Our CP Social & Why Community Matters More Than Ever

On the eve of #GivingTuesday and in this last month of the year, I'm feeling so grateful to everyone who joined us for a special evening to share in community building and storytelling IRL last month!

This year's CP Social was a tremendous success. At our third event since 2019 and our first on the east coast, we welcomed nearly 40 adults with cerebral palsy into a dedicated space at Pier 57 in New York City this year. We came together to hear stories and lessons from our peers, to make new connections, and celebrate our diverse community. For most of the folks who attended, it was the first time they had ever experienced being in a room with so many people who just get it — growing up and entering adulthood with a disability isn't easy but at the CP Social, there's no explanation needed. It's my dream to continue to curate spaces like this because many of us grew up without belonging to this kind of community despite the need being so great. 

“This is what Cerebral Palsy Strong is all about — we’re a community-led nonprofit organization that’s on a mission to build a CP community where we make connections and find a sense of belonging while navigating life with a disability. Our community-building effort began online many years ago, but at the CP Social, we experienced this unfolding in real-time. We witnessed connections that were made online translate seamlessly into real life.”

Over the last few weeks since we all returned home to our regular lives, it became even more apparent that our community needs to exist now more than ever before so that we don't lose the social and cultural progress we've made over the last decade. On a macro level, it feels as though the disability community has made strides to advance awareness, representation, pride, and cultural understanding of disability and the ableism that comes along with it. I wonder if this progress will plateau as we enter into a new political era. Many of us (myself included) live in isolation from the celebratory disability community we may experience online. In our day-to-day lives, we’re still out here, dealing with the general public and institutions that aren't always as receptive to disability as we’d like. 

So how do we navigate those experiences of staring, or explaining ourselves to strangers, or defending our need for certain accommodations in the places we show up? I don’t have all of the answers, but I do think events like the CP Social that prioritizes in-person community-building is powerful because it gives us the space to pose those questions without fear of judgment, and also, with a chance to collectively respond. Together, we can workshop how to respond to ableism and discrimination, and all of the other ‘side-effects’ of having cerebral palsy, a lifelong physical disability. The CP Social is a place for us to just 'be' but also, a chance for us to build solidarity in our struggles and empower one another to handle daily challenges. This community helps me have courage to take on the unknown and take comfort in knowing that I am not alone in this life. 

As we move forward, let’s continue to be intentional about the spaces we create for ourselves so that we feel less alone, and more supported as we move through this complicated world. 

It’s our goal to expand how and where the CP Social events take place and who they serve within our broad community of children and adults with CP and the people who love and care for us. Right now, we need your help to get organized and increase our event programming budget. In the near term, we’re focused on funding the next CP Social in 2025. Will you help us reach 10% of our fundraising goal by the end of the year?

Please visit our campaign to learn more and help us reach our goal by making a donation, sharing this link with your network, or even starting a fundraiser in our honor (ask me how!)

Finally, I want to offer a heartfelt thank you to all of our supporters and community members for bringing us forward into the New Year — we really couldn't do it without you. 🤍

Photos by Max Gavrich. Photography sponsored by the Cerebral Palsy Foundation.