Greetings to the rewarding Crann community! I hope everybody is keeping well and looking forward to the festive season!
Today I would like to talk about the importance of people with disabilities having the opportunity to be represented in the media and to have the opportunity to contribute to the media industry! We we all know that people with disabilities can most certainly make valuable contributions to society, that people’s abilities needs to be showcased. And it’s also equally important that the challenges people with disabilities face are highlighted, and nobody knows the daily challenges faced by people with disabilities then the people who are travelling this journey themselves.
I believe the media industry offers valuable opportunities for people with disabilities to get their voices heard. I recently did a blog about my journey completing the journalism podcasting and radio course in Kerry college which allowed me to explore all avenues in the media industry. If you haven’t seen it yet or if you are new to crann I would love you to give that blog a read. Trust me the opportunities are endless!
I am not the first person with a disability to complete that course – there were a number of people with disabilities that completed it before me, including two people with physical disabilities. All these people have had very successful careers and I will continue to encourage other people with disabilities, including those with physical disabilities, to share their stories far and wide!
It cannot be understated that raising awareness is the key to creating real change, there is still a lot of work to be to create an inclusive society and we need people with lived experience to get the message across that we are not the problem. No one chooses to have a medical condition, and while there have been many improvements compared to years ago society is still disabling people. I want you all to know that you or your condition Is never the problem, the problem is that society doesn’t have the right resources and facilities to suit your needs. Simply there are people including those in power that are not educated enough, because they don’t live every day in our shoes, but I promise you if you raised your voice and share your story things will change!
I am delighted to say I am currently working towards setting up my own podcast called Physically Challenged: The Full View, where I will interview people with a broad range of physical disabilities as well as the services that are doing tremendous work to support people with physical challenges. Is there a particular topic you would like discussed? Would you like to share your story? I would love to hear your thoughts – you can email me at physicallychallengedthefullview@gmail.com
Wishing everyone a happy healthy and peaceful Christmas!