Every person with a disability is unique with their own story to tell.
We spoke to a number of local people with disabilities who were kind enough to share their stories with us.
Grace's story
Hi I’m Grace and I’m a young person in Wigan.
This year, I am running in the youth elections for the role of Member of UK Youth Parliament (MYP).
In my manifesto I am advocating for something very important to me, this is more forums and safe spaces for young people with disabilities, awareness and reduction of harmful language used against people with disabilities, and more accessibility in the borough.
This is important to me as growing up with a disability I felt different, judged, and rejected. That’s why I want to support young people to feel confident within their own skin and give them the support I wish I’d had when I was growing up because no young person should feel that way. I hope to create forums for young people to chat, make new friends and be able to talk and get off whatever is on their minds with likeminded people.
Through the years I never accepted that I have a disability but as I have got older, I have realised that it’s a huge part of myself I cannot change, but it also doesn’t define me as a person which is a key message I want to share with other young people. I am still able to achieve my goals in my life.
Being a member of Wigan and Leigh Youth Cabinet has helped me improve my confidence to speak out about any issues I think need addressing, so my main campaign if I am elected as MYP is to try and diminish bullying.
Bullying makes people feel more isolated and this is why I also want more education on disabilities as people fail to acknowledge they can be hidden. They can be mental or physical and affect people differently. I want to also be able to set up somewhere to anonymously voice issues to make people feel more comfortable with sharing their problems in the first place.
Any young person reading this please vote in the UK Youth Parliament elections when the opportunity comes to your school or college to make a change, because it starts with you.
If you want to join Wigan and Leigh Youth Cabinet so you can get your opportunity to have a say and make a difference for young people please email tyssweb@wigan.gov.uk.
Sue's story
Sue lives with her husband Ray in Winstanley. She has lived with several disabilities since having breast cancer more than 20 years ago. Sue, 75, and Ray, 83, kindly talked to us about the impact her disabilities have on her life, the challenges the pandemic brought, and their advice to anyone who develops disabilities as they go through life.
Sue says: One of the side effects of the treatments I had for breast cancer is that I have osteoporosis, which means that my bones are much weaker and can break easily.
I’m also weaker on my left side, where the cancer was, which can mean my balance isn’t always good, and so I’ve had several falls, which have led to lots of operations and more complications.
My life has changed quite a bit. I can’t get myself dressed without help as I can’t do my shoes or zips. We have rails on the stairs, bed, and in the shower to help me get around. I’m petrified on stairs as I’ve had a few serious falls there.
I have a walker to help me, but I have to be careful all the time, which has been a big change.
I don’t know what I would have done without Ray. After one operation he took on all the cooking and I would give him instructions on how to cook salmon. Our sons came over and they made a Sunday dinner between them all. It must be very difficult if this sort of thing happens to you and you’re on your own.
I did have a stage where I felt I needed to speak with a professional about how I was feeling. Our GP put me in touch with someone and we talked through a few things, but I feel like I’ve come out of that now.
At first the pandemic was ok as we got used to everything being quiet and it felt as though everyone was in the same boat. We had our shopping delivered and our family, friends and neighbours were helpful so there was no pressure to go out.
As everything opened up again, I did feel a bit insecure, but we decided it was important to get out and mix with people again.
We try to go out somewhere every day, even if just for an hour.
We’ve found a group of people through our surgery, and we all go on an organised walk once a month around Scotmans Flash. It’s a beautiful area and right on our doorstep, we didn’t realise it was there. We can walk at our own pace and talk to each other and everyone in the group is so different that we’ve learned lots from each other.
To anyone reading this I would say, don’t judge other people. Some disabilities might be hidden so always ask if someone looks like they might need some help.
To people who do develop disabilities as they go through life, I would say, it is hard at first. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel if you’re prepared to join in.
It’s surprising how many people do want to speak to you if you start a conversation so just say hello and see what happens.
