By Simon StevensAttending glitzy awards ceremonies is a pleasure but for disabled people it is difficult to feel truly included
When people talk about independent living, it is assumed social inclusion is included; that if a disabled person works and lives in the community, they will be considered equal members of society.
The reality is very far from this:right now we have integration rather than proper inclusion. Integration is when a disabled person must compromise their access requirements in order to be accepted. This means the disabled person must learn many tricks. I would like to offer a specific example.
A few weeks ago, my virtual nightclub, Wheelies, won the Revolutionary Award at the UK Catalyst awards and I attended the ceremony in London at the Imagination Gallery for a champagne breakfast event where I shook hands with Gordon Brown.
It was a great event but beneath the surface, there was a lack of inclusion and I felt out of place. First, due to the time of the event, I had to stay overnight and while the hotel was extremely close to the venue, its staff had to look the term "accessibility" up in the dictionary. I coped as I always have and was lucky for once to have a walk-in shower.
Breakfast
Being clean at the start of any event is very important to me - I don't mind how I am after the
event. I would have eaten breakfast in my room beforehand if I had known how awkward the champagne event would prove when it came to eating. It involved standing up with canapés and I don't wear a bib standing up in public.
The small bacon batches smelt lovely but were too dry for my personal assistant to feed me and I was worried about how messy they were. The venue on the top floor was not accessible to my wheelchair which meant I was standing for far too long.
Step up
There was also a step up to the stage and with 200 people crowded in I was separated from my PA and had to figure out if I would manage the step with the excitement of the day. I was also upset when the host asked all the other winners a question but not me, assuming I would not be understood!
These are just some of the things I need to consider on a daily basis in order to be "included" and conform to a social norm. Surely it can be a bit easier.
Simon Stevens is an independent disability trainer and consultant
Click here for his website
It was a great event but beneath the surface, there was a lack of inclusion and I felt out of place. First, due to the time of the event, I had to stay overnight and while the hotel was extremely close to the venue, its staff had to look the term "accessibility" up in the dictionary. I coped as I always have and was lucky for once to have a walk-in shower.
Breakfast
Being clean at the start of any event is very important to me - I don't mind how I am after the
event. I would have eaten breakfast in my room beforehand if I had known how awkward the champagne event would prove when it came to eating. It involved standing up with canapés and I don't wear a bib standing up in public.
The small bacon batches smelt lovely but were too dry for my personal assistant to feed me and I was worried about how messy they were. The venue on the top floor was not accessible to my wheelchair which meant I was standing for far too long.
Step up
There was also a step up to the stage and with 200 people crowded in I was separated from my PA and had to figure out if I would manage the step with the excitement of the day. I was also upset when the host asked all the other winners a question but not me, assuming I would not be understood!
These are just some of the things I need to consider on a daily basis in order to be "included" and conform to a social norm. Surely it can be a bit easier.
Simon Stevens is an independent disability trainer and consultant
Click here for his website
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