Our Story
Mission
Centering adults with CP in advocacy, care, and community.
Vision
A society where adults with CP are fully seen, supported, and resourced.
History
Founded to close the gap in lifelong CP services.
Cerebral Palsy Positive exists because, for too long, adults with cerebral palsy have been left out of the conversation.
In 2007, when I began experiencing severe pain, my concerns were dismissed as “tight hamstrings.” Months later, I learned the true cause was lumbar spinal stenosis—a diagnosis that ultimately required two surgeries. What I discovered in the process was even more alarming: the medical data guiding treatment didn’t reflect adults with CP at all. The answers simply weren’t there.
That gap drove me to relaunch Cerebral Palsy Positive—so adults with CP no longer face a system unprepared for their needs. CPP was built to shine a light on those forgotten spaces, to create access where there was none, and to build community where there was isolation.
As a Community Action Committee member of the Cerebral Palsy Research Network, I am committed to building the very knowledge and resources that were missing when I needed them.
With your support, CPP is ensuring that adults with cerebral palsy are seen, heard, and equipped with the healthcare and research they deserve. It is my honor to stand with this community and to help drive the change we’ve all been waiting for.
Together, we can create a future where every adult with CP has the opportunity to live fully and thrive.
— K. Pleasant
Karen Pleasant
Founder & Executive Director
“CPP was built to shine a light on forgotten spaces and create community where there was isolation—because adults with CP deserve to be at the center of advocacy, care, and opportunity, not at the margins.”
Adults with cerebral palsy are too often left out of the conversation—overlooked in research, excluded from healthcare priorities, and invisible in community planning. At CPP, we are committed to changing that reality.
We center the voices of those long forgotten by:
Listening first — honoring the lived experiences of adults with CP as the foundation of our work.
Raising awareness — shining a light on the challenges and strengths that persist beyond childhood.
Driving change — advocating for equitable healthcare, policies, and resources that recognize lifelong needs.
By centering the forgotten, we not only restore visibility but also demand a future where every adult with CP is valued, supported, and empowered to thrive.
When adults with cerebral palsy are overlooked, the result is silence where there should be voice, and absence where there should be access. At CPP, we center the forgotten — but true change requires all of us.
Your gift ensures that adults with CP are not only seen, but supported with the tools, resources, and advocacy they deserve.
Support Starter $80
Fuel the Mission $150
Journey Impacter $500
Powering Change $1,000
Your Role in Change
Your support opens the door for adults with CP to take their next step by connecting them to vital resources and consultations. It expands awareness and ensures that lived experiences are elevated and included in the conversations that matter most. Your gift can provide access to essential tools, care planning, and equipment that transform daily life, while also championing lifelong inclusion and equity by sustaining programs that advocate, connect, and empower adults with CP.
Together, we can move adults with CP from the margins to the center of care, community, and opportunity.
At CPP, we believe in the power of lived experience. CP Power Spotlights shine a light on adults with cerebral palsy whose stories, achievements, and voices remind us what true resilience and leadership look like.
These spotlights are more than stories — they are testaments to strength, creativity, and the pursuit of equity. From breaking barriers in education and employment, to advocating for healthcare access, to building inclusive communities, adults with CP are redefining what it means to thrive.
By amplifying these voices, we not only honor individual journeys but also challenge the world to see adults with CP for who they are: powerful, capable, and essential contributors to our shared future.
Jessica Niziolek
Founder of The Abler blog, Jessica is a published author and advocate dedicated to amplifying disability voices and stories worldwide.
HK Derryberry
Motivational speaker and one of fewer than ten people worldwide with Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory (HSAM)
Alana Clark
After the loss of her son, Alana turned resilience into strength, becoming a champion bodybuilder and advocate for hope and perseverance.