A Houston mother with a child who has cerebral palsy is planning on suing the school district where her child goes to school, according to a report on FoxNews.com. The lawsuit she’s considering has to do with the school district allegedly saying that her child cannot use her walker at school. The reason was reportedly given on a recording uploaded to YouTube, and allegedly includes the words of a school official who believes that the walker is “too dangerous.”
Cerebral Palsy and Movement
Parents who have children with cerebral palsy oftentimes face an entirely new round of challenges that they hadn’t anticipated when their child heads off to school. The school may or may not have adequate resources to accommodate their child and, if it does not, there may be real issues ahead for the family.
Mobility is the main issue that cerebral palsy sufferers deal with. There are varying degrees of mobility that people with CP exhibit. Some, like the child in the news story, are able to get by using a walker or crutches. Others are in a wheelchair. It depends upon how their cerebral palsy manifests.
Degrees of Mobility
Some people with CP have mobility issues on one side of their body and others have mobility issues on both. Some people with CP have disabilities that affect all four of their limbs and others only two. In cases where people do have some use of their upper body—or full use—they usually elect to go without a wheelchair for convenience’s sake. Walkers and crutches are commonly employed by such individuals.
Learning to Walk
The issue that set off the Huston controversy centered on the child in question falling. It’s difficult to learn how to walk with assistive devices, particularly if you have balance problems, anyway. Some assistive devices, however, are much more convenient than wheelchairs. Someone with crutches can get just about anywhere and someone with a walker can tackle rougher terrain than someone in a wheelchair.
The issues with cerebral palsy are not all related to the condition itself. Sometimes they’re related to living everyday life.