Cerebral Palsy Party Day 16: Thank you Cerebral Palsy

   So   Last week  was a   really fun  week with videos   this week  will be back  to  blogging

   What party is  complete without Thank you cards .     They Show    appreciation  for the gifts   you  got.   I  have been  really  bad with  thank you cards so  I am  going to  do  it early.

  Today I want to  share with you my thank you letter  to my CP.    Think that CP  Doesn't  have  anything to thank me for guess again.
   
*****************This is my  Opinion.  Everyone is entitled to  one.  This one  just is mine.   I am only speaking for myself. ******






Dear  Cerebral  Palsy,
               To  many outsiders  you are nothing but a burden.  Damaged  broken  something that lessons my  quality of life, yet to me you  are the best surprise  that my  parents ever   got.      While many   people are not sure  what they  want  to do professionally.  You  have  made it so easy  for me to decide what I want to do  with my life...  Go  into the field of  disability and special  education because  of you   the choice is simple.  I have  known  since  third  grade.

You  force  me  to see  the world from a unique perspective.   Where as  walking  talking  using  your hands with ease can sometimes be  taken for granted our mussels  are  tight ( pun  intended ) .  When  I am  able to say  a new sound,  cut  with  a fork or knife,  or  write  neatly  it is a celebration thank you  CP for giving me   more to celebrate.

 

 Last year 's   basketball tournament 

Thank you  CP  for allowing me to be able to easily  see  the  competence of  people with  disabilities.  I  see in  in  LM  and all  my special  olympics   team mates .  I  do not put on the   disabled glasses that see people  with disabilities  as  broken  or   for ever children.  I see them as  fully  human beings capable of  both  good and bad.      I am  able to see  past the ablest attitudes   that are so prevalent within our society and  want to fight them.  I am  a big  supporter of inclusion because    I  have  had to cope with a society that routinely tells me that  I am  separate  because  I am not "normal".


  In short  thank-you Cerebral  Palsy for  shaping  me into the person I am  today.   I  do not  view you  as   accident.  We were meant   to be together on this journey  called  life.


   Your best friend

  AZ  Chapman

 PS  Thank you  for allowing me to feel an instant connection  to other Ceeps.   And for  giving me a key into  the best  online community of  disabled people.

Cerebral Palsy Day 15. Party activities part five

     Happy Friday guys.  With the end of the week  comes the last activity/ Cerebral Palsy Can video,

Who  would have thought   that when I  picked up  a putter  at   my friend's   mini golf party  back  in 2000   that  a few  years  later  it would become  one of my  favorite sports.

Today's    activity  is   golfing.  I began golf    the summer  before my sophomore year of high school.    A lot has changed since then.  Golf is now one of  my  favorite sports.  I have  memories  and  memorabilia from  High School Golf  days  where I was  on the  practice  team  for  three  years.  Last summer I   competed in my first Unified Golf   tournament.  My goal   for this season is  to  play  solo.   I have to  get more course time to be able to play in order  to bring my score down.   I love   to play  golf.


 What is  your favorite sport?  Do you have any questions   for me about CP?  Let me know   in the comments.     Also  remember  to  wear green on Wednesday  for  CP  day.  Look  forward to  hearing  from you .

Cerebral Palsy Party Day 14 Party activities Part four

        Another day another  activity

What Party is complete without dancing 

         I have been playing  basketball  since kindergarten.   I love  basketball and  have always  been a great shot.    Long time readers  know that I   played   traditional  basketball  from   fifth  til  eighth  grade  and  Special  Olympics  basketball  since  freshman  year of   high school.      This past weekend  we  had a tournament where we  were placed on a new level.  We  lost all of all games  but I  made a lot of buckets.     In two   of the  games I  scored   the first  bucket of the game.    One of the  games   that happened  in the seconded quarter  so I  was  really happy.     My  parents did not get  any  video  last weekend  so the clips are from 2014  when my   team was in  level four A.    We  got first   that year.








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Got image   from
 http://coronadousd.net/static/media/uploads/Coronado%20Unified%20School%20District/News%20and%20Blog%20Images/VES%20Blogs/ves%20kids%20dancing.jpg

Cerebral Palsy Party Day 13 Party Activities part three

       Another Day  another activity

 Today's  activity  is  earning money .  Just like  in  duck  duck  goose  finding work has been a challenge. I  tried to work at Target   and at a  Rec center last year , but those  did not  work out.   Luckily  I was able to  be a goose  when     the bookstore hired me.   I have  been  employed  since  November  at  my  jr college  bookstore.  I  love  my  job.  My  co workers and managers are great.I am learning  a ton and  after a  hard time  at university  any  place with  good  nice patient people   is a great place   to be.    The  place I work  for is  three different   sites.  The  bookstore,  the  market and  coffee bar,  and  a Copy and Post center.       I love  my  job  even if it means  waking up  early in the morning.



 My top three  tasks to do at work  are.