Debra's story
As an older person (56) with a disability that I have had from birth, sex and relationships in my life have been somewhat of a ‘hit and miss’ situation. What that means is yes, I have had relationships, and sex, but for one reason or another they didn’t last very long until I thought I’d found ‘the one’ although this didn’t work out in the long term. People think as a seemingly severely physically impaired person I am unable to have sex. If so, they need to go back to school to the sex ed class as where do they think my daughter comes from? People also believe that as a seemingly severely physically impaired person, I should not have sex, because sex could lead to children and that I may not be able to care for a child because I am so physically impaired. Very much not true. As an equal parent (remember it takes 2 people to conceive a baby, so therefore it should be 2 people raising that child), I can do equal care for the child, the same as a non-disabled parent. It just means the tasks of care are adjusted to the tasks I am physically capable of (and it’s a lot). You also build your own caring equipment to make life easier, and your own ways of having a caring routine. Not unlike a non-disabled parent. I did think long and hard of the consequences of becoming a parent before I conceived, just like non-disabled parents should do. (It was my decision to have only 1 child).
So why am I single after over 20 years of a relationship breakdown? Well, the answer is not because I am severely physically impaired, as people may think. The reason is because the breakdown of my long term relationship has broken me so emotionally that I don’t feel I can trust or emotionally release myself to bare another relationship. Am I happy? Yes, because there are all kinds of happiness, love, relationships. You don’t have to have sex to feel loved. My close friends make me feel loved. My daughter shows me love as we are not just mother and daughter but best friends (a relationship that all mums aspire to have with their daughters, but some never get). I live alone, but I am not lonely, people treat these as the same, but they are not.
As for sex, well as a mature woman, sex without love, is really not something I aspire to have. If one day a man comes into my life that can see the woman, I am beyond what they think I am, then who knows? But I neither go searching for him or hoping for him. I live life to the fullest that I am capable of, caring and sharing my life with others who need someone to hold their hand whilst they live through their troubles. Living your life on your terms, is what true peace and happiness is all about.
Kurt's story, Orrell
I’ve always loved to learn. In high school we had a chemistry lesson where we made a green powder turn black and that sparked my interest in science. I love anything to do with evolution and planets. I think it’s about looking into the unknown and then finding out how it all makes sense. One of my achievements is getting the 100% attendance award in college.
I did 4 years at St. John Rigby, and I didn’t miss a day. I was born prematurely, which caused my disabilities. I can walk with a walking stick and I’m deaf. I wear one hearing aid and I could wear two but that sometimes makes the background noises louder, which can be distracting. I think some problems for people with disabilities come from not being allowed to do things.
Your family might not want you to go to the cinema until you’re older, because they care about you and want to protect you, but you might feel ready for that. My mum has always fought for me to make sure I could have a go at anything I wanted to do when I was growing up. I said I wanted to try trampolining and guess what, the next thing I knew I was doing it.
I’d like to open people’s minds and give them a different perspective, my message to younger children with disabilities is to always be yourself and never give up. People with disabilities can do things, it doesn’t matter if we’re in a wheelchair or not, there are always ways we can do things. My ambition for the future is I’d like the public to see this. And in the immediate future, I’d also like to get a tattoo!
Amy's story, Lowton
I’m a big Manchester United fan and have been a season ticket holder for years. My family are very important to me, especially my two nephews, Luke and Adam. We’re a similar age so we were all brought up together and always go to the matches together.
I also enjoy art and go to an art group in Leigh every Tuesday, where I have a special grip so I can hold the paint brush. I do voluntary work and have been delivering inclusion awareness sessions with Happy Smiles. My disability means I’m non-verbal and use a communication chart with letters on that I point to. I’m just getting back into using this again.
When I was young, I went to Mere Oaks School for children with special educational needs, but the school closed when I was 14, so then I went to Hindley High School, and I learned to read and spell there.
One of the things that annoys me is when people talk to my PA (personal assistant) instead of me, so my message to people in the borough would be to always speak to people with disabilities directly and not to their PA. My message to other people with disabilities is, you can do anything you choose.
