What being part of CPActive means

By Maria Dalmon, CPActive Member

A few weeks ago, I had the great honour of speaking at a CPActive virtual Town Hall. The event’s topic was “The Future on Technology and Innovation” and was hosted by Riley Saban, a disability tech entrepreneur, using his eye-gaze speech generating technology. 

My cerebral palsy makes my speech difficult to understand, and so, my words were displayed to all as I spoke through the use of captioning. It was very exciting to speak and tell people how I use technology around my home to help me in my life.

You can watch our event highlights here.

I have been a client of Cerebral Palsy Alliance for 65 years and live in my own home with my husband, Lindsay.

It is my mission, as a woman with cerebral palsy, to educate the public about cerebral palsy, ensuring our individuality and our right to be heard.  

When meeting people for the first time, I introduce myself as a person with cerebral palsy and tell the person a little about my disabilities. It puts the person as ease and makes them more patient to understand my affected speech. I always say, “if you don’t understand me, please ask me to repeat myself or ask me to type on my iPad”. I hate not being heard, I hate it even more when people pretend to understand me.

I am proud to live with cerebral palsy and my many achievements in my life.

CPActive gives for people with cerebral palsy the power to be heard and to fight for their rightful place in today’s society.

I look forward to time of total inclusion. A time of equality when vacant jobs are advertised to include people with disabilities; a time when airlines will allow passengers to travel sitting in their wheelchairs and toilets on planes are wheelchair accessible; a time when there are no more barriers faced by people with disabilities.

If you haven’t signed up to CPActive yet – now’s the time. It’s for everyone. Sign up here: cpactive.org.au

Maria Dalmon

CPActive Member