# data[].attributes.body
My name is Cassandra MacLeod

I am a good friend.

I use my talker to do most of my communication but can also do some signs and some verbal.

I want to be included like everyone else. I may not talk or look like others but I am a person just like you.

I love to make people happy. I like to smile. My parents have this saying for me, "Let Your Smile Change The World" and I am trying my hardest to do that.

I love music, dance, horse backing riding, cooking and swinging all year long!

I am scared of changing tables, high things and sometimes loud noises. Most of the time I am fearless and that scares my parents sometimes :).

My hopes and dreams are to become a doctor and a chef.

I have Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, Cognitive and Intellectual Disabilities, but I am a fighter and I won't let my disabilities get in the way. I want my Abilities to shine over my disabilities.

# data[].attributes.body
I love music and dance

# data[].attributes.body
I have been playing Miracle league baseball for four years now and I love it

# data[].attributes.body
I was able to be part of a pageant where I could be myself with no judgment and no scores and I received a crown.

This pageant was one to remind all that everyone, including myself, with all my challenges and disabilities, is Wonderfully and Perfectly Made.

# data[].attributes.headline
Cassandra being included in the church Christmas program.

# data[].attributes.subject
Cassandra being included in the church Christmas program.

# data[].attributes.headline
Swinging in every kind of weather even the snow!

# data[].attributes.subject
Swinging in every kind of weather even the snow!

# data[].attributes.body
Despite my special needs and daily challenges, we keep busy. I am in a special needs dance class, Darbys Dancers, for the last 8 years, and I do horse therapy once a week. I have some sassy horses 😁

# data[].attributes.attachment_caption
This is me in the hospital just a couple days old.  The doctors, to this day, still can’t believe I made it.  My parents call me Dabwiso, which means Miracle in Zambia.

# data[].attributes.body
I was born at 35 weeks with a crash c-section and I wasn't breathing for the first 15 minutes of my life. Within hours of my birth, I started having seizures. I was then transported via ambulance from Waukesha to Children's Hospital. It was a long 23 days in the NICU, where the doctor said "it's possible but not probable she will survive."

Cerebral Palsy is a group of neurological disorders that permanently affect body movements and muscle coordination. This affects the way I walk, talk, eat/swallow and do everyday activities. I have ataxia which affect my hands and arms especially when eating or doing any fine motor activities. There is no cure for CP but my therapies and medications help improve my quality of life.

# data[].attributes.body
Epilepsy is a disorder in which nerve cell activity in the brain is disturbed, causing seizures.

Epilepsy may occur as a result of a genetic disorder or an acquired brain injury, such as a trauma or stroke.

During a seizure, a person experiences abnormal behavior, symptoms, and sensations, sometimes including loss of consciousness.

I have 3 types of seizures, drop seizures, gagging seizures and absence seizures.

They affect my daily life. I usually have EEG testing at least once a year and have gone to the Cleveland clinic for care in the past too.

I have intellectual and cognitive disabilities and a cognitive level of about a 3-4 year old but I am one smart cookie!

# data[].attributes.headline
General Ed and Special Ed working together 

# data[].attributes.subject
General Ed and Special Ed working together 

# data[].attributes.body
Coming together as a team.

Including parents as a team member

COMMUNICATION…so important

# data[].attributes.headline
How can you help students with unique needs 

# data[].attributes.subject
How can you help students with unique needs 

# data[].attributes.body
Help Me, Help You

Include kiddos with special needs

Learn about me and my needs

Educate the other students that yes I may look and sound different, but I want to be their friend.