I've been involved in activism around disability since 2010, when I became involved in efforts to push back against the Coalition Government's social security reforms. As part of a network of like-minded activists, I contributed to Responsible Reform, also known as the “Spartacus Report”. Published in 2012, this report rebutted the arguments the government put forward in support of radical reform of Disability Living Allowance (DLA), and exposed their misrepresentation of the consultation they carried out into general principles of reform.
I contributed to several other reports as part of the Spartacus network, including leading the production of a community response to the consultation on the terms of the assessment proposed for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) later in 2012. This submission was directly quoted in the government response to the consultation, and while we predictably did not get most of what we asked for, there was some movement in directions we indicated. I also contributed an article to One in Four magazine exploring the possible effect of the proposed changes, both to DLA and to out-of-work benefits, on individuals.
I continue to support the work of the network, though I'm not currently actively involved in specific work. I am engaged with the activist community, and have been specifically involved in promoting the inclusion of disabled people in Quaker activities and organisations as a member of the committee running the Quaker Disability Equality Group.
Using experience from this activism, as well as my own lived experience and extensive networking with other disabled people, I am able to provide a lot of insight and advice related to including disabled people and reducing, ideally eliminating, disability discrimination.
While not academically trained in disability studies, I am well-versed in disability theory, including the social model of disability, and privilege discourse more generally. I'm happy to put forward and explain my own views in relation to everyday life and the theoretical context.