Life Through The Lens of Disability

  Alt Text: Primary School Children sitting in blue chairs looking at the board and their teacher Across Scotland, young people and children from primary to higher education are being encouraged to shape the future of education by partaking in a National Discussion launched by the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities. This is an incredibly important conversation to have as we look forward to our future and implement the changes but also prioritise what young people have to say about their experience in education and more importantly what do they want out of their education. There was a recent Muir review which suggested putting learners at the fore front of the Scottish education system and stated that it needs a new vision to pave the way for education. So why am I talking about this? There’s been a lack of awareness of this happening in Scotland and I think this discussion is just so important not just for Scottish Children and Young people bu...

For too long, the media has inaccurately represented the disabled community. In the industry, only 31% of actors are disabled, according to Aruma. The media, particularly movies portrays disabled people as villains, superhero’s, victims, a joke and angelic like. However, we know that the problem doesn’t just exist in movies, it also exists in mainstream media. Villains are anyone who sets out to be evil towards or harm other people. In movies, this is what disabled people are portrayed as. They are seen as people who are bad for society. Particularly sending out messages that they are not wanted here. The Nora Project writes of something called the Disabled Villains Trope - where writers use a disabled actor to make the villain seem more scarier or evil. This idea came as a result of the belief that we in the disabled community are morally corrupt or bad. Most villains we see in movies commonly have a mental illness, such as schizophrenia, which sends a message that all those strugglin...

For our first post, we thought it would be prudent to discuss Red Cords and the importance they play in a disabled persons life. This blog post aims to raise vital awareness of why you mustn’t interfere with these pieces of equipment.  First of all, what is a red cord? Basically, it does what it says on the tin. It is a long red rope with 2 plastic triangles. The significance of it being red, is that red is associated with danger. Common sense would be that if you see one of these, you leave it alone. However, in this Ableist society, common sense is often a second thought. A red cord is usually found in public disabled toilets so that if a disabled person was to take a fall or have a seizure or whatever emergencies they face, they can get help quickly. The cord is long with two triangles to grip and pull - one triangle is placed at seat height and the other is placed on the floor. You can see what the cord looks like or what it is similar too in the photo below Photo Alt Text: Dis...