Hello. My name is Christine. I'm one of the ambassadors for PRC-Saltillo, and I have been working with them since 2016. I was born in August of 1991. I attended Fullerton College and received my special education certificate in spring of 2018. I have cerebral palsy. This happened when I was born having little oxygen and my brain affected my ability to walk.
Speak and move. Cerebral palsy is not a disease. When I was very young, I began receiving therapy. Experience helped me learn how to do things in a way that was most effective for me. Occupational and physical therapy were provided to me, and I was 21 years old, and speech therapy was provided to me until I was 17. Neither my family nor friends treat me differently from other people, nor do I see myself as different from them.
Thanks to this cool device, I'm able to speak my mind and communicate with other people. I use this communication design to communicate at day programs, at volunteering, at home and wherever I go. I honestly wouldn't be able to function without it. I have used a communication device since I was six years old with my joystick. I can control my device.
There are many different things that I can program to say and I can troubleshoot simple problems with it. And now with technology, I can make calls and send text to Bluetooth with my device. I no longer have to push those little buttons with my fingers. That has been a game changer. In the years prior to the pandemic. I volunteered and worked at Westmont Elementary School, where I attended.
I was a PA professional, and I worked with students who were moderate to severe, medically fragile and special day classes preschool to sixth grade. But I was primarily assigned to the preschool to kindergarten class, and I ran an AAC group for those students who had communication assistive devices. I miss my students every day. Unfortunately, since the pandemic, my volunteer opportunity at Westmont has been discontinued indefinitely.
Therefore, I go to an adult day program reimagined during the week and once a week, I volunteer at Tiger Woods Learning Center, during the school year. I do clerical work and I help supervise students during their lunch time. Whenever I have free time. I enjoy spending time with my friends and listening to books on my Alexa device. Social media is especially useful to me because it allows me to stay in touch with friends, even when we aren't together.
I'm interested in what they're up to. I play basketball. A fun fact I have run 18 half marathons with someone pushing me in my wheelchair. I also attend a recreational program called New Horizons that provides a variety of activities for adults with disabilities. I love that the most. I enjoy going to Disneyland in my free time. My goal in the future is to get a job in a special education preschool.
One of my long term plans is to get my own apartment and live on my own. I like to keep myself busy because I do not like to stay at home and do nothing. That is not the person I want to be. I would rather go out to the community. It's nice when people talk directly to me and not to the person around me.
I have a voice. Get to know me before you judge me.
