So I recently asked the lovely team Greene to help me compile a list of the funniest/quirky aspects involved in being a PA. Here is the list that we came up with...
You know you're a PA when....
1) You guide a little finger into a nail dryer.
2) You become used to having wet socks/tights after helping someone have a shower.
3) You start to really hate bus drivers after hearing 'sorry you can't get on, there's already a buggy on the bus'.
4) You go to Costa and ask for a cup of tea to eat in, in a take away cup that's not too full up and totally confuse the staff.
5) You feel like Gok Wan after getting an approving nod from an outfit that you've pieced together.
6) You check the disabled loos for the appropriate bars even when you're not with a disabled person.
7) Seeing a tennis ball in bed (to relieve back pain) becomes completely normal.
8) You check every place you walk into for a step.
9) You cannot explain what your job involves because people think PAs work in offices and the term 'carer' offends you.
10) You carry a bizillion bags regularly.
11) You develop methods to avoid inducing spasms like clapping loudly or whacking your thighs when you enter a room.
12) You can't stand lumps in the duvet so take at least 10 minutes trying to flatten said duvet after you've made the bed.
13) You become used to staring at the ceiling in a shop so that the staff will direct their questions towards the person in the wheelchair.
14) You're fed up of hearing 'that must be so rewarding'.
Friday 25 March 2016
Sunday 6 March 2016
"Are your knees just really excited?" Child aged 4
I think I now factor the effects of Cerebral Palsy into my life much more than I ever have. One of the downsides of mainstream schooling for me was that I learnt to ignore my body to fit in. As a consequence, I spent the majority of my teens making myself look and feel as "normal" as possible so I ignored the back pain from sitting for hours, my added fatigue and would rarely utter a word to the outside world about my frustrations. But you can't do this forever...
I've always always wanted to teach and I put a lot of dogged determination into making this dream a reality but I didn't really think about how working life would work for me. I didn't want to consider that being disabled would affect my ability to work. I just wanted to do it, to be a class teacher and help children learn. It was only during my dreadful third year placement that I realised that some employers would only see a wheelchair and judge accordingly. I also realised how gruelling a teacher's life can be and that working 60 hours a week would and did take its toll. So I left university with very little confidence about obtaining and maintaining a teaching job.
I started volunteering in local schools part-time the year that I finished my degree and I noticed that part-time hours were agreeing with my body and therefore my body was agreeing with me more than it did when I was studying and would push myself beyond my limits. I came to the conclusion that I was very glad that I'd pushed myself through school and during my degree but that this was now adult life and I couldn't keep ignoring what my body needed.
The decision to work part-time didn't come easily to me, it meant I had to bid farewell to the idea of being a class teacher and had to give in to the fact that I don't have an able-bodied body nor do I have the stamina of an able-bodied person. That's hard when you're so used to fighting and proving yourself in a mainstream world but I knew I was making the right choice. I needed to protect the longevity of my health and I didn't want to burn out two years down the line. I also wanted to work independently but my independence level comes at a price. It means increased muscle pain and tiredness but it's important to me so I do it. Working part-time means that I can be independent at work in the mornings but come home at lunchtime and give myself the support and rest that I need in the afternoons. I still have times when I feel sad about not teaching full-time, but I know that I'm still teaching and working with children. I know that I'm making my legs happy and I know that this way I have enough energy to see my friends and have a social life. It's the right balance for me.
I've always always wanted to teach and I put a lot of dogged determination into making this dream a reality but I didn't really think about how working life would work for me. I didn't want to consider that being disabled would affect my ability to work. I just wanted to do it, to be a class teacher and help children learn. It was only during my dreadful third year placement that I realised that some employers would only see a wheelchair and judge accordingly. I also realised how gruelling a teacher's life can be and that working 60 hours a week would and did take its toll. So I left university with very little confidence about obtaining and maintaining a teaching job.
I started volunteering in local schools part-time the year that I finished my degree and I noticed that part-time hours were agreeing with my body and therefore my body was agreeing with me more than it did when I was studying and would push myself beyond my limits. I came to the conclusion that I was very glad that I'd pushed myself through school and during my degree but that this was now adult life and I couldn't keep ignoring what my body needed.
The decision to work part-time didn't come easily to me, it meant I had to bid farewell to the idea of being a class teacher and had to give in to the fact that I don't have an able-bodied body nor do I have the stamina of an able-bodied person. That's hard when you're so used to fighting and proving yourself in a mainstream world but I knew I was making the right choice. I needed to protect the longevity of my health and I didn't want to burn out two years down the line. I also wanted to work independently but my independence level comes at a price. It means increased muscle pain and tiredness but it's important to me so I do it. Working part-time means that I can be independent at work in the mornings but come home at lunchtime and give myself the support and rest that I need in the afternoons. I still have times when I feel sad about not teaching full-time, but I know that I'm still teaching and working with children. I know that I'm making my legs happy and I know that this way I have enough energy to see my friends and have a social life. It's the right balance for me.
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