18-year-old Faith Guilbault details her life with Cerebral Palsy — Assembly

18-year-old Faith Guilbault is the director and narrator of “Faith’s World,” which details her life with cerebral palsy.

Good luck keeping up with Faith Guilbault. So far in her 18-year life, she’s gone indoor skydiving, modelled for adaptive fashion brands and taken up horseback riding.

“I look forward to therapeutic horseback riding each week and love the bond I have with my horse, Sally,” Faith shares. “I like posting and jumping over little poles on my horse. I am not afraid of falling off, because they have a side walker on each side and having my feet in the stirrups helps me feel secure.”

It takes trust to ride a horse, but growing up on a farm will help you cultivate that, she says. As for the indoor skydiving — well, that’s also come naturally for Faith, who grew up in Bel Air, Maryland. To date, she’s done it 10 times. “It’s so much fun and I don’t get nervous flying because it’s a time where I can be out of my chair and have freedom,” she says. “It’s kind of like floating in space without restriction.”

Faith has moderate cerebral palsy, a condition which affects her balance and fine motor skills. (Courtesy of BYkids)

Faith’s zeal for adventure and experimenting made her the perfect subject for a documentary, and led her to direct and narrate “Faith’s World.” The documentary was shot over the course of a month in 2019, and gives viewers snapshot into Faith’s day-to-day life as someone with moderate cerebral palsy, a condition which affects her balance and fine motor skills. Faith uses canes, a walker or a wheelchair to travel long distances, and she usually needs assistance with daily tasks.

Her main objective with the project was to show that people with disabilities are no different than anyone else. “We all have the same feelings, wants, desires and needs as everyone else,” she says. “I just wanted to share a glimpse of my everyday life and that is just what I did.” BYkids, a New York City-based nonprofit, produced the documentary, which aired on public TV in the U.S. in 2021. Along with the film, BYkids produced a School Guide designed to help teachers expand students’ understanding of the themes in “Faith’s World” and a Take Action guide with tips for supporting the disability community in tangible ways. These resources have helped Faith’s story reach almost 250 million viewers, students and teachers across the U.S.

When it came to filming the documentary, Faith notes that she felt “very comfortable in front of the cameras,” thanks in part to how at ease the filmmakers made her feel. “We really all bonded,” Faith recalls. “It was fun to share my everyday life and spend some quality time getting to know them.”

Faith made it a priority to also feature friends who have cerebral palsy like her in the documentary. One friend, Ellie, has mild cerebral palsy, which in her case means that she can walk without assistance but has impaired fine motor skills, hearing and speech. Another friend, Nadia, has severe cerebral palsy and uses a power wheelchair and gait trainer for mobility.

“My hope is for people to be more understanding and accepting of others that are differently abled. After all, we are all human and just want to be included.”

— Faith Guilbault

When people with disabilities watch “Faith’s World,” Faith hopes they feel inspired to go after their goals despite the barriers that make certain aspirations seem impossible. “They can do anything they want to do if they put their mind to it and have the right support in place,” Faith says. “It may take longer to do things but that’s OK. Just go for it and live in the moment. Don’t let anyone knock you down because you are stronger than you know.”

Looking to the future, Faith is optimistic about the role documentaries like “Faith’s World” will play in bringing visibility to her community and giving people with disabilities the representation they deserve. “My hope is for people to be more understanding and accepting of others that are differently abled,” Faith shares. “After all, we are all human and just want to be included.”