“I am not just my disability, I am me. A young, black, disabled, hilarious, entrepreneur, YouTuber and soon to be Paralympian!” She might be 18 years old, but Tegan Vincent-Cooke is already a successful YouTube star and horse-riding champion.
Tegan was diagnosed with quadriplegic cerebral palsy at birth, meaning that her limbs have a variety of range and tones. One day she might just have stiffness in her legs, the next day she can’t get out of bed, but it’s never stopped her from pursuing her passions and interests.
A talented horse rider, Tegan has been riding for 14 years. Some of her proudest achievements include winning the National RDA Dressage Championship four times and being selected to be on the British Dressage Team.
In 2016 she started a YouTube channel, creating inspiring, motivational videos and animations about her experiences of living with a disability, which went viral. Her experience however is that people often underestimate her capability and intelligence, treating her like a young child.
Her TEDx talk challenges the negative perceptions around being a person with a disability, encouraging us to have better discussions and connections with disabled people – infact anyone we perceive as “different”.
Watch this TED talk here.
