Living With CP & Embracing Life as an Artist and Disability Advocate

My name is Emily Beatrice Goss and I am a disabled artist. The last year has been an incredible journey. The summer of 2016 began a new chapter of my life once I received my BA in Performing Arts at Boise State University. I officially became the first college graduate in my family, which became a HUGE milestone I will always be grateful for after the years of hard work and countless sleepless nights packed in a dark theatre for hours on end. On top of juggling back-to-back shows and an overwhelmingly packed school schedule, I continued living my life with Mild Cerebral Palsy. Professors, colleagues, peers, and close friends would constantly see me darting across the quad, running to auditions or production meetings or classes in my bright red motorized scooter with my production binders and scripts in tow. The whole process became a routine that I grew to love, and an experience I will never forget. The road certainly has not been easy, but I feel it's time to tell my story...

I was born with Mild Cerebral Palsy; the disability affects balance abilities, muscle weakness, and impacts fine motor skill development. I have used a walker, motorized, and manual chairs for the majority of my life to accomplish everyday goals. I have yet to turn away from a challenge, even though it may be considered difficult by some of those around me. I have had seven back-to-back surgeries starting at the age of 3 to strengthen my muscles as well as to encourage bone growth and restructuring finally ending at the age of 16, right before I began high school. Those formative years began to help me realize the inner strength I had bubbling underneath the surface. Yes, I was teased and called names that I have never approved of, but I knew those struggles would be temporary. I lived my life like a normal teenager. I went to homecoming dances, went on dates, performed in my high school's Varsity Women's choir group for almost three years that also included a Spring tour in Salt Lake City, and helped develop the Musical Theatre performance program by working on the musicals until I graduated in 2012, all the while using my walker or a wheelchair and I became known for being the theatre lady on campus at Rocky Mountain High School from that point forward, and I began to realize my life path as a performer with a disability, or PWD for short, and as a disability advocate.

Yes, there are days that I feel like I could scream and shout because it can sometimes be difficult to move, and I feel like a woman in her seventies with aches and pains instead of a young woman now in her mid-20s trying to start a career and search for a loving and supportive relationship while trying to balance life with CP in the mix, which can be INTERESTING, but I have yet to let my challenges stop me. I more or less explain to the people around me that I'm klutzy, and that I have learned to embrace my condition over time. Starting the conversation of what CP is and how it affects me can be immensely challenging if the individuals around me have no background of the disability in the first place, especially in the relationship department, but it's getting easier to open up. Although, once the conversation starts it's almost as if a light bulb of realization flickers on and something just clicks. I can see the inner dialogue flash across their faces like, "WHOAH, Em is totally normal!" I gently laugh and just continue on with the conversation. It's actually quite funny to witness, but I've gotten used to that reaction by now and it's a hoot. Most of the individuals I've spoken with don't know how to talk about it, because they have little to no experience with a person that lives with CP at all, let alone a woman with the disability, and they don't want to sound offensive if they say the wrong thing. But here's what I have to say: DON'T be afraid to ask about the disability itself. It can be quite a fun conversation.

I am now a thriving 24-year-old college graduate with a passion for musical theatre history and budding voiceover career in the audiobook industry. I am beyond grateful for my family, therapists, doctors, peers, professors, and countless others that encouraged me to become the strong, beautiful independent woman who I am today; even though I may have a little extra hardware to deal with on a daily basis, it's become quite a unique adventure. I have since performed at Boise Contemporary Theatre, and have actively been auditioning through video submissions in New York City thanks to some incredible disability advocates.

But what I'm saying is: anything is possible regardless of the limitations we may have as disabled or as able-bodied individuals. Don't be afraid to start the conversation. You may be surprised by the stories that have yet to be told. Your life may be changed for the better. This can just be the beginning. That is my story.