I have lived my whole life with a sibling that is disabled. Most people underestimate those with disabilities.  When I first found out that there was something different about my sister, I wasn’t really sure what it was.

I would always ask what was wrong with her and why she couldn’t do  certain things or activities. Then one day my mom talked to me about why my sister acted the way she did.

My sister and I were adopted in June 1999. My mom knew what she was going into when she adopted us. My sister has Cerebral Palsy. Cerebral Palsy is a congenital disorder of movement, muscle tone, or posture.

My biological mother had a virus inside of her when she was pregnant with my sister that caused my sister to have a birth defect. My sister is unable to be independent. She cannot  talk, walk, and chew her food.We have to blend all of my sisters’ food so she can eat it. She is limited in her choices because some foods cannot be blended.

She uses wheelchair, a chair lift which is installed into the our van, back brace, leg braces, wrist splints, a ramp built on to the house, a blender and a special bed that is similar to the ones used in hospitals.

Whenever my sister sees someone who is disabled like her, she gets really excited and happy. We think that she likes to think that she is part of the community when she is with people like her. Many schools have programs that allow people like her to be able to go to school and make friends and get to sometimes have a normal day like other students.

Even though my sister is different, she is fun to be around, and I’m happy to have a sister like her in my life.