[Applause]
let me ask you a question did you see me
or did you see my wheelchair first and
would it define who I am my wheelchair
is like a visible sign you can’t avoid
seeing it you see I know the difference
between being anonymous and sometimes
feeling like public property because
I’ve used a wheelchair down for the last
ten years so what does that look like in
practice you may say what are my daily
interactions like well I would like to
give you a glimpse of my world before
and after using the wheelchair I would
like to open the door for you to two
worlds firstly people now ask me do you
work whereas before it was what you do
there is a low expectation how would you
feel if people push you around without
asking speak on your behalf or speak to
your friend instead of you to me it
sometimes feels like I’m less than other
people
what would you think if your old boss
didn’t ask you about your future
aspirations in the company anymore and
he said to you if he employed everyone
with your disability the business would
collapse would that kill your confidence
too the thing is in so many ways I’m
still the same person
I’m vocal and passionate I’m ambitious
and sociable and what I’ve had to deal
with is undoubtedly challenges and
setbacks and I’ve had to adjust to the
world and I don’t know if you realize
but we’re not just talking sticks and
wheelchairs here because disabled people
make up the largest minority group in
the world both visible and non-visible
disabilities and in fact a recent u.s.
survey stated that 78% of people with
disabilities do not have a wheelchair
they do not have a visible tail showing
their disability but I don’t know if you
noticed when we talk about diversity
disability is rarely mentioned if at all
it’s as if disabled people are such a
distinct group of people not part of the
mainstream and therefore not fully
included in society you see I use a
wheelchair now and people look at me
differently but what I’ve realized is
that I also have a different lens we all
have a lens in the way that we see the
world so let me give you some examples I
want to start off with what we think of
as normal so if you think back think
about your fairy tales that you read as
children let’s have a look at how
disability is depicted if we take Beauty
and the Beast and the Hunchback of Notre
Dame as examples so in Beauty and the
Beast there’s an arrogant young prince
and he falls in love falls under a spell
as punishment for bad behavior and we
are told he’s turned into a hideous
beast until he learns how to love and be
loved in return
now what message does that send that if
you have some kind of facial
disfigurement that’s associated with
punishment and bad behavior and being
beautiful is associated with happiness
and love now the Hunchback of not redang
it’s about Quasimodo now Quasimodo lives
a life of solitude because we are told
he is too ugly to be accepted in society
he falls in love with the main female
character but she falls in love with
somebody else
which he accepts and he gives them his
blessing again what message does that
send to children and society that
disabled people live in isolation
because they are too unattractive and
love is not for them but it’s for others
but they are accepting of this realizing
their lot in
now you might be thinking yeah but these
are just old fairy tales there may
believe it doesn’t do any harm to
society and children I believe it starts
from somewhere you see this affects me
too
I’ve had people say to me oh you’re
quite pretty for someone in a wheelchair
at once a mother I overheard her and she
said to her young child within earshot
of me see you’re lucky because you can
walk now I don’t disagree we have to be
grateful for what we have in our lives
don’t we we have to appreciate what we
have but to say that comment in front of
me and to her child it just made me feel
that my life had less value and Worth
and this is the current day fairy tale
which is being perpetuated about people
with disabilities now you might think
they’re just all fair eaters but let’s
look at Hollywood let’s look at films
and how they look at disability so we’ve
all seen James Bond right so let’s think
about the villains because if you think
about it most of them were disabled from
the relatively subtle third nipple to a
range of facial scarring do you’ll
remember jaws yeah I mean these
characters they were bad they were scary
but they were disabled now modern-day
films they tend to look at disabled
