Roll With It

In Roll with It, Sumner draws attention to many of the challenges faced by individuals living with cerebral palsy in the United States. Cerebral palsy is a disability that causes difficulties with controlling the movements of the body. It affects individuals differently and there are a wide range of abilities among those who have cerebral palsy. Cerebral palsy can develop before a child is born, during birth, or after birth. It is the result of atypical brain development which alters the brain’s ability to control the body. Cerebral palsy does not worsen as people grow older. Some people with cerebral palsy need more assistance while others need little (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. “Cerebral Palsy.” 2023).

Sumner situates the main character, Ellie Cowan, along the CP spectrum by describing a number of symptoms that she has overcome with therapy, medication, and time. The text suggests that she once had difficulty speaking and chewing, which she was able to improve with therapy. She is also depicted as having had seizures, but after six years of having taken seizure medication she is declared seizure-free and no longer needs the medication. At age 12, Ellie uses a wheelchair and is more susceptible to long-term illness than individuals without a disability. Unlike many people with CP, Ellie does not have an intellectual disability, and she has enough control of her arms to navigate with her wheelchair and bake.

Cerebral palsy is recognized by the Americans with Disabilities Act as a disability, so discrimination against individuals with CP is illegal in the United States. However, this has not effectively stopped the discrimination. They still face discrimination from both institutions and individuals. Many individuals with CP struggle to have all of their medical needs met, as they are often faced with difficulties getting their medical insurance to cover the care or supplies they need. Individuals with CP still face accessibility challenges in many public settings which are still not wheelchair accessible. Children and young adults with CP face similar obstacles in school systems, where schools and classrooms are often not wheelchair accessible. Furthermore, school employees are often not well-educated on variances in disabilities and struggle to meet the individual needs of students. In social settings, culturally learned biases still affect the way in which people with CP are treated by individuals. Sumner addresses many of these issues throughout the novel including the struggle to get insurance to pay for Ellie’s necessities, the struggle to get teachers to understand her disability, and the struggle to get public locations, like schools, to be navigable by wheelchair. Ellie is also depicted as facing numerous social challenges in being able to make friends who perceive her as a rounded individual rather than defining her by her disability.

Individuals with cerebral palsy also lack equal representation in American culture. Few movies, television shows, video games, books, or other forms of media portray this disability. It is in response to this lack of representation that Sumner establishes Ellie as the protagonist and narrator of the novel.