Stuart is an ILF Recipient and a member of ILF Scotland’s Advisory Group. He is an avid St Mirren football supporter and has Cerebral Palsy.
We sat down with Stuart and did a Q and A session with him during the week of International Day of Persons with Disabilities. We discussed a number of important topics, including the challenges he has experienced as a disabled person and how he has overcome these and what International Day of Persons with Disabilities means to him.
Check out our interview with him below.
I find many people nowadays are walking about with their phones in front of their face and they don't notice me. This makes me feel invisible when I visit my local shops.
My experience as a disabled person is that I have is that some people can be prejudiced and they just see the chair and not the person.
As a single person I have found dating, relationships and meeting new people challenging, especially as people can make assumptions about me. For example, I have been out clubbing and someone asked me where my carer was and whether I was allowed up late! Just because I am disabled doesn’t mean I am not capable.
However, despite this I always try to overcome the challenges and societal barriers and putt myself out there and be involved in as much as possible, such as the ILF Scotland Advisory Group and the NHS 24 Public Forum Panel. For me, education, awareness raising and changing behavioural attitudes is vital and it is important to show that just because you have a disability it doesn’t mean that you can’t do something.
The first International Day of Persons with Disabilities was in 1992 and although there has been progress there is still so much to be done. This is why I take on the roles I have over the years. It’s important that I use my voice to “bang the drum” for others who don’t have a one. Education has been crucial and continues to be. Disabled people are all different just like anyone else. It’s crucial that we don’t all get pigeon holed because everyone has their own unique experiences.
There is still quite a bit of prejudice in terms of how disabled people are viewed and assumptions about what they can and can’t do. I also believe there is still a huge stigma in relation to disabled people, the welfare state, cuts to social care packages and the current media narrative around this.
There is more to be done to give disabled people a voice, raise awareness of the real issues they affect them and ensure that they aren’t shoehorned.
The public awareness is not completely there yet, but it is getting better!
ILF funding has given me a wide ranging sense of independence. I have flexible PA support for when it suits me. This has helped me have a level of independence that has allowed me to live the life I want to and to pursue my goals.
The Fund can’t be underestimated and its benefits should be shouted about from the rooftops! It is great to see the Scottish Government’s commitment to the ILF, however I would like to see a higher level of PR and public exposure of the Fund and its benefits showcased in the media to show what disabled people can do.
I would love to see ILF Scotland expand its reach and for the organisation to support more disabled people through additional funding from the Scottish Government.
Keep raising the profile of the impact of funding! It would be great to see more awareness campaigns that showcase the benefit of the Fund to disabled people in Scotland.
In future, I think it would be great to see a disability specific conference or TED Talk organised to bring delegates together from across our Recipients group and wider organisations from social care to showcase what people have achieved in their lives with ILF funding and then find ways to spread the word.