people as objects of pity and their
disability is all-consuming it is the
main point of the story been told in the
first place
for example there’s will in me before
you who’s paralyzed he decides to end
his life because he feels it’s not worth
living again you might think yeah but
that’s Hollywood everybody knows it’s
not real but I believe that these
messages plant seeds in our subconscious
and conscious minds the big deal is this
is that my interactions with strangers
the silly comments to the awkward ones
and the well-meaning ones they all come
from what we see and what we hear my
interactions with strangers are largely
about the chair you’ve got a license for
that
oh god women drivers don’t drink and
drive oh don’t run over my toes oh do
you need help are you okay
you’re so inspirational you’re really
brave being out it’s this really about
me how would you feel if that became
your identity you see these are phrases
that I and millions of disabled people
hear on a daily basis because the
stories about us are not by us they are
a narrow vision of what life is actually
like for someone living with a
disability yes my life is shaped a lot
by of the fact that I use a wheelchair
I can’t dispute that but the thing is it
is not the main story it’s just part of
my story why can’t we now see films
about people and their disability is
just part of the story why because this
will normalize disability the way you
can build a bridge and to make disabled
people feel included you can reach out
to similarities or you can tune in to
the differences you can say how are you
instead of what happened to you because
it’s a choice you can change your lens
today the next time your encounter
somebody with a disability you can think
about what is possible you can think
about what insights do they have that
you probably don’t you see the funny
thing is most of the time I don’t feel
disabled most of the time I don’t feel
different but when I do it’s when
society is organized in a certain way
it’s
when people react differently towards me
more than the impairment itself but when
the barriers are removed I feel included
I feel accepted within society I don’t
need people to constantly commentate on
the way I move around now I don’t need
people to fuss around me I have a
disability but that does not mean
inability and I get it it’s hard
sometimes isn’t it if you don’t have
experience of disability what you say
what you do do you helped you not but
this is what works for me this is my
body this is my new normal I do this
every single day if I need assistance
trust me
I’ll ask you I’ll guide you because
here’s the thing is that no matter
what’s happened in your life whether
it’s visible or non visible abuse cancer
a bereavement or even a difficult
breakup it’s not what’s happened to you
it’s your interpretation of what’s
happened to you that will enable you to
build your own bridge to get to the
other side of what is possible thank you [Applause]
let me ask you a question did you see me
or did you see my wheelchair first and
would it define who I am my wheelchair
is like a visible sign you can’t avoid
seeing it you see I know the difference
between being anonymous and sometimes
feeling like public property because
I’ve used a wheelchair down for the last
ten years so what does that look like in
practice you may say what are my daily
interactions like well I would like to
give you a glimpse of my world before
and after using the wheelchair I would
like to open the door for you to two
worlds firstly people now ask me do you
work whereas before it was what you do
there is a low expectation how would you
feel if people push you around without
asking speak on your behalf or speak to
your friend instead of you to me it
sometimes feels like I’m less than other
people
what would you think if your old boss
didn’t ask you about your future
aspirations in the company anymore and
he said to you if he employed everyone
with your disability the business would
collapse would that kill your confidence
too the thing is in so many ways I’m
still the same person
I’m vocal and passionate I’m ambitious
and sociable and what I’ve had to deal
with is undoubtedly challenges and
setbacks and I’ve had to adjust to the
world and I don’t know if you realize
but we’re not just talking sticks and
wheelchairs here because disabled people
make up the largest minority group in
the world both visible and non-visible
disabilities and in fact a recent u.s.
