Return after red eyes
Okay! I’m back in sight, after tumbling down and then making my way back up from the bottom of the mountain. It was quite hard, but I got there.
To be honest, I always knew I would. I always felt a need to keep going and believed I’d eventually see the edge of the mountain’s peak within sight. Walking is my preferred mode of transport, although fatigue caused as a medication side-effect does slow me down. However, if I am walking for a good reason, I guarantee that getting me to quit will be the trickiest task of all.
I won’t give you details about everything that has happened to me over the past few months. But, during the coronavirus period, mental health issues have spread far and wide for many people. My disability led to stress, meaning a few problems may have intervened with my life too.
However, I haven’t been affected by doom and gloom during the COVID-19 era. I’ve made some significant progress within my career. Back at the beginning of August, I finished the first draft of my new and first young adult novel. It includes many disabled characters, and I’m now editing it with plans to release it next year. I’ve also written many new songs that highlight and promote the lives of disabled people. I’ve written poetry too, and this work has led to me joining the We Shall Not Be Removed group. We’re looking to keep disability arts up and running at the moment, and I’m happy to be involved.
Up until the end of August, I was more active with my work and opinions than ever before. Afterwards, for two or three months, I had problems to deal with too. But, now the issues are fading away, what’s coming next on my journey in life?
What’s on now
Well, I recently paid a bit of attention to views promoting justice for disabled people. It’s become very apparent that controversial actions have taken place. ITV soap opera Emmerdale has undoubtedly put its foot in the mud recently. They have refused to remove a storyline that leads to two main characters aborting a baby with Down’s syndrome.
Regarding my Twitter followers and those who I follow, I can only applaud Rachel Mewes. Her daughter has Down’s syndrome, but the disability doesn’t stop any love from flowing between and her child. They have a strong connection, and her daughter deserves to live a happy life.
Don’t get me wrong; it doesn’t surprise me that this love exists. If I had a daughter with Down’s syndrome, I wouldn’t abort, and I’d love them for sure. However, she’s understandably been offended by ITV’s intentions and went on to gain nearly 30,000 online signatures supporting her wish to remove the storyline. I signed it so quickly. However, after exploiting her intensely moral opinion, she’s also received so many disgusting comments from others.
Ableism is something many people still favour. 90% of families choose to abort their child if they have Down’s syndrome during pregnancy. The NHS recommends this and doesn’t support you as much during pregnancy if you resist their suggestion. I found this out by reading Rachel’s blog post that speaks about the controversy surrounding the condition. It provides a clear insight into why having Down’s syndrome is entirely acceptable.
Something else that has the whole world’s interest right now is the production of the Coronavirus vaccines. Not so long ago, all vulnerable disabled people moved up a little regarding those prioritised to receive it in the UK. However, the list only places them in sixth place, so there’s still a while they’ll have to wait. These people are shielding, and although older age leads to more difficulties in managing the virus, younger disabled people are often struggling just as much. All people who are shielding should not be so ignored.
Just to clarify – I’m proud
There is nothing wrong with being a disabled person; I’m proud to be a disabled man. I certainly don’t believe being disabled is guaranteed to make you weaker than others. Life will be more challenging for you in some way, but what’s wrong with that? I struggled to gain a 2:1 degree at university because my epilepsy led to memory loss, fatigue and depression. However, when I gathered the grade in 2012, I felt very proud of myself. I proved I had mental strength in challenging situations. I also believed I could achieve more success in the future.
Being a disabled person can lead to you finding your most remarkable abilities. After finding out what your disability is, it’s best to not dwell on what you cannot do. Instead, you have the option to search for and build upon the skills still available to you. You’ll probably always have a variety of abilities to choose from despite being disabled. You also have the option of combining and strengthening them over time if you’re an ambitious individual.
I’m an ambitious person and have plans set to improve the lives of disabled people. Please, give me some time to re-establish myself, and I’ll explain these plans to you in the future. You might believe you know all of my details, but social anxiety has stopped me from speaking to people properly in the past. I’m now working hard to withdraw that from my life, and see better times ahead.
As mentioned, I’m a forgetful man, and long and short-term memory loss has caused me problems. It stops me from remembering peoples names and details. Although I have an above-average IQ, I’m terrible at quizzes. That doesn’t matter, though: IQ isn’t the key to success in life. All people have the opportunity to gather emotional intelligence – and it’s proven to be more effective.
Do your best to keep calm
Changes are soon due in the UK. People are expecting Brexit to have an impact on the UK from January onwards. But, as time continues, I don’t believe it’ll lead to troublesome times. And guess what? I voted remain. It’ll lead to a lot of changes, but don’t dwell on the past! Right now, we just need to make sure they’re as positive as possible.
Anyway, I want to get to know you all again, so feel free to contact me. As a team, I don’t see why we can’t construct something much more favourable for disabled people in the future.
I’ll speak to you all soon. Take care, and try and enjoy your Christmas this year.
