Disabled TikToker shows she is 'normal teen girl'

Before Maya was diagnosed at 18 months old, her parents took her to the doctor because she was not reaching milestones like crawling and walking

A girl who shares her life living with a disability on TikTok said "being judged doesn't scare me anymore" after receiving praise and thanks from other disabled teenagers.

Maya Czerminska, who lives near Milton Keynes, has Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 2 (SMA) - a genetic muscular disorder causing progressive muscle weakness.

The 17-year-old began making videos in 2022 as a hobby but has slowly taken it more seriously.

She said: "I wanted to start posting on social media because I didn't see many people like me. I thought if I felt that way then other people must feel that way too."

Maya's resilience and can-do attitude has landed her about 12,500 followers on her TikTok account, Mayasquashingtoes, and she has collected more than half a million likes.

Initially, Maya was apprehensive posting online in fear of being "judged" and even blocked her friends from watching her videos to begin with.

However, she received positive responses from other teenagers with disabilities.

"Those messages just kept me going," she explained.

"My disability isn't the only interesting thing about me, it's actually the least interesting thing. There are so many other things that make me who I am."

'Negative stereotypes'

The content consists of day-in-the-life videos documenting her routine, including a day at school and hospital visits.

"I want to show people that I have a pretty normal life, but there are things that are different."

Maya combines disability-focused videos with beauty and lifestyle content, but tries to do it without "pushing it down [her viewers'] throats".

"I like to think that I can defy negative stereotypes with my social media," she explained.

"It's cool to see how posting a video can change so many people's minds about how they view a disabled person."

Maya was able to stand up when she was younger, but has never been able to walk

Maya requires help getting out of bed, getting dressed and with self-care.

In her house, she has a remote-controlled medical bed which helps her sit upright, as well as a hoist to lift her in and out of bed and a lift to get from one floor to another.

But she does not let accessibility issues - such as a lack of dropped curbs or ramps - stop her from leaving the house.

"I just go somewhere else. There's never something I can't do because of my disability."

Maya is raising money for an electricity-powered iBOT wheelchair, which costs more than £52,000.

The chair can be used to climb stairs and is more adaptable on uneven terrain.

After she completes her A-Levels, she plans to go to university to study journalism.