Hello, my name is Melissa Cassidy, I’m 14 years old and I have quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy. I have started this blog to talk about my life and issues surrounding the disability community. I have always loved writing and being the centre of attention so this blog is me combining the two.
I started properly writing this year and have recently written for a local disability magazine, I’ve also written for the ‘BBC Young Reporters Competition’ and was lucky enough to be one of the finalists last year. It’s one of the best ways that I can get people to listen to me instead of just seeing me as another disabled kid.
I have grown up in Glasgow which is a rainy, urban city in Scotland. When I was younger I attended a Special nursery (which is a nursery for kids with disabilities) but after my first year of school there, I moved to the same mainstream school as my older (able bodied) sister which was a big descision for my parents but was definitely the right choice. I plan to dedicate a full blog post to my experience in school so I won’t go to in depth in this one. After primary school, I moved into Secondary which was scary but everything seemed to work out (with the usual hiccups) and that takes us up to where I am now. Of course this was just a brief description of my life so far and I plan on expanding on stories from my past in future posts.
I have named my blog ‘Ramps and Buttons‘ because it is a play on snakes and ladders. Because I am a part time wheelchair user I find ramps extremely useful hence why they are the ladders, buttons, on the other hand are very difficult and frustrating for me so they are the snake. It’s taken me months to come up with a blog name that I’m happy with so this me finally biting the bullet and committing to it. I hope you enjoy my blog and maybe learn a thing or two from my experience.