Back to creating

A discussion I had here was the last podcast I published in April of 2024, during my first year of a masters program. Not only was this the end of the Movement Fluidity Podcast (comeback loading…), but it was the catalyst to questioning whether content creation and creative pursuits in the world of disability sciences were worth it for me.

The podcast as a whole was about my journey living with Cerebral Palsy (CP), and how I have explored my own physical capabilities. The goal was simply to share a unique story, to hopefully inspire those with and without disabilities. This episode, and other experiences at a deeply liberal and highly political ivey league school in New York City, seemed to have demonized my desire to make improvements related to my disability.

The last podcast episode was with two graduate students who were studying clinical psychology; I lived in the same building as one of them in Manhattan at the time. They had published a paper called “Reimagining Disability: A Call to Action”, supporting the social model of disability while stigmatizing the medical model of disability.

The authors state that the social model sees a functional difference resulting from failure for society to accommodate that difference – this is what “creates the disability”. On the other hand, the medical model views disability as an impairment that requires treatment, cure, or normalization.

Although society can place inferior value on those with disabilities, it is the perception of the disabled person who creates their own reality. Choose to be a victim and life will be hard, choose to be accountable and opportunities will find you. Life is not fair, but all we can do is play the cards we were dealt.

Being accountable doesn’t mean that you need to change yourself, it means taking responsibility for your circumstances and living the best possible life – whatever that means for you. If there are goals or achievements related to your disability that you’d like to reach, it’s ok to strive for them. This is simply learning and growing as a human.

If these improvements are not of interest to some, that is totally fine. However, having the tools available for those interested is important – insert science and medicine. It is entirely possible to avoid the "requirement of normalization", while using the scientific method, literature reviews, or anecdotal evidence to help others.

I help myself and other people with disabilities through science. Not because I think anyone needs to change, but because physical improvements I’ve made have greatly improved my life. Sharing these thoughts may help others (who are interested).

I’ve developed unique perspectives from lived experience with CP and a background in the movement sciences. Having a disability can be empowering, depending on your mindset; living with CP has instilled a work ethic, empathy for others, and perspective on the world that I wouldn’t have without it.

It took a couple of years to come to these conclusions and regain the desire to create content, but we’re back! Back with a couple of years worth of journal entries, experiments, and thoughts that are waiting to put on paper.