Cute disability pictures on social media harm.our rights

I hate the cute disabled kid pictures on social.medis asking for a share, happy birthday or whatever because apparently nobody will. They give the wrong impression of disability and are probably posted just to get a reaction. They damage the fight for acceptance and rights. As a disabled person I'm offended that anyone thinks it ok to show us as so different and in many cases pathetic that such images have to be paraded on facebook to get us 'accepted'. If thats acceptance and normality I don't want it.

Previously posted by me on facebook

Mental health and physical health both matter every day

Its World Mental Health Day, a day to raise awareness. It works but its not enough, those who don't have mental health needs need to be aware of mental health every day. It also needs to be viewed in exactly the way as physical health, there is no difference.

I have complex PTSD, alongside a physical disability. Nobody suggests  that me saying I can't take my wheelchair down steps is not a real need they accept that. I find attending medical appointments difficult because of my PTSD, to do so I need reasonable adjustments like seeing the same people or seeing them at certain places. Under the law I can ask for that in the same way as asking  for wheelchair access. Too often though its not seen in the same way. I am told more often than not I am simply making a choice, I could do it if I wanted to.

In the street I have been called crip, spaz, mental, loony, the first two relate to my physical disability, the others to my mental health. People have defended me and reacted against the former, the latter is seen as more acceptable.

In fact treating anyone with additional needs, no matter what they are, as if its just choice is not acceptable, nor is using discriminatory language. Anyone with a disability or health condition has the same rights under the Equality Act, no mstter what the nature or cause of their condition.

My wish is that starting today and continuing every day people treat those with physical and mental health needs with the same respect, and acceptance that they have exactly the same rights That will be real progress.

Rights and responsibility go together

If we want our rights respected we have to take responsibility, for our actions. If we want equality we have to take both sides of it. We have to accept we get treated the same way as everyone else for negative reasons too.

Campaigners who are fighting for rights must do so responsibly. If we campaign in a way that causes disturbance in a manner that puts us on the wrong side of the law we must face the personal conequences. We have rights, but there are ways to claim them. Using it as a badge of honour on social media isn't appropriate. Claiming you were targeted because you were disabled won't do you any favours when 'preferred' media states you were doing what you were charged with. Not only are there personal considerations but we have to ensure we don't harm the very cause we are fighting for.  Getting arrested and shouting about it is hardly going to boost your popularity with the public. They are likely to see you as trouble makers who don't deserve rights. Nor will it increase understanding for disabled people in general. It instead increases hate and distrust. You also just made the job of other campaigners harder, those of us who use other methods will also be seen as irresponsible troublemakers who scream  when held responsible.

Lack of responsibility hasn't ended there. Its planned that any legal costs will be met by crowd funding.  I won't be contributing qqif it is set up.  I wasn't responsible I won't share the punishment. The solution is simple if you can't do the time, (next time) don't do the crime.

I can hear those who say they did it for all  disabled people. No they chose to do it, for themselves, but they didn't do it in my name, their actions don't help me. Rather it harms the rights fight. They do not listen to me or many others, they select those they listen to. They did not act or speak for me, only I can do that.

Not public property

Yesterday I met nosy person for the 2nd time in a month. Like last time she wanted to know if I was wating for a taxi, I was so she said it was ok with her. I asked why else I'd be waiting where they pick upvin the rain. She then asked if I was permanently disabled or just in the chair for now. Asked why it was her business. She then said I shouldn't be out alone. Seriously the same person same questions twice in a month.

Was whinging to someone abled bodied about it and got told its how people learn, you might have helped her. I'm all for raising awareness but eriously does that mean I'm obliged to answer nosey questions whenever they are asked? Do disabled people have no rights to privacy? I'm not public property!

I take my rights

As The British Survey of Social Attitudes shows more people think disabled people need more support I ask if they understand that we need not passive protection but our rights back? We don't need looking after but to be empowered.

The Government want disabled people to be full participants of society. I agree I want that too. I want to take an active part in society, to be able to choose to study or volunteer, if I want to. I want to have a social life, I want to be able to pay my bills without worrying. I want those who can work to be able to do so, not by force but by being given real choices that empower them I want disabled pople to able to choose where and how they live in the same way as anyone else does. I am not asking to be given these things as a favour, I'm claiming rights I have in law, the right everyone has to live life on their own terms. These are human rights and disabled people are human beings too.

To be able to use these rights disabled people need support and that has been stolen from us by The Government. Cuts that have taken our benefits have reduced our imcome so that many people can no longer make real financial choices. These changes are not because as the Govenment wants you to believe, we aren't as disabled as we claim, or so they can support those more in need. It is just because they can. Its not even because there isn't the money. The government find money to support the rich, we pay the price. It isn't possible to participate in society if keeping your home or buying food is a challenge you cannot meet. It costs more to live with a disability than to be  non disabled and the income aimed at meeting those needs often doesn't and many are being denied this at all under new rules. Cuts take away our rights.

Many disabled people need support to do daily activities, from the basic getting up and eating, to going out and being part of our community. The law says we have the right to this but the government have taken it away. The reality is that many have no support at all or so little they have to choose between eating and peeing. Without support we cannot have the lifestyle of choice other people we are denied that right.