survey stated that 78% of people with
disabilities do not have a wheelchair
they do not have a visible tail showing
their disability but I don’t know if you
noticed when we talk about diversity
disability is rarely mentioned if at all
it’s as if disabled people are such a
distinct group of people not part of the
mainstream and therefore not fully
included in society you see I use a
wheelchair now and people look at me
differently but what I’ve realized is
that I also have a different lens we all
have a lens in the way that we see the
world so let me give you some examples I
want to start off with what we think of
as normal so if you think back think
about your fairy tales that you read as
children let’s have a look at how
disability is depicted if we take Beauty
and the Beast and the Hunchback of Notre
Dame as examples so in Beauty and the
Beast there’s an arrogant young prince
and he falls in love falls under a spell
as punishment for bad behavior and we
are told he’s turned into a hideous
beast until he learns how to love and be
loved in return
now what message does that send that if
you have some kind of facial
disfigurement that’s associated with
punishment and bad behavior and being
beautiful is associated with happiness
and love now the Hunchback of not redang
it’s about Quasimodo now Quasimodo lives
a life of solitude because we are told
he is too ugly to be accepted in society
he falls in love with the main female
character but she falls in love with
somebody else
which he accepts and he gives them his
blessing again what message does that
send to children and society that
disabled people live in isolation
because they are too unattractive and
love is not for them but it’s for others
but they are accepting of this realizing
their lot in
now you might be thinking yeah but these
are just old fairy tales there may
believe it doesn’t do any harm to
society and children I believe it starts
from somewhere you see this affects me
too
I’ve had people say to me oh you’re
quite pretty for someone in a wheelchair
at once a mother I overheard her and she
said to her young child within earshot
of me see you’re lucky because you can
walk now I don’t disagree we have to be
grateful for what we have in our lives
don’t we we have to appreciate what we
have but to say that comment in front of
me and to her child it just made me feel
that my life had less value and Worth
and this is the current day fairy tale
which is being perpetuated about people
with disabilities now you might think
they’re just all fair eaters but let’s
look at Hollywood let’s look at films
and how they look at disability so we’ve
all seen James Bond right so let’s think
about the villains because if you think
about it most of them were disabled from
the relatively subtle third nipple to a
range of facial scarring do you’ll
remember jaws yeah I mean these
characters they were bad they were scary
but they were disabled now modern-day
films they tend to look at disabled
people as objects of pity and their
disability is all-consuming it is the
main point of the story been told in the
first place
for example there’s will in me before
you who’s paralyzed he decides to end
his life because he feels it’s not worth
living again you might think yeah but
that’s Hollywood everybody knows it’s
not real but I believe that these
messages plant seeds in our subconscious
and conscious minds the big deal is this
is that my interactions with strangers
the silly comments to the awkward ones
and the well-meaning ones they all come
from what we see and what we hear my
interactions with strangers are largely
about the chair you’ve got a license for
that
oh god women drivers don’t drink and
drive oh don’t run over my toes oh do
you need help are you okay
you’re so inspirational you’re really
brave being out it’s this really about
me how would you feel if that became
your identity you see these are phrases
that I and millions of disabled people
hear on a daily basis because the
stories about us are not by us they are
a narrow vision of what life is actually
like for someone living with a
disability yes my life is shaped a lot
by of the fact that I use a wheelchair
I can’t dispute that but the thing is it
is not the main story it’s just part of
my story why can’t we now see films
about people and their disability is
just part of the story why because this
will normalize disability the way you
can build a bridge and to make disabled
people feel included you can reach out
to similarities or you can tune in to
the differences you can say how are you
instead of what happened to you because
it’s a choice you can change your lens
today the next time your encounter
somebody with a disability you can think
about what is possible you can think
about what insights do they have that
you probably don’t you see the funny
thing is most of the time I don’t feel
disabled most of the time I don’t feel
different but when I do it’s when
society is organized in a certain way
it’s
when people react differently towards me
more than the impairment itself but when
the barriers are removed I feel included
I feel accepted within society I don’t
need people to constantly commentate on
the way I move around now I don’t need
people to fuss around me I have a
disability but that does not mean
inability and I get it it’s hard
sometimes isn’t it if you don’t have
experience of disability what you say
what you do do you helped you not but
this is what works for me this is my
body this is my new normal I do this
every single day if I need assistance
trust me
I’ll ask you I’ll guide you because
here’s the thing is that no matter
what’s happened in your life whether
it’s visible or non visible abuse cancer
a bereavement or even a difficult
breakup it’s not what’s happened to you
it’s your interpretation of what’s
happened to you that will enable you to
build your own bridge to get to the
other side of what is possible thank you [Applause]
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