Chloe's story, Wigan
I was born at 24 weeks. I have eye sight problems, I can’t see very well, and I use my sticks to walk and a wheelchair for longer distances. My disabilities do impact on my life but at the same time I’ve had my disabilities from birth so have never known any different. My mum brought me up to appreciate that we do not live in a flat world!
I have my own home and I do get support so that I can live independently. One of the messages I’d most like to get across is that even though people with disabilities might need support to do some things, many of us make a valuable contribution to society.
I volunteer at ‘Use ‘Ya’ Loaf’ in Atherton, a community interest company, which aims to reduce food waste and food poverty. I also volunteer at Happy Smiles, running training workshops about inclusion, and at Canine Companions, a dog day care centre in Wigan. I’ve always loved animals and have a University Foundation Degree in Animal Welfare.
In my spare time I like going out for food and drinks with friends and going to the cinema. I mostly like action films and romantic films, but I don’t like horrors. My hope for the future is to continue doing what I’m doing now and to show that disabled people can contribute a lot to society by volunteering and helping others.
Elle's story, Wigan
I would describe myself as a positive, happy, and sociable person. I enjoy watching TV shows, my favourites are the soaps, especially Corrie and TV dramas. I have cerebral palsy, which for me means I sometimes have difficulties with movement, and I mostly use a wheelchair to get about.
My biggest achievement has been recently moving into my own bungalow and getting some independence. My message to everyone is to be as positive as you can in life.
Terri's story
Terri works as the North-West regional campaigns officer for the Royal National Institute of
Blind People (RNIB). Terri kindly shared her story with us about growing up with a severe vision impairment, her experiences in the workplace, and advice to both employees and employers on disability and employment.
Terri says: My role at the RNIB involves being a two-way conduit between and working collaboratively with blind and partially sighted people and organisations.
One example was when ticket office closures at trains stations were announced. Even before this, we had people coming to us reporting access difficulties at unstaffed stations, so we knew that this was affecting many people. Ticket offices are vital for blind and partially sighted people particularly as the touch screens aren’t accessible and we need assistance on and off trains.
My role was to gather evidence to support the national team’s campaign plans and local people to contribute and take action. We used video footage and email evidence of local people talking about the importance of the ticket offices to them and the impact of the closures. The amazing support of so many people and organisations collaborating meant the campaign resulted in an extension to the consultation period and then a halt.
I was born with a condition called Aniridia, so am severely sight impaired, legally blind. It’s a genetic condition where the iris (the coloured part of your eye) is either completely or partly missing, so the pupil does not contract or expand to control the amount of light coming into the eye. Normally your pupils expand to let lots of light in if you’re in darkness or reduce the light if you’re in a bright environment so that you can see more easily but mine don’t do that. I’m particularly sensitive to sunshine and darkness and everything is very blurred.
Being born with the condition in the 60’s, my dad gave up a good job and life in Slough moving the family to South-East London so that I could attend a specialist day school there and as he also had the condition I didn’t get lots of special attention at home. If I fell over, he’d just tell me to get up but that was the right thing to do!
I’ve had a number of jobs over the years. In the early days I worked for private businesses in London, and I didn’t always have positive experiences and often didn’t find my employers to be especially empathetic.
Until my 30’s, I often felt like a second-class citizen and around that time I had my children and was a home maker rather than being in the workplace for a while.
It was a conversation with someone from Embrace (a local charity for people with disabilities and their families) that turned things around for me. They suggested I try volunteering, which I did, and that eventually resulted in me being where I am now, working for a national charity.
In my current role, my impairment is an asset, because I can empathise with our customers, using my lived experience to back up resources and information we provide, and advocate on what will really be effective.
To other blind or partially sighted people I would say, do your research around what you want to do. Volunteering can be a good way for you to identify and build your skills knowledge and confidence.
The Government’s Access to Work scheme could possibly help you with things like practical support at work and even help fund communication support at job interviews.
It’s also important to let your employer know what support you might need and that Access to Work might provide this.
If someone is a wheelchair user an employer might be able to more easily to imagine what that person might need, but it’s important they’re asked, don’t assume, and it may not be as obvious for someone who is blind or partially sighted. Whatever your disability, it’s always important to speak out.
