Everyone at some time or another in their lives has felt afraid of something in their life. For example, a person could be afraid to take a risk and do something that is out of their comfort zone. Another example is a person could be afraid to be vulnerable and open about the things that they are experiencing in their life because of the fear that they may be judged or that no one will be able to understand. But what if we look at things from a different perspective? What if your story could empower others to be confident in their own identity and to be passionate about the things that they believe in? What if your story could let someone else know that they are not alone then how would you feel? This is why I have decided to create my own blog called Powerfully Disabled where I tell my story about having cerebral palsy and using my voice to be an advocate for people with disabilities and share my perspective on issues that are important to me. My goal is to make this site a safe place where everyone is free to be their true and authentic selves and have an open dialogue.

To tell you about a little more about myself my name is Kelsi Weaver I have cerebral palsy and I am a wheelchair user. I’m also a daughter, a sister, granddaughter, student, and a friend who likes to be active in the community and participate just like any other member of society. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 61 million adults in the United States live with a disability this makes the disability community the largest marginalized group. This means that there is a very high chance that you know someone personally who has a disability whether it be a neighbor, family member, or maybe you identify as having a disability yourself.

If you are nondisabled and you are reading this post right now, I hope you’re able to learn something from this site. If I can educate one person with this page, then I am doing the right thing! My hope is that people can take the things that they learn from this site and spread the word with others in their community to make this world a better and more accepting place for people with disabilities because we deserve just like every other human being to be treated with dignity and respect! Disability rights are human rights!

In the disability community we have a saying that says, “nothing about us without us!” Meaning that people with disabilities should be at the forefront of telling their own stories and any decisions that are made within the community. I think this is important because no matter if you identify as having a disability or not, we all have things that make us who we are and without those things we wouldn’t be who we are today. Every single one of us has the right to tell our story because it ours! We are all the authors of our own story, and no one can change that.

Overall. I want to thank you for taking the time out of your day to read my blog. I truly hope it is something that you will enjoy and appreciate. With this site I will be giving you a piece of my heart by talking about things that are important to me and things that I think need to be heard!

Thank you for reading
Sincerely,
Kelsi