she was a trustee for the Brittle Bone Society and that they were looking for a new trustee , and she thought that I would be the best person for the job . After that conversation , I became a trustee for six years . During that time , I met a lot of people with disabilities and through them , I understood the importance of the community , the importance of having disabled friends and the importance of having a sense of pride in my identity .
As a trustee , I was privy to free media training , which coached me to use my voice to communicate . An extremely beneficial skill . Although I enjoyed teaching , my heart lay in charity work . After two years of being a schoolteacher in Lancashire , I decided to leave and move over 200 miles away to London . I shared a flat with two other wheelchair users as there weren ’ t many places that were accessible to disabled people like me . However , even though it was a challenge living in an open-planned living room for 6 months , I was committed to helping others , which in turn meant being able to help myself .
Tell us about moving to London .
I came full circle because all the friends that I had were members of the LGBTQ + community . I would spend a lot of time clubbing and partying with my gay friends , and because of that , we saw similarities in each other as we felt prejudiced and marginalized . I wasn ’ t unique anymore .
I worked at a nightclub . I wore alluring outfits which boosted my confidence , especially in the way I looked . All of a sudden , people took an interest in this petite girl in a wheelchair with crooked arms , nipple hairs and scars , but who was totally in control of her life and lived it to the full .
Can you tell us about meeting people for the very first time ?
My natural character in any new environment or situation is to be very approachable , and I possess great communication skills . Even though it can be quite tedious because , at the back of my mind , there is still quite a lot of ignorance in society about disabled people and uncomfortable feelings surrounding the issue of disability . I can empathize with disabled people who are innately shy or introverted and can understand that new situations and meeting new people can be very difficult for them .
Is this your natural disposition ?
I think most of it is natural . If I ' m quiet and demure , then there is something wrong with me . I ' m either very unwell or battling with anxiety . Sometimes when my anxiety is very , very high , it can impact the way I interact . I may be chatting , but just because I ' m smiling or giggling , doesn ' t mean that I don ' t feel sadness or pain .
I ’ m very aware , however , that non-disabled people , on the whole , don ' t know how to cope with sick people . They don ' t know how to cope with pain , anger or frustration . So , I think a lot of disabled people should not hide from their true selves . This is where information is important . We would prefer an inspirational story over reality .
Share a bit about your teaching experience .
When I was in primary school , one of the teachers asked me what I would like to be when I got older .
I remember confidently saying , “ Well , I have to go to high school , and college , then university . And if I am at university , I ' ll probably either become an actress or a teacher .” Ironically , that ' s exactly what I did . I studied French , German and European studies , and excelled at Sociology . And that ' s probably why I excel at disability studies and the consultancy work that I do now . But everyone kept asking , “ Why aren ’ t you teaching ?” Halfway through my degree , I had to have a spinal operation . It was
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