Shelley Simmonds, a member of DRUK’s Board of Trustees, writes about her experience as a parent-carer fighting alongside her son, Fraser, for accessible facilities in her local area.It is a positive story of campaigning for change by and for Disabled people.
Shelley realised their local community has many accessibility barriers and has made it her mission to change things working with her local Council on three projects. “I always wondered why someone didn’t do something about that… then I realised I was someone…”
Now that Fraser is maturing, he is learning the skills that enable him to advocate for himself.
Shelley says:
“We should never be ‘grateful’ for inclusion, but I am thankful to those people in positions with the power to bring change for listening to us and ensuring these projects come to fruition. The worst feeling with inaccessibility is that of not being welcome somewhere, or feeling like inclusion has been decided by individuals without lived experience to simply tick a box. Families like mine are not a tick box, we are real human beings who are tired of fighting for the most basic of things.
Despite our campaigning successes, there is still so much to do, and still so many more people to educate. It’s no mean feat juggling this while also working a full-time job, but when we feel passionately about something, we invest ourselves in the cause. And if I don’t do something about these inequalities, who will?
Read the full article by Disability Rights UK
If you’d like to get involved in our Disability Network at Disability Sheffield and campaign for change please contact Paul by emailing paul.ntulila@disabilitysheffield.org.uk
