LEAVING THE MAINLAND
An exploration into the life of a disabled person in the UK. Since 2010 hate crime against disabled people. With a 12% rise nationally between 2018 and 2019. However, in some areas, a 53% increase has been recorded.
With increasing amounts of discrimination against disabled people, inaccessibility to services and events, and inequality in the accessing of disability benefits. The Department work and Pensions (DWP) are the government body of whom run the Personal Independence Payment (PIP). More than 17,000 people have died while appealing and/or waiting for a PIP outcome since 2013. This needs to change.
AUDIO-TRANSCRIPT
"I'm 65 years old now and I had to retire, after taking voluntary redundancy on the grounds of ill health. That was two years ago now. I contracted flesh-eating bacteria, called IGAS, followed by sepsis and another complication. I was six weeks into a coma. there were multiple impacts, but basically, it left me physically disabled. I lost toes, part of my foot I had plastic surgery. Chronic Fatigue syndrome and so on.
That happened eight years ago now. I've gained a lot of life experiences and different insights into disability rights and the lived experience of disabled people themselves.
I attended lots of conferences and wrote papers worldwide as well as being an active campaigner for disability rights. So indeed I'm passionate, personally practically, politically, emotionally about disability rights...it's my life.
I'd like to see much greater awareness about disability issues they're just being hidden. The other thing I'm very aware of is the rise in disability hate crime. Disabled people are seen as a bit of a nuisance, they're in the way.
I've had an awful summer here this year. For taking up too much space on the train. I've been verbally and physically abused on the train. I know I should've gone to the police, but it's along with other issues like the rise of the far-right. You just need to listen to the news, societies always to blame the other. And unfortunately, disabled people have become the other.
Before I was taken ill, the weekend before, I ran, I was trying to build up my muscles a bit I guess, or just get fit. I was aware I was sitting around a bit at university. And I ran the full length of Porthminster beach on that Sunday.
I'd always look out to the lighthouse, Virginia wolf wrote that book to the lighthouse and I studied that a lot. But to me, it was so symbolic it was just somewhere else. And of course, I showed you the painting by my friend who painted the island. And unfortunately, she decided to go into the sea and not come back. She supported me really well when I was ill, but obviously, she had her own problems. When I cam back to Porthminster, when I came out of hospital I went straight back there. I have a seat and I can look straight at the lighthouse. It's odd because sometimes it looks like it's really near the mainland, and other times it's really far away. And that's how I feel being disabled sometimes, you're there, but sometimes you're not."