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Last night during a workshop for @NSDFest myself & @ChloeClarkeAD talked about charity, medical & social models of disability plus creative access. It was mint. Epic! We were Buzzin! The next generation of theatre makers are going to smash it! I love this feeling.
Went to sleep smiling. Woke up to sunshine. Spring is in the air. Glorious. Then I switch on the TV. An interview with a parent of a disabled child who believes that it’s better for her son to walk like his peers so he can fit in. To not use his wheelchair so he can be the same
Height as his peers. Frustration began to bubble in me. That young boy is now having to struggle to walk, & fear using his chair. He’s having to put ALL his energy into fitting in. That kid is going to be so exhausted that he won’t have the energy to be with his mates. He’s
learning at a young age that a wheelchair is a negative thing. That burden he will carry for a long time as he continuously struggles to fit in with his non disabled peers in a non disabled world. Parents of disabled young people I urge you to understand that your child doesn’t
Have to change. A wheelchair, a limp, isn’t the issue. Society is the issue. Buildings not being wheelchair accessible ARE the issue. The negative attitudes towards disability IS the issue. Not your child. Please stop trying to make them ‘fit in’ make them walk when it’s clearly
Painful. They will have a better life using a chair. More independence. Laughter with friends as they aren’t exhausted & can participate more. Educate yourselves & them about the social model please. You won’t regret it. Celebrate being disabled & challenge society not your kid.
