Banane
I am Muslim, and Disabled since birth with progressive muscular dystrophy and a heart condition. I have been on the powered wheelchair since 2006 when my condition deteriorated rapidly due to my pregnancy, but my wheelchair is my strength, not my weakness. It is my ‘liberté’ to be part of what is going on in life.
Both my sisters are Disabled too, with my elder sister passing away in 2020. My younger sister has severe learning difficulties and is registered blind. I also have friends who are Disabled. Being Disabled all my life and travelling to different countries, I had, still have, to climb many mountains to break the disabling barriers I am facing. From an early age, I have become aware of the persistent stigma and biased judgments from society that Disabled people endure. I didn’t wish to be erased as a Disabled person but rather to be present in mainstream society. My disability adds value to my life and my Muslim faith adds empowerment and light into my life as well as resilience in the face of adversity. As long as I breathe, I function.
As part of my dissertation for my master’s degree in linguistics and translation in 1998, I chose to translate the chapter of ‘Disabling barriers’ into Arabic from the book ‘Exploring Disability’. This has opened my eyes to the social model of disability vs. the medical model. Prior to DR UK, I volunteered to work at Westminster Action Network on Disability (WAND) during the summer which was located at Leonard Cheshire. One of the Leonard Cheshire staff informed me of a job opportunity at the National Centre for Independent Living (NCIL) which I applied for and was successful. I started my job as Information Assistant at NCIL end of September 2007 then continued after the merge of NCIL with DR UK to become Personal Budgets Advisor at DR UK. This has enabled me to comprehend the Independent Living philosophy and the disability movement for human rights and social inclusion.
Chloe
Growing up was always a challenge for me, living with a life-long genetic condition called brittle bones meant I was excluded from all physical activities in school and treated differently from everyone else. Due to me not “looking or acting Disabled enough”, this led to errors in judgement from my peers throughout both my childhood and adulthood. This negatively affected my mental health which left me wondering if I was the problem. In combination with being diagnosed late with ADHD in my 20s, this meant my struggles were deemed as ‘being distracting and chatting too much’, so this was left unsupported and left me feeling as though I wouldn’t have a successful career.
After achieving my Bachelor's degree in Illustration, I knew I wanted to make a positive difference to those around me but didn’t know where to start. I wanted to provide the support to others that I hadn’t received throughout education and my career journey, as I know how important it is to feel like you can achieve anything you set your mind to.
Developing my skills within the Marketing field, I completed an apprenticeship in Digital Marketing. Feeling as though I was just a number, workplaces made no attempt to provide me with reasonable adjustments. It became apparent that I didn’t matter to them and left me feeling like I was just helping companies make money, giving me no gratification for the work I had done. This led me to the charity sector, in particular Disability Rights UK. Allowing me to empower others by my lived experiences can also help provide support and education to those who need it whilst also utilising my skills within marketing and engagement.
TikTok is extremely valuable to my journey, providing me with information on what access to work is, how to request reasonable adjustments in the workplace and making me feel less alone with my disabilities. TikTok was even the reason I accessed my right to choose to receive my ADHD diagnosis. By finding Disability Rights UK on TikTok, I knew my injustices throughout my life would mean I could fully understand and support those who lacked the education or knowledge on how they can receive support so we can live in an inclusive society.
Steve
When I had my Stroke in late 2008, I didn’t think I would work again. I gave myself a boot up the posterior and decided to go to Remploy in late 2010. Shortly after joining Remploy, I volunteered for Comic Relief in late 2010 for a while and then joined Disability Alliance in April 2011 as a volunteer. I went Agency in June 2011 and was put on the payroll once we became DR UK in Jan 2012 and I've been here ever since. I am, to the best of my recollection, the only staff member to have completed the Leadership Academy Program.