Just Like You! Part One
On Monday 12th August, year five and six participated in part one of the disability awareness program called ‘Just Like You!’. The aim of the program is to show school students that people with a disability are the same as everyone else – they are ‘just like you’. Year five were very lucky to meet Natalie and Erica from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance and participated in activities that helped them to understand what it would be like to have cerebral palsy. Take a look at the important information below that Natalie and Erica shared with year five.
- Cerebral palsy is also known as CP.
- ‘Cerebral’ refers to the brain and ‘palsy’ means weakness or lack of muscle control.
- Cerebral palsy is a permanent condition, however a child with CP can achieve greater control over movement as they learn and practise motor skills.
- In Australia, a child is born with CP every 15 hours (approx).
- There are different types of CP.
- CP is not a disease, it is a condition. It is not contagious – you can’t ‘catch it’.
- A person with CP may find it difficult to talk, walk and/or use their muscles.
- Many people with CP can and do live independent lives in the community and are able to participate in the same activities as others.
- It takes a lot of concentration for a person with CP to complete tasks such as walking.
- People with CP often become tired very quickly because they need to concentrate really hard.
- We should be careful about the words we use to describe a person with a disability.
- There are many inspirational people who have a disability, such as Kurt Fearnley.
- A disability is not the same as being sick. We should not describe aperson with a disability as someone who is ‘sick’.
- People with disabilities are just like us, they have likes and dislikes and should not be defined by their disability – their disability is a part of them just like having blue eyes is a part of you.
Click here and here to learn more about the Cerebral Palsy Alliance and CP.
We can’t wait until part two of the disability awareness program!
Take a look at the YouTube clip below. Nick Vujicic has a disability and he is incredibly inspirational.
What did you learn from the program and why is it important?
Why makes Nick Vujicic and/or Kurt Fearnley inspirational?
Teach your parents and other family members about CP and other disabilities.
Five Green's Class Blog 
Hi 5G,
I Iearnt alot about Cerebral Palsy and how the people with that sickness are just like us.This program is important because it taught me alot of facts about Cerebral Palsy like there are 3 different types of it.
Hello,
1 thing I learnt about cerebral palsy is that even though people may have a disability they are just like us and that they can do whatever they can put their mind to.
Nick Vujicic inspired me by proving the fact that you can still love life, be happy, achieve things with a disability and be thankful for what he has and not bitter for what he doesn’t have.
Bryanna
Hello 5G
I have learn’t so much about Cerebral Palsy and how they are still unique even though they have Cerebral Palsy
Hello 5G
Thank you to Nick Vujicic and Kurt Fearnley for teaching me about Cerebral Palsy (aka CP) Because now i know that people with disability can still achieve things and we are all unique
Well I learnt a lot of things an what it would be like to have cereble plausy and that I should just treat people that have brain damage normally , when I see a person that has something wrong I feel sorry for them.
From: Anna
I learnt that cerebral palsy is a type of in fe toon with parts of your body . Cerebral palsy is important because many people have it and there is no known cure.
Sincerely : Phiyona 🙂
Sorry I meant infection 🙂
Hi
I have been inspired by Nick Vujicic that I should never give up and try and try again like he did when he fell down and he got straight back up
Hey 5green
I loved the just like u program because it taught me that if a person is hurt or diabled like don’t feel sorry for them because they wanted to be treated normally like other people.