Am I the only wheelchair-using woman in Dorset?
By Lorraine Stanley, Director of Dorset Women CIC.
The theme of International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025, is ‘Fostering disability inclusive societies for advancing social progress.’
As a person with multiple disabilities, who does a lot of volunteering, I’ve been asked to share my thoughts about the day as I have relevant lived experience.
I’m on a bit of a treasure hunt at the moment, and have been for several years – am I the only wheelchair-using woman in Dorset? Indeed, am I the only neurodivergent woman, woman with energy-limiting conditions, or woman with longstanding anxiety and depression? Definitely not!
There are approximately 74,727 disabled women in Dorset and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole localities (ONS Census 2021) – note that there is a higher percentage of women with disabilities (18.7%) than men (16.5%) – and yet there is only one other wheelchair-using woman that I’ve seen at a handful of community engagement, or business networking, events over the past 6 years.
I know that there will have been some women with less visible disabilities and long-term health conditions in the room. However, I rarely experience anyone referencing their lived experience at the events I attend.
It may be that your health issues mean you’re mostly bed-based, like myself. You may feel a bit self-conscious on video calls, because it’s obvious that you’re almost horizontal in a bed. You may worry that people will judge you as being unprofessional, or it’s inappropriate?
That used to be me, until one day I had a lightbulb moment.
Maybe if I stopped blurring out my background, and was my authentic self on camera, perhaps it would help normalise my situation? Maybe it might encourage others to be THEIR authentic selves? It might even signal to the wider community that just because you’re disabled, you’re not ‘un-able.’ Your opinions still matter, and you have the right to express them!
It has now got to the point that I forget I’m in bed during virtual meetings. On rare occasions someone will pass comment on it, but it’s usually a comment about how comfortable I look!
I’m lucky in that I have a super-duper wheelchair I use to get out to in-person events. Unfortunately, many venues do not have easy-to-find accessibility information on their websites. I have to self-advocate with event organisers and venues about the availability of ramps and accessible toilets. Sadly, a significant amount of them don’t feel the need to adjust their attitudes or remedy their facilities.
That’s where YOU come into the equation. I am a lone voice, and realistically, there needs to be multiple disabled people adding their voice to mine. Things are not going to improve until we start inserting ourselves in every aspect of society, and stop hoping that the powers-that-be might see the light.
It’s a bit like getting lost in a fog – you have to shout out that you’re there, and light up a torch, so that the people around you know
you exist! It’s a great way to find your tribe, and a great way to reduce feelings of isolation.
Yes, I might be stuck in bed most of the time – but despite that, I’ve been able to influence:
· Local and national availability of accessible healthcare
· Improvements to accessibility for local business, community and leisure organisations
· Other disabled people into self-employment
Ahhhhhhh… (I can imagine you saying) – but I’m not able to leave my house due to my health, so how can I show up and make a difference within my community?
You can volunteer for us at Dorset Women CIC, helping with research, admin, social media (and more!) from the comfort of your own home.
You can go online to volunteering websites, such as those below, to search for opportunities that match your interests and passions. On some of them you can even refine your search to remote opportunities, opportunities particularly suitable to people with learning disabilities, or wheelchair users (a brilliant idea!)
Out of necessity, disabled people are creative problem-solvers. Those of us who live in Dorset can achieve social progress in
our community, and Dorset will be all the better for it!
“I’d like to take this opportunity to shout-out a loud “thank you” to my fellow Directors of Dorset Women CIC, and my fellow Trustees of Community Action Network Dorset. Both teams have been proactive in making events as accessible as possible. You’ve also worked with me to navigate balancing my volunteering through the ups and downs of my physical and mental health, and I really appreciate it.”
Volunteering websites:
- Community Action Network:
https://can100.org/connecting-communities
https://can100.org/volunteering-hub/interested-in-volunteering - GoVo: https://govo.org/search
- Volunteer Centre Dorset: https://www.volunteeringdorset.org.uk/i-want-to-volunteer