What you need to know about World Cerebral Palsy Day

World Cerebral Palsy Day will be taking place on 6 October 2019 this year, helping to raise awareness of the condition and recognise how far we’ve come in helping those with cerebral palsy to live their lives to the full.

What is cerebral palsy?

Cerebral palsy is an umbrella term for a group of developmental disorders caused by damage to the brain that can happen before, during or shortly after birth.

It’s a non-progressive condition (which means that it doesn’t get worse in time) affecting movement, co-ordination, balance and posture. It can, therefore, affect a person’s gross motor ability, such as crawling, standing, walking and running; and fine motor ability, such as grasping, dressing, eating and writing. It may also affect vision, communication, learning and behaviour.

However, some with less severe cerebral palsy aren’t so disabled and can do a number of things like any other person; Katrina Hart for example, a professional athlete we sponsor, is a former Paralympian who ran at the London 2012 Paralympic games.

Katrina Hart on World Cerebral Palsy Day

Given World Cerebral Palsy Day’s focus on getting active this year, with their Move As One campaign, we spoke to Katrina about her experience of getting into support, her success, and how she sees things changing thanks to initiatives like World Cerebral Palsy Day.

Katrina had this to say about the event:

“I think World Cerebral Palsy Day is really, really important, simply because there are so many people in the world that are affected by cerebral palsy.

The Move As One campaign is really positive because it brings people together and raises the awareness of cerebral palsy. But I think, for me, most importantly it’s obviously showing that people with disabilities have a positive contribution to society… regardless of having a disability you can still be something you want to be.”

You can watch the full interview here:

What is World Cerebral Palsy Day about?

The World Cerebral Palsy Day organisation is committed to sharing ideas, experiences and the lives of people with cerebral palsy to remind the world that we are all the same regardless of disability.

The day’s campaigning focuses on six key areas:

• Public awareness
• Civil Rights
• Medical/therapy
• Quality of life
• Education
• Making contribution

This year, the organisation behind the day is hoping to have people across the world ‘Move as One’. Their aim is to get people to engage in 30 minutes of physical activity at 1pm on Sunday 6 October, whether they’re walking, cycling, running or engaging in some sort of sporting activity such as Boccia.

Their hope is, in partnership with Cerebral Palsy International Sports and Recreation Association (CPISRA) to promote the benefits of being active to people with cerebral palsy, not just for their health but also general quality of life.

How RWK Goodman helps people with cerebral palsy

As a firm of solicitors that specialises in medical negligence claims, we are often engaged with individuals and families who live with cerebral palsy. Our specialist knowledge ensures that those with cerebral palsy are able to get the compensation they deserve when faced with such a complex and life-changing condition.

Not only do we help individuals with cerebral palsy seek the compensation they need to secure their future, but we also support them throughout their lifetime through our work with the Court of Protection. Supporting days like World Cerebral Palsy Day which raise awareness of the condition is also important to us; we understand the support that children and young adults need when faced with this condition, so we are committed to helping people understand what is needed, whether in relation to clients or not.