Angie is a sweet girl.

Angie is a sweet thirteen year old girl that is in seventh grade. She has cerebral palsy. This is a disorder of movement, muscle tone or posture that is caused by a dysfunction to the developing brain, usually at or before birth. This causes a disability to the physical movement and functions of a person’s body. Some children with cerebral palsy are in wheel chairs, some have difficulties with movement, vision, and/or eating as well as with the brain and thinking. Angie is capable of walking, but it is more like a limp. One of her arms also is affected and has a problem doing normal functions. She has a problem with speech and it is sometimes hard to understand what she is saying. Angie is in special needs classes at a private Christian school where she is taught with other children that may need special attention. This young and beautiful girl accompanied me on a date to explore the environment and how it affects people that have any sort of disability.

            Angie and I went to Venture Value Cinema 12 in Duluth, Georgia. As we got to the movies, I noticed things that I never see unless someone with a disability was with me or if I was a disabled person. The accessibility, or the ease in which a person can get about or use the environment around them, plays a big impact on people with disabilities. Before the entrance to the movies, there was a curb you had to step over, but to the side there was a paved way for either a car or people with wheel chairs can use. But when I got to the door, I saw that there was a problem. The door did not have an automatic button and did not open automatically. Because Angie was not strong enough I had to open the door for her. In the movies there were also steps but to the left was a ramp that could be used for people that weren’t capable of taking stairs. When we got to our movie setting, as we walked through the door, Angie took a hold of my purse and stated “Waoh, its dark and creepy in here.” I realized that when you walk into the theater, it may be too dark right away and there were no lights until we reached the seating area. People with sensitive eyes or poor vision could have a problem with this. The sensory stimulations were not very well considered.

When the movie was over, we went out to Taco Bell for a quick bit to eat. Again I noticed that the door had to be pushed open even though there was a handicap sticker on the window by the door. As we ordered our food and ate I noticed a few things with Angie. First when we were standing and ordering she bent down to tie her shoe, after struggling for a bit to tie them and to keep her balance, I asked if she needed help and tied her shoe for her. While we ate, I also helped her tear some food into pieces as well as open the plastic covering of the spoon. I thought that throughout her life there must have been many moments when she felt like she had no control and/or privacy. She always needed to depend on others to help her do simple tasks. The access to herself was limited. I even remember when she was just a few years younger, she always had someone accompany her to the restroom and down the stairs. Her territorial space was always with someone around her to help.

As we were finishing our hanging out, I had some personal time with Angie as we talked at my house for a bit and then on the 25 minute ride to her house where I dropped her off. Like a lot of the teenage girls, each wants to fit in and have a high self-esteem, like they should. But when you are a thirteen year old girl with a disability, it may be hard. As we were talking Angie stated that she was ugly. I turned to her and said “No you’re not Angie! Your pretty, each person is pretty in their own way.” I realized that the society has placed a meaning on what beauty needs to look like, and Angie did not feel like she had what was expected from her society to be “pretty.” The media places so many norms and expectations, and I feel that for many people with disabilities they cannot fit in to those “norms and expectations”. We drove home and talked about school and her family. At times I had to ask her to repeat what she said to understand her. The sociality aspect where the environment shows us how to interact among people was hard for Angie and the people she talks to. She has speech, but sometimes it takes more attention or effort to understand what she is saying.  Being such a friendly girl and loving to hang out with friends, this is a challenge for her.

Being a part of her life and seeing how Angie has grown up to be a beautiful, fun, smiley young lady is such a blessing and great experience for me. This date was an eye opener to see that life may not always be easy for those with disabilities. But looking at Angie I see how much she has grown and adapted to her way of living. She had cerebral palsy since her birth and has learned to do almost all things a normal 13 year old girl can do. I think it is safe to say that she feels comfort in the environment she is in. She can perform many tasks while others challenge her, but she always finds a reason to smile and that’s what makes her a beautiful girl.

 Venture Value Cinema 12 

Taco Bell Entrance







Blog and photos by: Yelena N