September was a busy and exciting month with new and exciting opportunities. Read more below about what I got up to.
I was given a new policy area at Scope – young disabled people’s employment. Having worked with Muscular Dystrophy UK (a charity that does great work for disabled rights) I had already started to broaden my knowledge of issues facing disabled people looking for work. You can read the article I wrote on the work I did at Muscular Dystrophy UK calling on the government and employers to take action to remove the barriers that make it difficult for disabled people to find and stay in work. I’m really excited to be working on this policy area with Scope.
I’d love to hear what you believe to be the biggest barriers to young disabled people finding and staying in work. Please feel free to leave thoughts in the comments section.
I held 2 focus groups of parents and carers of disabled children to learn about their experiences accessing everyday family activities such as playgrounds. I absolutely love connecting with people with lived experienced as part of my job. It’s so valuable. These have been emotionally difficult experiences to hear and be a part of but it is so important to understand lived experiences. I didn’t grow up in the UK so I’ve found it exceedingly interesting hearing about growing up as a child with a disability in this country. There will be a separate piece about this coming up.
As mentioned in my previous blog, I started a conversation around the affects of the petrol crisis on the disabled community, after a tweet I wrote about a carer not having enough petrol to reach me garnered a lot of attention. I was asked on to BBC News, 5 News, New York Times and CNN to talk about how the petrol shortage is impacting disabled people like me and the carers that look after me. I was interviewed by none other than Victoria Derbyshire who I admire so much as a public figure and a journalist. This was also my first live interview! No pressure at all right?
Last but not least, I saw my best friend for the first time since February 2020! We spent the afternoon browsing Liberty department store and catching up. I have missed her so so much. It was a bit scary being out since masks and social distancing are no longer required but some people were still wearing masks and I was pleasantly surprised that Londoners were respecting my space e.g. people asked if I was comfortable sharing a lift before just piling in!
End of the Month Shout Out
Check out Lucy Webster’s blog, ‘The View From Down Here’. Lucy is a freelance journalist and writer, with lots of experience covering Westminster, with a passion for making politics accessible to all audiences, and to telling diverse stories. Lucy is a full-time wheelchair user and covers her lived experience in feminism, politics, disability rights, and books in ‘The View From Down Here’. Go give her the support she deserves.