Disclaimer: If you are looking for an unfortunate story about a girl who gave in to her disability then flip to the next page because this story is not what you are looking for.

Cerebral palsy is not very common in the average population, about 1 child in 323 children have this disability, so you could say a person with CP is quite unique. It becomes present at birth and does not yet have a cure. One student shares an inspirational story about the affects that this disability has on her life.

“I have spastic cerebral palsy,” sophomore Austin Batteese said. “Compared to the other types of CP, my body is more stiff and tight. People think because of my disability, I am somehow ‘stupid’. CP does not make me stupid. I am human just like you and I want to be treated just like you. I hear, I listen and I understand everything you say to me.”

An individual with cerebral palsy has a physical impairment which affects the muscles and the person’s ability to control them. It can impact motor skills such as walking, writing, and speaking. Treatment and therapy help manage effects on the body.

“When I was a baby I could not talk or walk as easily as other children my age,” Batteese said. “I still do not talk very clearly. In school I take a class to help my speech. As far as walking, in fifth grade I had a surgery to move a tendon in my right leg. It made it much easier to move around. Now I don’t fall as much. I used to fall all the time and it was really hard for me to keep my balance.”

While managing her own obstacles in life, Batteese reaches out to fellow classmates trying to help them overcome certain difficulties.

“I feel bad for people who have CP worse than I do,” Batteese said, “but I am sick of people picking on other people’s disabilities. I just want people to be treated fairly. I have recently started to stand up for myself and other people. Some of my friends with CP cannot move at all. One of my friends has a computer and it talks for her. I am lucky that I am able to help her as much as I can. I do little stuff for her like sometimes I can hold the door open for her or I will help her grab things.”

Batteese believes in treating people equally no matter what. Her hope is to share her story through her peers so they get to know her different qualities before making judgments.

“Each individual person has different things that make them themselves,” Batteese said. “I love listening to music, it is one of my favorite things. It’s easy to relate to songs because people are hesitant to communicate with me so I can’t relate to other students. I am sad when people choose not to talk to me.”

Cerebral palsy is permanent, as well as hurtful words. PACER’s National Bullying Prevention Center conducted studies regarding the connection between bullying and developmental disabilities. The studies indicate children with disabilities are two to three times more likely to be bullied than their peers.

“I often hear remarks about myself that do not make me feel good,” Batteese said. “The song by Colbie Caillat called ‘Try’ makes me feel better. It tells people it doesn’t matter what you look like, what is on your body, what size you are, or what color you are. The song also sends a message to say you do not have to be afraid of who you truly are.”

Cerebral palsy has left Batteese with many struggles and multiple impacts on her life. But that is not stopping her from living her life like a normal teenage girl. Like the song ‘Try’ advocates, Austin is not afraid to be who she is and one day she hopes to have every person will be comfortable in their own skin.