Rights theft thats what the Government are doing. Whatever they say its nothing more or less. Its not targeting support, its not stopping fraud, disability benefit fraud is less than 1%, some other benefits are significantly higher. They are not tackling equality, giving us rights or helping us be part of society. Their actions do the exact opposite on all counts. They claim they want to support us, I don't want what passes for support on their terms, I don't even want to be given my rights that will have Tory conditions attached, not the same as rights in law. I want to be empowered to live as I choose. I take my rights, they are mine to take, not theirs to give.

Blog based on a conversation with Neil Crowther via Twitter.

Manor House and Ashbury hotel, viewed on wheels

Good range of crafts and food was great with a wide choice.

However as a disabled person, a wheelchair user,  I found the access not what it said on the tin. Easy access rooms were anything but, lacking space. Had to move the bed to even get in the room. Wet rooms were small with a strange layout. It was the only toilet I could use, with difficulty, as others around the site had very limited access despite being easy access. Building layout made moving around a challenge outside routes bumpy but easier to use.

I had asked if all craft activities were accessible was told yes only to find some weren't. Also difficult to get to materials and some staff didn't offer assistance. Didn't risk using the pool after looking at it, athough I planned to. Didn't attempt any of the other activities, strange access generally made me wary.

Some staff were really helpful, others not at all. Some had awful attitudes to disabled people. Not talking to me at all but the person I was with. I queried access to our designated table, first they said it was ok, then said I was in the way.

Some good pointd but not somewhere I'd go again.

Have disabled people become so hated its now acceptable to be rude?

I was trying to leave a shop which was crowded, and trying to not ask someone in a much bigger chair to move because that would have made things difficult for tbem. I asked a little girl aged about 8 politely if she could move,  explaining why I couldn't go the other way. She told me it was inconvenient and refused, her mum agreed with her! As I moved away, and then had to ask another wheelchair user  to move, said child then said she is going the other way, and her mum replied she should have done that first.

I've encountered more hate and negativity recently than I have in my lifetime. I blame the media and Goverment who treat  disabled people with disdain and total ignorance, but I can't ignore the fact that responsible adults speak fot themselves and seem not to worry what their children say. I would never have replied in the way they spoke and it is never acceptable. No longer should we excuse it because of Government rhetoric people make their own choices.

If people need telling I'll say it, we are people like you with the same rights. Your rudeness and ignorance is  unacceptable.

Disabled people are people not performing seals

On the This Morning website there is a little girl with autism doing the Big Ben bongs. I have nothing against the little girl, and as a child I liked copying the bongs too. I didn't do it on TV, it was just a child playing as this is. She wants to live in the clock and be the gongs, no more than childhood fantasy.

Why has she been allowed to do this publicly? I can hear the laughter and see the looks of pity as I write. The little girl is being used as an object of redicule, and somehow its ok because she lives with autism? No absolutely not,  they are using autism to use her, for entertainment, if thats what its called. Autism is being used as an excuse by the adults to make this seem ok, but it isn't.

Disabled people are often viewed as cute, or amazing if they do quite ordinary things. People wonder how we manage and see fit to comment or even watch. I call this performing seal syndrome, treating disabled people not as a person, but as an object. This mindset and the  This Morning stunt add to the negative view of those with disabilities by society. Do most people ask how abled bodied adults make coffee or cook food? No, so why is it ok to subject disabled people to this? Would This Morning have done this if she didn't live with autism? If they would, and I doubt it, why was autism even mentioned?

Disabled people will only have real rights and equality when the standards of what is socially acceptable behaviour towards others are the same whether interacting with disabled or non disabled people. It is not ok to ask those with disabilities personal  questions, or comment on what they do if it wouldn't be seen as appropriate if asking an able bodied person.

The video

Disabled people are not all the same

The BBC are starting a scheme to promote disabled actors, really good. I only hope that it isn't used as a stick by the RW media to beat us. 'They can so those that can't must be lazy scroungers'

It isn't just the BBC and not just this scheme, the paralympics was used against us, they can, we all can, and a few years ago Stephen Hawkin was used by a doctor to 'prove' we could all work.

This is inequality  in its strangest form, abled bodied people are not compared to athletes, actors or anyone else in this way. Its accepted that abledbl bodied people are diverse, but not that those with disabilities are. We are not all the same, we have different strengths.

I know of disabled who dread the paralympics because it will start the rhetoric, if you can do that you could work,  why can they do that and not work? Others who won't socialise or do the things they enjoy because they might be judged.

The right wing government and their media, including the BBC have fostered the idea that anything we can do could be transferred to the workplace, and those of us that  don't conform to this are lazy. Sickness benefit criteria says that the set tasks must be repeated  and reliably carried out, if not then the person cannot do those tasks. Media and government conveniently forget this and the damage is done, many members of the generalbpublic believe what they are told. The fact is doing something sometimes, or in a very controlled and supported environment that is adapted is very different to the reality of repeatedly doing so in the workplace. Sinilarly not everybody has the same skills and they are not all transferable