Hi My Name is Ben, I am 25 years old and I have Cerebral Palsy, hydrocephalus and Epilepsy. I have always dreamt of working with children who have special needs because I wanted to show children growing up with disability that even though they have challenges anything is possible.
When I was born, my parents were told I may not walk, talk or have any IQ which was devastating for them but at the same time I think gave them the belief I could be brought up to live to my full potential.
Learning to walk may have taken a little longer for me than for most but milestone after milestone we got there eventually.
I have always taken my physical health seriously and have challenged myself to push further than maybe others believed I could go. I am an avid gym goer, and runner trying to get out training 3 times a week.
My left side hemiplegia means I am weaker on that side but my newest challenge has been learning to swim. I found an instructor who had experience working with additional needs and on first swim I managed 100 meters. Having hydrocephalus has restricted the kind of sports I could participate in. I come from a family of rugby and football lovers and was always unable to join in with contact sports. Our local rugby club started a tag rugby club on a Saturday morning and I took the opportunity to join finally realising my dream of being involved and part of a team
I love cooking and try to cook for my parents a couple of times a week. The barrier with this is that not being able to drive means a two mile walk to and from the shop with the food that I’m going to prep but Its another challenge I meet head on.
My biggest/greatest physical achievement has got to be completing and participating the virtual London marathon in 2021 and then Official London Marathon in 2022. The feeling of achieving this goal was something I can’t explain. It was overwhelming, and cemented my belief that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and work hard, despite the obstacles in front of you.
One of my biggest challenges was my school life and learning. I was bullied at school for being different and was slower to learn than others. I had a clear idea of what I wanted in life but the pathway to get there was definitely not smooth. It took a long time to get a Maths qualification and I certainly felt like giving up on more than one occasion. However, In 2020 I finally realised my dream career, working with children who have additional needs. Again this took me longer than it may take others, I had to work through the issues my cerebral palsy posed and completing the academic work took some time however perseverance paid off and I gained a ten hour contract as a lunchtime supervisor.
In September 2022 I was lucky to secure a full time classroom assistant job in the same school and I am absolutely loving it! My hope is that some of the students see me and can recognise a bit of themselves in me and have the courage to push themselves to achieve.
My role models growing up was and still is my parents. They have taught me a lot in life and I still look up to them and learn from them daily. They give me the courage and opportunity to try new things, support me when I struggle and cheer me on when I succeed.