Hello my name is Tess, I am 15 years old and I have Cerebral Palsy. I live at home with my mum and dad, and my older brother. I am part of a large extended family with lots of cousins, aunties and uncles. I go to school at Pascoe Vale Girls Secondary College and I am in year 9. I use an electric wheelchair to get around most of the time and sometimes walk short distances with my walking frame.
Some hobbies I pursue include swimming, the occasional horse ride, going on outings with friends, playing on the computer, going on camps and enjoying weekly footy matches with my dad. “We are the navy blues.”
I see life as full of opportunities to make my own decisions, and having Cerebral Palsy can sometimes limit the choices I make in my life and so I am forced to think of other ways in which I can achieve the things I want to do. These difficulties include, squeezing into small shops with a wheelchair when shopping and going to a friend’s house for a visit or a sleep-over.
This affects my life because I find that people are scared to assist me as they are unsure of what to do. One day I plan on solving this issue by educating people to become more aware of disabilities.
After I finish secondary school, I would like to go to university to study something to do with English literature, drama and history. I don’t know what job I would like to do, as many teenagers don’t, but a teacher could be a possibility.
My main aspiration is to show the world that I am a person with Cerebral Palsy who is ambitious and successful and to be a role model for people with Cerebral Palsy.
