My Disability Journey
Faye in her wheelchair, holding her blind cane. Faye has red/brown hair, is smiling, wearing glasses and a blue dress. Faye is on a country lane with green bushes either side and a bright blue sky. It took me until my hearing started to go when I began to accept my disability. By this point, I was visually impaired, had poor mobility, dystonia, aphasia and a life limiting disease, so you'd think I’d be at the acceptance stage of my journey. When I was new to the wheelchair, so from 12 to 18 years old, I resented it. I rarely had a photo taken in the chair and saw it as a cage, stopping me from enjoying life. Of course, now I know the wheelchair is what enables me to partake in social activities, to travel and have a life. It’s often my own and others attitudes that put up barriers. It was being included in an art exhibition that helped me be ok with the wheelchair. The joy and freedom of getting creative was just exhilarating! I used to hate talking to people, not because I had no