Megan's Voice: Episode 1

My Life with a Disability

Megan in wheelchair after leg surgery

Welcome to a special six-part series featuring Megan Bailey. Megan speaks openly from her perspective as a young woman living with a lifelong disability. In her early years, she received therapy services through Rainbows United.

Today, she’s a college graduate, a professional, and an advocate—ready to share her journey.

Special thanks to Brandon Paulseen, host of the ICT Podcast, who sat down with Megan to hear her story—you can listen in here.

Hello. My name is Megan Bailey, and I am a former recipient of Rainbows Services. I am 24 years old, and I graduated in May from Wichita State University, with a bachelor’s degree in communication studies, with a minor in Sign Language. Growing up with a disability has been a true gift for me. Sometimes it makes me emotional because I wish I could hear and walk and run like everyone else. But having a disability does not stop me from becoming the person I am today. Growing up with a disability has its challenges, but I am still able to learn and get around really well.

I was born with Cerebral Palsy (CP), which affects my ability to balance and walk. Because of this, I have always walked with walking aids. When I was in elementary and middle school, I walked with a walker, and then when I was in high school, I was in a wheelchair after my surgery until Christmas. I have always walked with canes ever since.

I was born with significant bilateral hearing loss and have worn hearing aids since I was three years old.  I had an FM in school from K-12. The FM System had a microphone that my teachers wore so I could hear what they were saying. At WSU, I had an FM microphone, that my professors wore so I could hear what they were saying. I even used it in small group activities, so I could hear what my classmates were saying.  My left ear is worse than my right ear, and without my hearing aids, it would be almost impossible to hear things that are going on around me.

My anxiety has gotten worse as time went on, especially in middle-school. I was picked on and made fun of by mean girls who didn’t understand what I was going through. I was so angry and sad that I had to go through that. Now that I am an adult, I wish I could never remember this. In high school, I was really anxious because everything was different, and I started my high school career in a wheelchair.

When I had surgery in 2015 on my legs, it was a long recovery process. I wouldn’t be moving around independently if it wasn’t for my family to be there to support me.

After my surgery, I had to sit with my legs straight out in front of me for six weeks, and I had to sleep in a hospital bed with many pillows. Then for two weeks I had rehab because I basically had to learn how to walk all over again. I am really lucky that I have the ability to get around with my canes.  I felt like I was that “one girl in the wheelchair who was never going to walk.” I felt left out because I just wanted to do what other people were doing.

I had to work really hard to get to where I could walk with my walker. My para had to be close by to make sure I did not fall. But as I kept progressing, my legs got strong enough to walk with two canes. I am very proud that I worked really hard. I learned from having surgery that it is not easy to recover, but with self-determination and confidence, I can do anything I set my mind to!

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