1  Strapping books

2  Working on the Cash  register in the market

 3  Dropping off packages around campus.











Got image  from.
http://www.greatgrubclub.com/domains/greatgrubclub.com/local/media/images/medium/playground-games-duck-duck-goose.jpg

Cerebral Palsy Party Day 12 : Party activities Part two .

  Cerebral Palsy  activities,  part  of   Cerebral Palsy  Can  day two.

Todays  activity     is  Excelling in school.    I  am really  smart    ironically  because I  have a   speech  impairment and people often  assume that I  can not learn.     I am   very smart with unclear speech.  If there is one  thing to  takeaway   from this  blog is  this articulation has nothing to do with  intelligence.    I  graduated  with honors   from   Community College.  I also was one of the few  in my school to make dean list on multiple semesters .





 Tune in tomorrow  for part   three of  party  activities.

Cerebral Palsy Party Day 11: Party activities part one,

       What Children's party  is complete  without  activities,

  This weeks  posts are are about activities.  This  ties in nicely to   UCP's  campaign Cerebral Palsy Can.   Click on the link  for more information. So day  one  of this activity party is  voting.   I can  vote  just like anyone else and have  views  on  national  issues.










got  image from  http://media3.onsugar.com/files/2013/09/22/171/n/24155406/f778d10c334de6fa_shutterstock_34187182.preview.jpg

Cerebral Palsy Party day ten - Birthday Cards - Learning to read with CP

   So today post is  birthday   cards.   These are important because without them you wouldn't know who the present is  from.

 Todays post will be recycled post I did   on learning how to  read with Cerebral Palsy. This was originally  a three part  series  but these post will all be below


 Part  one

   Let me  start out by saying that I love to read.    It should be no surprise.  These next few  post   will be about how  I learned to  read.  I   read   in a way dispute  never learning  phonics .    Well  not in the traditional way.  I  know what the letters  are supposed to sound like  but   producing those sounds is a different  story.  This  is  due to   Cerebral  Palsy.  Not all   people with CP   have speech  issues.    They  range  from   no problems to   using     speech  devices to  talk.     I  would  classify myself  as   somewhere in the middle.    I  do not need a speech device  but sometimes people do not understand me.  This  can get  frustrating.   I do  a lot  of substituting   which  means that    I  would  say cat   as  "tat"   or  dog as  dod.  I  also  do this  for L's and R  which  i  replace with a  W.   Let me  make this  really  clear the reason  for my lack of substituting sounds has nothing to  do with intelligence. I am  smart  just see  Monday's  post.  Now   I hear myself fine  and understand myself  100 percent of  the time.   Now this sounds contradictory but despite being able to  hear    all the sounds    so  I can sound out  words  I am a bad speller. Not sure why  this is    but  I  would like to be a better speller and I want to  take a spelling class in the  near future.    Anyway  this  might seem  that  I  would be  a uphill battle to  make me understand  reading  but  it really wasn't.( at least that's not what I remember) 

        I  hated  learning  phonics  for me   it was  a reminder to me that I was 'different' in fact  I  remember being told that by my teachers,     For parents of kids  with articulation  delays  do not stress  phonics.  It is helpful to know phonics  but  it is not required.   Model the  sounds  read to your kids   but  do not  stress   hearing the phonics  from them.    People  who  are non verbal can still read as well  as long as people    know how to teach them.

 got image  from

chart http://mommyspeechtherapy.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/sound_dev_chart.jpg

bookwormhttp://www.sewterific.com/images/BacktoSchool/BTSBookwormLove.jpg

  Part Two 

    Growing up   my family had a lot of  kids book  lying around  our house.    Among with the Disney   we had  lots  of    step into  reading books .    Out of  all of them  the book  I  remember  reading for the first time  was Tiger is  a Scaredy Cat.  

  Looking back    I say it was a sad  irony that I  remember  this  book   as  I  deal with  fear.      But that was  my 'first independent book.     I also have memories   of  reading this book in  pre  K.  

    Do you remember your first book        What books are/were your    kids   favorite ,

 Got image from http://www.scholastic.com/content5/media/products/63/9780394880563_xlg.jpg

 Post  three 

   I was recently asked  what my  least favorite  letter/ sound  is  and after  much thought i  think it is C

 I  have been  working on C   for a long  time.     It  has been  hard   work  and  i have memories of trying to say  Car  cat cookie    instead of  Tar tat  tootie.  

 Do not be fooled by the Graphic "c" is  a hard soud

 I  remember in  K  my teacher  had this  phonics book  of  letters in the alphabet.  I was  in a mainstreamed class    and   I  remember  her introducing the  C book and  explaining  the  sound and adding    you  should be able to  say it.  I remember asking her why  I could not  say  C and  being  told  I was different,



  Inclusion also  did wonders  for my  reading ability.    If you have not watched my inclusion story   you  can  watch it below.














      Happy  Friday   guys.   I have a basketball tournament  this weekend, so my parents   and  I  will be  staying at a hotel  near the game site tonight. It should be  fun.  Tune  in next week for  more .