To employers I would say, if you have a disabled person coming for an interview or about to start work with you, ask them how you can support them and reach out to specialist organisations or charities that are here to support people from that community.
If your employee is disabled, have a conversation with them to find out what you can do to support them if needed. Everyone is an individual so even if they have a similar disability to someone else, they may require different levels or types of support.
I would also say that employing someone with a disability can be a great asset to your organisation as they are highly motivated to work because of the difficulties they face gaining employment, have additional skills, are often creative, and bring a fresh perspective to your business creating a workforce that reflects the diversity of your customers and communities.
Finally, to both employers and potential employees who are disabled, I would say don’t be afraid to celebrate your successes. People are sometimes embarrassed to do this, but it can help you lead the way as a model of good practice in supporting disabled people into the workplace.
Nadia's story
Nadia is the voluntary services manager at Wrightington Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals
NHS Foundation Trust. She also has some long-term health conditions including Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis and hearing loss.
Nadia talked to us about the small things employers can do to make a successful career possible for people with disabilities and shared how her experience of having health conditions can also be an asset when it comes to work.
Nadia says: I oversee over 300 volunteers across our different hospital sites. A volunteer’s role is about making things nicer for patients, helping them on their journey at what can often be a difficult time.
I studied languages and was originally planning to be a translator. I was offered a big role at an international bank and was considering taking it, but I’d started to evaluate what I wanted to do with my life and knew it was important to me to do something that was ethical, involved helping others and was personally rewarding.
My health conditions include Seronegative Rheumatoid Arthritis, fibromyalgia (bouts of extreme pain and tiredness), and hearing loss. I was only diagnosed at age 21 (and with the fibromyalgia just last year).
I’ve had experience as an in-patient and as an out-patient so I had started to think that I might like to do something to do with healthcare.
I took this job as a temporary role at first but have now been here for 11 years and I think my experiences of healthcare help me to support patients more effectively as I can empathise and understand what they might be experiencing, especially for anyone with a long-term health condition. I understand the effects this can have on a person’s mental health as well as physical health and my hearing loss helps me to imagine how people with other sensory losses, such as sight loss, may be feeling.
It's important in any workplace to have a diverse workforce with different life experiences if you want to offer your customers a good service.
I’ve always found the NHS to be a great employer, and my manager has been supportive from the start. It’s the small things that can make such a difference and it starts right at the beginning of the employment process, such as having accurate job descriptions and person specifications so that any potential employee knows what the expectations are.
I once had a role that had been described as desk based, but where I was expected to meet deliveries and carry boxes. Another time there was an expectation that staff would be available to work very long hours, although this hadn’t been specified at interview. This just doesn’t work for someone with an auto-immune condition and isn’t good practice for anyone!
The NHS is very clear about roles and responsibilities. The occupational health team here is also progressive. I was given a work mobile phone so that I can use Bluetooth to connect my hearing aids, if I’m in the office I can park close to the building, and if I don’t feel I can come into the office I am able to work from home. These small things make a massive difference.
To other people with disabilities, I would say, you do have an important place in society. It upsets me if people don’t feel they have a role. You need to look at your skillset and think about what you could offer, remembering that your disability could be an asset. Volunteering could be a great starting point. You also need to find the right company that has a diverse workforce and appreciates what you can offer.
I wouldn’t want anyone to think that your disability will hold you back. Everyone can do something.
Watch Debra’s story
Debra, from Winstanley, is a disability activist who runs training workshops on disability awareness, campaigns for the rights of disabled people at a local and national level and is the founder and lead officer of Wigan Boroughwide Peer Support Group.
Watch Haydn’s story
Haydn has worked with Alex to set up Happy Smiles Training CIC, a local organisation which runs training sessions on inclusion and helps people with disabilities to build their skills and confidence so that they can move onto employment or volunteer opportunities. Alex and Haydn discuss Haydn’s experiences as a young disabled person.
Watch Anna’s story
Anna talks about life as a young wheelchair user, the things that annoy her, her messages to the wider society and her collection of Doc Marten boots.