Share Your Story

Join a growing showcase of diverse individuals with cerebral palsy who make up the #CPstrong community!

May #CPstrong represent the feeling of being seen and heard in this world.

I call upon all those who are #CPstrong. Tell the world what it means to you. Your story is worth sharing. You belong to a community of millions of people who understand what it’s like to have cerebral palsy — how cool is that?

We are #CPstrong

#CPstrong is about forming collective identity; finding solidarity in our struggles, and experiencing a sense of belonging in the spaces we create. We may find strength on our own but my hope is that we feel less alone because of the strength exhibited in this community. I believe that strength comes from knowing weakness, injustice, doubt and failure. And I sense that community is built upon a collective desire to belong and learn with and through one another.

#CPstrong has become part of how I find meaning and purpose in life beyond my day to day — I find joy in being of service to others. It stems from my experiences of being a woman with CP — and my hope is that it stems from your lived experience, too. May it represent the feeling of being seen and heard in this world.

Through this movement, I work to showcase individuals with cerebral palsy who represent a sense of self-actualization, confidence, and personal justice. I aim to include those who are still figuring it out, too — because we all have something meaningful to say no matter where we are at in life.

So what do you say? Let’s show others what we are capable of! Let's take ownership of the word disability and call upon one another to join in so that we can fight back against the narrative that has been set forth before us. To claim disability as our own story — one to be told by us and for those who will inevitably come after us.

Nearly two years after this effort began, we organized our very first CP Social, a in-person gathering for the purpose of community- building and socializing.

Lastly, thanks to those who have helped to create new understandings of #CPstrong since 2017. I hope you find some solace in this community and see that you, too are #CPstrong!

— Katy Gaastra, Founder and Executive Director of Cerebral Palsy Strong

It’s not about overcoming cerebral palsy and moving on with our lives. The point is, there is no getting over a lifelong disability. We must learn to live and grow up with this body despite the challenges it presents in our daily lives.

And so here is the space where we narrate those experiences.