and basketball in the winter.
Valedictorian Speech Good evening fellow graduates, teachers, family members, friends, and distinguished guests. It is a tremendous honor to be the valedictorian of our graduating class. My job is to somehow be the voice of the entire graduating class, and take five minutes to say a few words on behalf of all 539 of us. Like most valedictorians, writing this speech was not an easy task for me. Not because I did not have anything to say, but because I was overwhelmed by how much I wanted to share with you all on this day. Tonight, we have one common purpose, to celebrate. We are here to congratulate, to look towards what the future holds for us, to wish each other well, and to, most importantly look back on our time spent here. So, I would like to start by saying 'well done' to my fellow graduates, who have all worked hard during the past several years to reach this milestone. I would also like to express my sincere gratitude to the graduating class for selecting me to speak here tonight. Ever since the news broke, many people, some who've I've never really met before, have come up to me and have wished me well. Perhaps this speech would be incomplete if I don’t say something to the teachers. On the behalf of my entire class, I would like to thank all my teachers: thank you. Thank you for teaching us, for leading us, for building us up as adults. I know that we have not given back to you the respect you deserve. I know that we have not told you how much we appreciate you taking time out of your schedules to help us. And I know that we have not said thank you for giving us a wonderful education. So, I hope that as I say thanks, you can forget our shortcomings and remember us for who we are and not from the mistakes we have made. ...