Cerrie Burnell - I Am Not a Label

Dear reader,

When I was younger, I wanted to be the child who flew to Neverland, or a magical creature, or a princess in a tower under the spell of a spindle, or have hair so long and tangled that people could climb up it. But none of those children looked like me. Thats because I was born with one hand and for some of my childhood even had an actual hook, so really, I looked much more like a stereotypical pirate than the hero of the story.

Looking back now I realize there just werent enough books with a disabled protagonist having daring adventures. This is something that needs to change. Everyone deserves to see someone like them in a story or achieving something great. Representation matters, because magical things happen when we see ourselves in a book, film, or stadium, or on a stage, even if that magical thing is realizing that we are all of value. That we all have a place in the world, and that we are enough, just as we are.

There is a whole world of unknown stories with disabled people at the heart, stories that we have yet to celebrate. Stories of grace and resilience, challenges and empowerment, judgement and re-education, and perhaps most importantly, stories of humor and everyday life.

I have gathered some of my favorite ones together in this book.

This is an anthology of tales about disabled artists, athletes, activists, thinkers, writers, performers, and dreamers, finding joy, normality, and wonder in a world that deems us different (as though this something bad). In this book I have choose to use what is called identity-first language, which means I say disabled person instead of a person with a disability. Neither is wrong, or offensive, but it is important to remember that people are disabled by society and do not need to be fixed. If there are any words in the book that youre not sure about, there is a glossary at the end to help.

Each person in this book has led or continues to lead a fascinating life, often overcoming misconceptions and prejudice to do so. I hope you will love reading their stories. I hope they will show you that we are all more than just a label, and that whoever you are, disabled or not, there are no limits to your dreams.

We all have the power to shine our own light. Everyone deserves to live in an inclusive and accessible world and feel like they belong. A world that embraces difference rather than tries to hide it, and a world where every persons story is valid.

Big love,

Cerrie Burnell
xxx

1770-1827 Composer

A long time ago in the modest town of Bonn in Germany, there lived a boy named Ludwig van Beethoven. He was born to a humble family, and music and melodies filled his heart. But as Ludwig grew up, there was a lot of sickness in his family.

Ludwigs father had wanted to become a musician himself but never managed to. He saw his son had extraordinary musical talent and made Ludwig practise the piano for hours each day. Ludwigs mother and father both died young, and he was left to look after his younger brothers.

As the head of the family, Ludwig began playing the viola in an orchestra to earn money. He understood music naturally and began composing moving and daring music for the orchestra. As well as composing, he taught music to gifted children.

As his name became known, Ludwig moved to the vibrant city of Vienna, where his fame grew. He composed exquisite scores for ballet, opera, and huge, sweeping orchestral symphonies.

He had a wild, unstoppable heart and fell in love many times. But each time, his loves were from very wealthy families. Their parents did not want their children marrying someone as poor as Ludwig.

At 25 Ludwig began to struggle to hear, and after a time he became profoundly deaf. When one of the best piano makers in England sent him a fabulous piano, he could not hear a single note.

Though sometimes this made Ludwig melancholy it did not interrupt his composing. Music was in his soul and it spilled out of him, like stories made from sound. Although he couldnt hear his creations, he knew the notes by heart, and poured all the sadness, regret, courage, and joy he had into his scores. When his compositions were performed, Ludwig could feel the vibrations of the music through his whole body.

He wrote a letter to his brothers, explaining his determination not to let his disability stop him. Some of his most famous works were written at a furious pace during the last ten years of his life, when he could not hear at all.

He died at the age of 56 and is regarded as one of the most innovative and important composers of all time. His music lives on and is performed by orchestras all over the world.

1824-1887 Physicist

A long time ago in a place called Prussia, which is now part of modern-day Russia, there lived a man named Gustav. His family belonged to an exceptional community of intellectuals and great thinkers, who would stay up late into the night debating the issues that faced the world at that moment.

Gustav found it difficult to walk and used crutches to help him, or sometimes he preferred to use a wheelchair. The thing that people noticed most about him was his extraordinary and unusually brilliant scientific mind.

Gustav had a knack for understanding complicated scientific theories. At school he loved physics and math. He was always reading and learning, and so he found it easy to do well on exams. His family knew he was a hard worker and was destined for great things. But not everything was simple for Gustavhe lived during a time when most places werent set up for wheelchair users, so it was hard for him to move around.

When he went to university, he made friends with one of his tutors, a man named Franz Neumann. While he studied with Neumann, Gustav began to make miraculous discoveries. He developed circuits, found ways to analyze the Sun and the speed at which light travels, and created what he called the three laws of spectroscopy.

With all this success to his name, Gustav moved to Berlin to further his research. There he fell deeply in love with a woman named Clara, and soon married her.

They had five children and were terribly happy, but sadly Clara died young. After that, Gustav raised his children alone, having to balance this alongside his research. It was difficult, but he managed. After a time, he remarried, and with the extra support of his wife, he was able to work more than before. He traveled and gave lectures and continued to achieve astonishing success, changing quantum physics forever.

His life was lit by the brightness of his discoveries and the study of light. He became famous for his magnificent intellect and extraordinary mind.

1869-1954 Artist

Once, long ago in northern France, a grain merchant and his wealthy wife had a baby named Henri.