S is for Spaz and this is a term myself and other people with cerebral palsy have reclaimed and something used to describe ourselves in a light-hearted but powerful manner. I am particularly call myself in specific situations “Proud Spaz” as I believe it sums up how positively I feel about myself as an unique individual who has cerebral palsy.


The reclaiming of negative words used against specific person by the same people is nothing new and it has been seen with the term queen by gay people and to some degree the term nigger by black, and it is especially used by comedians from these backgrounds to challenge stereotypes in a funny and safe way by using their own experiences and themselves as the target of humour. Language is indeed a very powerful tool.