{"id":2782,"date":"2025-05-12T11:00:00","date_gmt":"2025-05-12T11:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/?p=2782"},"modified":"2025-05-14T21:39:22","modified_gmt":"2025-05-14T21:39:22","slug":"a-friend-asked-a-question-about-disability-that-stopped-me-in-my-tracks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/2025\/05\/12\/a-friend-asked-a-question-about-disability-that-stopped-me-in-my-tracks\/","title":{"rendered":"A friend asked a question about disability that stopped me in my tracks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n
\n\t\t\"MAY\t<\/div>
Disability advocate Samantha Renke is a judge at the Scope Awards 2025 that are taking place this week<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u2018Things are getting better right? I mean for people like you?\u2019   <\/p>\n

\u2018By people like me,\u2019 I reply. \u2018Do you mean Disabled<\/a> people?\u2019  <\/p>\n

This is a conversation I feel like I, a physically Disabled woman, am constantly having with my pre-disabled peers.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s almost as though I am asked to reassure them that my life is OK and that they shouldn\u2019t feel guilty.<\/p>\n

I mean it is 2025 after all and \u2018people like me\u2019 are, in many ways, assimilated into mainstream society.   <\/p>\n

Perhaps you\u2019ve noticed a co-worker has a limb difference<\/a>, or your favourite television show proudly showcases cast members from the Disability community.  <\/p>\n

Maybe, there are Deaf, Disabled or Neurodivergent classmates at your kid\u2019s school.  <\/p>\n

So, things must be better simply because you can see us now more than ever? Yet being more visible after decades of being hidden away by society does not qualify as a better existence or quality of life.   <\/p>\n

I want those people who assume my life is better for being more visible to know that they are seeing the world through an enabled gaze.  <\/p>\n

The truth is that Disabled people face discrimination daily.  <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Samantha\t<\/div>
Discrimination takes many forms (Picture: Samantha Renke)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

New research by MoreinCommon has found that 78% of Disabled Britons feel life is harder for Disabled people<\/a> than non-Disabled people. Over half (51%) think that life in the UK has become harder for us over the past 10 years.  <\/p>\n

I want non-Disabled people to think hard about our struggle, but also to think about us positively.  <\/p>\n

This is why it\u2019s so important to celebrate the Disability community in all its multifaceted and vibrant colour, and the Scope Awards aims to do this.  <\/p>\n

The Scope Awards is a celebration of Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent people and a way to ultimately amplify our voices.  <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Samantha\t<\/div>
Caption: Samantha Renke suffered three ableist incidents in a week ? please respect wheelchair users (Picture: Nicky Johnstone)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This annual ceremony celebrates those within our society: Disabled people and our allies who place value and pride in our community.   <\/p>\n

And there is a lesson in that for everyone who isn\u2019t Disabled. You may know us, but until you listen to us, champion us and give us tangible change and opportunity you are simply objectifying us to feel better about yourself.    <\/p>\n

You shouldn\u2019t kid yourself about the reality of discrimination.   <\/p>\n

It takes many forms \u2013 like in the workplace, with Disabled people twice as likely to be unemployed.   <\/p>\n

\n

\n\t\t\t\tScope Awards 2025\t\t\t<\/h2>\n
\n
\n
\n\t\t\"Scope\t<\/div>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

Metro<\/a>\u00a0is also the official media partner of\u00a02025\u00a0Scope Awards<\/a>\u00a0that will take this week.<\/p>\n

The ceremony will celebrate the work disabled people and organisations are doing to bring about important change.<\/p>\n

Hosted by the BAFTA-nominated actor Adam Pearson, unsung heroes, amazing achievements and the incredible accolades of the disabled community are all being honoured at the Kia Oval.<\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"7AM:\t<\/div>
<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>\n

There are 38 nominees for the nine Scope Awards: Accessible Product, Celebrity Role Model, Community Group, Inclusive Workplace, Journalist, Marketing Campaign, Media Moment, Purple Pioneer and Social Media Influencer.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Life also costs significantly more<\/a> for us. In fact, the average extra cost of being Disabled is estimated at \u00a31,067 according to Scope. Every single month.  <\/p>\n

And from governments to people in the street, disabled people are constantly vilified.  <\/p>\n

All of my Disabled or Neurodivergent friends have faced online trolling aimed solely at attacking their differences. <\/p>\n

That crosses over into real life too.  <\/p>\n

Just last week I had an altercation with a taxi driver who attempted to pick me up in a cab without a working ramp.  <\/p>\n

When I told him I\u2019d have to cancel, he became verbally aggressive and screamed: \u2018It\u2019s people like you who are so difficult \u2013 if I\u2019d known you used a wheelchair I wouldn\u2019t have picked you up.\u2019 <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Sam\t<\/div>
Disabled people have a voice and we will scream from the rooftops about ableism (Picture: Samantha Renke)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ignorance like this still prevails and it is largely because people don\u2019t allow us to speak our truths.  <\/p>\n

We still very much live in a world whereby able and enabled privilege prevails and ableism is so ingrained within our culture that most if not all Disabled people, myself included, live a lesser life.   <\/p>\n

For me, the new findings about Disabled people\u2019s real-life experiences highlight this. The more visible we are, the more the world has to see the inequalities we face. <\/p>\n

We aren\u2019t hidden away in institutions anymore or kept segregated within our communities. Now, we have a voice and we will scream from the rooftops about ableism. <\/p>\n

However, people outside the Disabled community often don\u2019t like to be told where they are failing, and don\u2019t want to hear about our pain. Exposing our truth means others should be called to action, and action costs money and takes time and owning up to past wrongs. <\/p>\n

\n
\n\t\t\"Samantha\t<\/div>
Would you want to live in a world that tells you repeatedly that you are lesser than others?\u00a0 (Picture: Samantha Renke)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This is why I feel as though it\u2019s tougher now to be Disabled. We are more malleable when we say nothing.  <\/p>\n

But, here\u2019s a reality check: those times are long gone and the Scope awards showcases those within our community who won\u2019t be silenced.  <\/p>\n

One in six people are Disabled. Think about this in context to your own family, friends, neighbours and colleagues: we will all have to live and work together to make this world more Disability friendly.  <\/p>\n

And if you struggle to empathise naturally with Disabled people, ask yourself this: Would you want to live in a world that tells you repeatedly that you are lesser than others? <\/p>\n

Would you want your own children to miss out on accessing higher education, or accomplishing a milestone like moving into their own home or securing their first job?  <\/p>\n

Would you want to live in fear that your independence is going to be ripped away from you every time a brown envelope lands on your doorstep<\/a> and you may not be able to feed yourself or leave your home?<\/p>\n

Because all of this is a reality for Deaf, Disabled and Neurodivergent people like me.   <\/p>\n

My life isn\u2019t a tragedy because I was born with a rare condition, but it\u2019s tragic that in 2025 we still do not place value on the lives of Disabled people.<\/p>\n

Do you have a story you\u2019d like to share? Get in touch by emailing jess.austin@metro.co.uk<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Share your views in the comments below.<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Disability advocate Samantha Renke is a judge at the Scope Awards 2025 that are taking place this week \u2018Things are getting better right? I mean for people like you?\u2019    \u2018By people like me,\u2019 I reply. \u2018Do you mean Disabled people?\u2019   This is a conversation I feel like I, a physically Disabled woman, am constantly having […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2784,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2782"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2782"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2782\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2792,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2782\/revisions\/2792"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2784"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2782"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2782"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/curiousdrive.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2782"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}