by people . I felt special wherever I went as I was showered with toys , sweets and gifts . In my book , I wanted to tap into that sense of self-worth I had back then because I feel that I ’ ve lost much of that along the way . As you grow up , you start to become aware that you are different because of your disability , and the challenges you face became tougher as people single you out .
When did your selfawareness change and why ?
There were two major instances that stuck out in my memory . One was in primary school . I had a powered wheelchair and an electric wheelchair that I kept at school . Over the summer holidays , though , the school was broken into and vandals spraypainted , urinated and defecated on my wheelchair . That was the first time that I recognized the cruelty of humans and I felt quite vulnerable .
The second time , in primary school , I wasn ' t allowed to go outside during breaks unless I was accompanied by a teacher . While I waited , my best friend would always wait with me and we would play with our dolls . But then they separated us because they were worried that she wasn ' t going to make other friends , or that we were spending too much time together .
It was difficult to comprehend those moments . There was a term for it , but I guess it ' s that whole ideology surrounding disability that I was the problem , and I was the one that had to make sacrifices for my disability . If they were concerned about my friend not having other friends , where was the concern for me ? They could have facilitated my friend to accompany me so we could all play together instead of me being left on my own .
What led you to a life of activism ?
Our family had decided to immigrate to America and go on a van life across the country , where I ’ d be home schooled . The plan was , after America to move to New Zealand where we had family . But my world came crashing down when my father died of a brain hemorrhage at the age of 38 . Due to my father ' s death our family ’ s plans got turned upside down and we stayed in the U . K ., which meant that I had to find an appropriate secondary school that would accommodate my needs . At the time , many schools in the local district did not have wheelchair access , therefore I could not transition with my classmates into secondary school and so I started at a school where I knew no one . This is where I became the girl in the wheelchair rather than the
bubbly , cheeky , blonde-haired girl as I was known in my previous school . And I was bullied .
The college years changed me , however . I found my tribe there . I was in my early 20s and was doing a post-grad degree in teaching . I got to wear my own clothes , own makeup and regained a lot of my confidence as I felt part of a more liberal community of people who are thinkers and more accepting of others in the world .
One day , I was on a train going to the hospital to see my specialist . I met another girl in a wheelchair with a bone condition similar to mine . I thought that she was quite sexy . She had fishnet tights , bright red lips and piercings , with a can of beer in one hand , and I just thought she was so cool . We started chatting and we recognized that we were both very similar . She told me that
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