Part three of an unexpected trilogy of blog posts. I can imagine you asking, “how is she going to tie this all up with Stirs?” I am so glad you asked, buckle up, this may be a bumpy ride.
I had to look up the dictionary definition of the word stirs to see if I had got my thinking straight on its meaning and how I could apply it to accessibility. At first, I was a little disappointed to be honest.
stir
/stəː/
verb
3rd person present: stirs
move a spoon or other implement round in (a liquid or other substance) in order to mix it thoroughly.
“Desmond stirred his tea and ate a biscuit”.
Great, not quite the definition I was thinking about and now I wanted a hot drink with a biscuit!
What about this one?
: to rouse to activity: evoke strong feelings in. music that stirs the emotions.
b.: to call forth (something, such as a memory): evoke.
I like that definition – evoke strong feelings!
I have often been described as an extroverted extrovert; I can evoke strong feelings in people. I’m a bit like marmite – you either like me or dread meeting me. I am fine with this. I am a passionate person and when I feel an injustice, this stirs my passion to speak out. I am not shy in coming forward.
It is fair to say, that my hometown of Hull is known for its matriarchal society. At the height of the fishing industry, when the men went out to sea for weeks at a time, the women had to step up and take charge. Hull is known for its bolshy women. This spirit continues to this day.
As “Helen’s Wheels”, I want to be able to channel that spirit, to challenge people and organisations where barriers are in place that prevent access or inclusion. I want to be able to use my bolshiness for good. I don’t want to be that “constant complaining disabled” person, I have adopted the mantra “Don’t complain, Campaign!”
According to Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, “Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History”, it’s not that I want to mis-behave, (stop laughing at the back! I can hear you) but I will if it means things can be changed. I am only disabled as far as society makes me. My wheelchair is my legs, my freedom, my ability to get around. Take a minute to think about your life and then imagine it without your legs, how far would you get?
In writing these blog posts, I have always tried to educate about various issues I face daily and why it means so much to me that changes need to be made. I remember a Fairtrade campaign from a few years ago that stated “If you want to go fast, go alone, but if you want to go further, go together” This has always stuck with me, adventures are always more fun when you go with friends. I want to encourage people to join me on this journey of mine. I hope to stir people to act on behalf of those who feel like they don’t have a voice, to become a disability ally.
What is a disability ally? Or how can you show allyship?
Allyship refers to the actions, behaviours, and practices that leaders take to support, amplify, and advocate with others, especially with individuals who don’t belong to the same social identity groups as themselves.
Why does any of this matter? To coin a phrase, “IYKYK” (if you know you know), sadly though, most able-bodied people don’t know the struggles the disabled community go through. Another phrase, “you don’t know what you don’t know” can be relevant here too. I have been posting about the emergency red cords in accessible toilets since starting this blog – see The Thin Red Cord for more details. I have taken so many photos in bathrooms of cords tied up, moved out of the way and even pushed behind pipes and toilet cisterns making it impossible for me to free them. I have challenged many venues about this, and I am often left with blank expressions and no hope that something will be done about it. (A small minority do make the changes needed but more training needs to be done about this!)
Recently I had a comment on a LinkedIn post from a friend about a tied up red cord, here is the comment in full:
“Hi Helen. Your posts are having an impact. I went to use a restroom last week and the red alarm cord had been tied up. I remember you posting about what they are used for and how important it was that they touched the floor. I alerted the premises staff and saw them go untie it. It is indeed everyone’s responsibility and thank you for the informative posts.”
This made me so happy to read, another ally for the disabled community! Sometimes I feel that if I make the comments to venues about the red cord, I get the eye-roll response, the “complaining disabled woman” but when an apparent able-bodied person says something, it’s almost heard as a shout!
If you have got this far, have you been stirred? Are you wanting to know more? Do you fancy being Samwise to my Frodo? OK, most of my adventures don’t involve throwing a ring into a volcano but making the world more accessible will take teamwork. Check out the rest of my website, read the other blog posts, connect on LinkedIn or just contact me for a chat. If you are local, we could always meet up for coffee, cake and a good old chinwag.