Why I Advocate follows the life journey of disability activist and published author, radio show personality Tylia L. Flores Born with spastic dysplasia of the most common form of cerebral palsy she dives in deep into her journey with advocacy and th...
I dedicate this book to the woman who taught me how to advocate best my mother.
When you rely on a wheelchair to get around because you were born with the condition called cerebral palsy. You tend to realize that the world wasn't really made for you and you have to face obstacles and challenges to live an ordinary life.
That is the reason I got into activism at the age of 18 years old But I also got into activism because I wanted the world to be a better world for the next generation of those with Cerebral Palsy.
As I was growing into the young woman that I am today, I realized that the world around me didn't truly represent me. And I needed to be the voice for those who felt the same way.
That's the reason why I continue to speak so passionately about awareness of Cerebral Palsy and the lack of understanding that has created many stigmas today.
1. Cerebral palsy is the most common childhood condition and it goes away after you reach adulthood -I wish that were the truth, but that's far from the truth. In fact, cerebral palsy is a forever-lasting condition. It doesn't go away. Once a child turns 20 years old and the fairy godmother comes out in waves. Her magic wand. Trust me, I wish that were the case, but it's not. And that is part of the reason why I advocate.
2. Cerebral Palsy makes you less capable of what you set out to do- every time I hear that people still assume this stigma in this misconception it makes me sick to my stomach because only if people saw past the disability they would notice that we have the capability to cheat anything we want to achieve
3. Cerebral Palsy gets the same amount of awareness as every other disability- how I wish this wasn't a true stigma and wasn't on this list but the truth of the matter is that is not the case in fact as a person with cerebral palsy I don't feel like there's enough awareness such as there is for autism and down syndrome for example in a month of April the White House goes blue and major landmarks turn their blue lights on versus Cerebral palsy I'm wearing this month which is in March we get no landmarks that turned green for us and it makes me feel very out of place in this world.
This is the reason why I advocate for those with cerebral palsy, although I have cerebral palsy myself. I find it to be my duty to be the voice for those who can't express how they're feeling in a world that constantly feels like an obstacle course. That's how I would describe my cerebral palsy, but the one thing I want people to understand about people with disabilities, in general, is that we do exist and we do have voices. They're just very unique and people have to take the time out to listen to us and see what the world is like from our perspective.
In an ideal world, I would want it to be that way, but that isn't our reality, so we have to be the voices for those who can't speak for themselves. That's the true meaning of being an advocate and being a leader.
your voice, and the way you use it will change the lives of many. If you just give it a shot, you'll be surprised with how many lives you'll touch.
When I was a kid, somebody would ask me how do you feel about your life with cerebral palsy and I would say it's like being a NASCAR race car driver. You're always feeling like you have to win the race or you're driving in one. It's no easy task, but you can do it.
As a teenager, I would say it's like an episode of Degrassi: The Next Generation that never ends and it just continues to get worse and worse as time goes on again. This was at a time in my life when I didn't know whether to be proud of my reflection or hate it for the rest of my life.
As an adult, I could say cerebral palsy may give me obstacles and challenges, but I wouldn't change my life for the world because my life is an adventure every day. There's always something new.
I'm very lucky that over time my views on living with my disability changed, but I feel like if there was more awareness about my condition from the start and more representation of cerebral palsy, maybe my perspectives would've been different growing up in a world that is ableist from the time you do realize you're different.
Which brings me to the time I realized that I was born into a society that wasn't made for me. I was about nine years old and was shopping with my mom at Target Wheeling in my manual wheelchair at the time with my purple footrest with a big smile on my face until this little cute Hispanic little girl with caramel skin and black hair wearing a bright pink shirt with a heart and blue colored pants started to point at me as I was entering the cleaning session with my mom to pick up some laundry detergent. She giggles to her mother and says the following words that changed my life forever Look mommy, she's sick. My mom immediately got offended and was like "she's not sick." Meanwhile, the girl's mother did nothing to correct her. She just laughed at her little girl and they walked right along. Meanwhile, here's eight-year-old me shattered and I started to cry.
In order to make me feel better about the situation, my mother brought me to the toy section where I could pick out a toy of any choice. She also told me to never let others define me; I was made this way for a reason and I was going to change the world. I wanted to get a new Harry Potter Lego set since I wasn't the type of girl that was into Barbies or Bratz dolls or anything the typical girls would be into as far as toys. The only thing I was into that was girly was cabbage patches and even that, looking back, was a phase because I was only into playing with the boy dolls.
But anyway, from that day forward, I realized that I was different and I didn't like that I was different, and the more and more I had to go out into society, the more and more I was ashamed of my disability, and that is not something that I wanted for the future generation, so that is why I decided to become an advocate.
Not so that it benefits myself but others as well and not only that, from that day forward, I never wanted another little girl to feel the way I did about my reflection. I want the future generation of little girls to be proud of their reflection on the representation within themselves, not just within society but within themselves and that is why I advocate.
Even for little boys, I want little boys to be proud of their reflection as someone with cerebral palsy because no child should be ashamed of who they are and where they come from, whether they use crutches, walkers, or wheelchairs to get around.
This is why I advocate and why I will continue to fight the way I have through my passions of literature, radio broadcasting, and public speaking. I have made it a mission to make society a better place for those after me. That is my dream. That is my purpose. That's my way of continuing to move forward, although some days may be difficult.
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