NOTABLE NEIGHBOR: Advocacy is Petty’s calling

FAYETTEVILLE — Julie Petty used to own a T-shirt that said, “I’m not drunk; I have cerebral palsy.”

Petty is a leader in the self-advocacy movement, which pushes for people with developmental disabilities to take greater control of their lives. She’s serious about that, yet still retains a great sense of humor about herworld.

Because she has cerebral palsy, Petty is often stared at when she’s in public. She isn’t bothered by it, and in fact often greets those staring with a friendly hello, which can be startling.

“Some of them get really shocked and they look away,” Petty says. “I’m oblivious to it, because it’s not like I wake up every morning and say, ‘Oh no, I have CP again!’ Life is too short to worry about stuff like that.”

Petty, who works for the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences’ Partners for Inclusive Communities, has been invited to the White House three times this year. The first was when she and others met with former White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, after Emanuel caused a public storm by using the word “retarded” as an insult.

She was there to celebrate the anniversary of the Americans With Disabilities Act in July, as well as earlier this month to celebrate the signing of Rosa’s Law, which removed phrases such as“mental retardation” from federal laws.

“That was very exciting,” Petty says. “I was just overjoyed that I got to look [President Obama] in the eye. It was great to meet the president.”

Petty and her husband of nine years, Brian, havetwo sons, Logan and Warren, ages 7 and 5. She credits Brian with a lot of her success, for teaching her to drive and helping her to graduate college. (With typical candor, she jokes that “I don’t like to study.”)

She loves to ride bikes, swim and play soccer with the boys. Her house is a fun one. On a recent day, Brian and the boys had set up the backyard to look like the popular TV adventure show Wipeout.

“My No. 1 goal is to take care of my family, to help my boys grow up and see a world with no discrimination,” Petty says. “We like to say everybody’s different; it’s OK to be different.

“As a self-advocate, I just want to keep doing what I’m doing and make lives better for people with disabilities. We’ve come a long way but we still have a long way to go.”