Parenting With a Disability

By Christinne Rudd

Being a mom is a challenging role for anyone. Add having a disability to the mix and the adventure has just begun. Getting to know how your limitations are going to affect your ability to parent and finding out what’s available to help you get the job done combined are like solving a puzzle. Then once the baby arrives, you have to get adjusted to him or her at each stage of life, all the while finding ways to meet the everyday challenges of parenting.  

Even though these aspects of parenting may sound overwhelming, the role of parent can be lots of fun because it allows you the opportunity to have a hand in our society’s future viewpoints. When it comes to the topic of our society’s viewpoint in today’s world, in my experience, people seem to automatically discount your ability as a parent just because of the physical limitations you exhibit to the rest of the world.

When I was in Middle School, I remember a teacher asking for a quote to put under our 8th grade yearbook by our graduation picture.  I chose “don’t judge a book by its cover” for what I felt, at the time, were obvious reasons.

Who knew that 25 years later I would still be facing what seems to be the same challenges that I faced with the 7th grade classmate who told me if she touched my left hand, she’d catch what I had because, to her, my Cerebral Palsy was contagious?  Only this time, today, I’m dealing with more real-life issues: my ability to parent and care for my son Adrian.  

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