The Dragon Slayers’ Guild
is
dedicated to
advancing independence
and
well-being
for people with disabilities,
with a
focused commitment
to supporting
individuals with
Cerebral Palsy.
A place where people of all abilities can find support, connection and the tools to thrive.
The Heart Behind the Guild
The Dragon Slayers’ Guild began as a journey shaped by our founder’s lived experience with Cerebral Palsy, resilience, and a lifelong commitment to creating better access, understanding, and support for people with disabilities.
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is a condition that affects muscle tone, movement, and coordination. It happens when the brain has difficulty sending smooth, coordinated signals to the muscles and is often caused by early brain injury.
For many, CP isn’t just a diagnosis; it affects movement, balance, energy, and how they navigate a world that isn’t always built for their bodies.
Along that journey, our founder learned about a life-changing procedure called Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR) — a surgery that reduces spasticity by addressing the nerves that cause tight, difficult-to-control muscles.
SDR isn’t widely talked about, and learning about it for the first time can feel overwhelming. However, for many people with CP, it offers the possibility of greater comfort, mobility, and hope.
Much of what the world knows about SDR comes from the groundbreaking work of its pioneer, Dr. Tae Sung Park, whose expertise and compassion transformed countless lives in the Cerebral Palsy community.
Pursuing SDR meant research, travel, uncertainty, and courage — and it highlighted something important:
Access to information and support should never be barriers in the way of success.
That realization became the heartbeat of the Guild.
Every part of our mission — helping people access essential equipment, offering financial support for treatment, and providing peer support for people with disabilities and coexisting mental health challenges — comes from lived experience and a commitment to building strong, empowered communities.
The Dragon Slayers’ Guild exists because of that journey. We believe disability is not a weakness. Community is strength. Every person deserves access to support, respect, and the chance to thrive.
What We Believe
Hope
The unwavering belief that a brighter future awaits. Progress is always attainable.
Insight
Encouraging reflection, understanding, and self-awareness.
Ambition
The motivation to pursue your goals, make progress, and slay the day in your own way!
Respect
Treating others the way we would want to be treated. Demonstrating inherent regard for their worth.
Purpose
Honoring each person’s sense of meaning, motivation, and what makes life feel worthwhile.
Support
Embracing the truth that none of us thrives alone, we show up for one another with connection, care, and shared strength.
Identity
Recognizing that each person’s uniqueness deserves space, respect, and affirmation.
Unity
Bringing people together to share support, connect with resources, and ensure no one faces their challenges alone.
Equity
Ensuring fair access, inclusion, and opportunity by removing barriers and uplifting the needs of individuals with disabilities.
It Takes A Village
At the Dragon Slayers’ Guild, we believe no one should have to face disability, illness, or hardship alone. Support doesn’t come from a single hero — it comes from a village.
Our “Village Model” is built on shared care, lived experience, and connection. In the village, people show up in different ways and at different times. Some offer guidance shaped by their own journeys. Some help connect others to resources or tools. Others simply listen. Every role matters, and no one is expected to carry everything by themselves.
As a village, we rise. As a village, we thrive.
At DSG, the village is intentionally peer-led. Lived experience is treated as knowledge, not an afterthought. Support is consent-based, flexible, and human — meeting people where they are rather than asking them to fit into rigid systems. Here, strength isn’t measured by independence alone, but by the ability to lean on one another when needed.
“Dragons” represent the real challenges people face — pain, barriers, fear, isolation, and systems that weren’t built with inclusivity in mind.
Slaying a dragon doesn’t always mean defeating it outright. Sometimes it means learning its name and having someone stand beside you while you find better tools, and face it.
It takes a village.
How We Support the Community
Peer
support
Peer support connects individuals with trained peers who offer understanding, and encouragement through shared journeys.
NOTE: Our peer support program does not specialzie in crisis related care. .
Equipment
support
Access to mobility aids, therapy tools, and supportive equipment shared via a community lending library and print on demand services.
NOTE: Equipment availability may vary based on inventory and community needs.
funding
support
Financial assistance to help offset the cost of equipment, therapy services, and specialized care.
NOTE: Funding is intended for short-term use and does not replace insurance coverage.
Funding is provided on a case-by case basis and subject to availability
A few moments with us
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Honoring A Light and Legacy:
Dr. Tae Sung Park
Dr. Tae Sung Park’s work changed what was possible for countless people with Cerebral Palsy and their families.
As a pioneer of Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR)—a procedure now widely known as the Park Procedure—he combined surgical innovation with deep compassion, patience, and respect for the people he served.
SDR works by selectively reducing the sensory nerve signals that contribute to excessive muscle tightness, helping to lessen spasticity.
For many, learning about SDR for the first time was overwhelming. Dr. Park met that uncertainty with clarity and care, helping individuals and families understand their options and make informed decisions rooted in dignity and trust.
Dr. Park often described spasticity as a fierce dragon that places a heavy and exhausting burden on daily life. His patients, many of them children became dragon slayers.
In this metaphor, slaying a dragon did not mean changing who someone was; it meant easing a challenge that limited comfort, access, and choice. SDR was one of the tools he developed to help people face that challenge with greater possibility.
Dr. Park’s legacy lives not only in operating rooms or medical literature, but in the everyday moments made more accessible because of his dedication.
The Dragon Slayers’ Guild exists in a world shaped by his contributions, and we honor him with profound gratitude for the lives he touched and the paths he helped make possible.
Dr. Park’s work changed the life our founder and the lives of so many others.
To learn more about his legacy and Selective Dorsal Rhizotomy (SDR), visit:
St. Louis Children’s Hospital Center for Cerebral Palsy and Spasticity
SDR and Community Education: Kerry Benson