Reading this pdf was relatable, it puts me through the mind of what my mum is currently going through now with her health condition. My mum started working from a very young age and she has worked the majority of her life. In fact, I don’t ever recall her being without a job. She loves to help people and is good at communicating, she always worked well within customer service jobs and has a passion to help in times of crises, she’s also an amazing host within her home cooking and entertaining with music, outdoors she will talk to all cultures of people.
My mum had a trip/fall at her work place a number of years ago and the long-term result of it, is she now has extreme wear and tear within her bones on her hip. The employer let her go on the basis that she is no longer fit for work within their establishment.
I’m seeing her now struggle to get to the job centre appointments, the grief they give her to come and visit the location, crazy times at like 8:30am, sometimes she hasn’t even rested well the night before. Having to commit to showing up to be able to prove she is unable and unfit for work.
My mum is also not computer savvy so the rigmarole of continuous meetings, checking’s and proof of doctor’s evidence has caused her great distress along with the bone pain. She told me because she was afraid she would lose her claim and have no money for her rent, she went up the stairs to her advisor interview in pain.
She has been waiting for a hip operation for over a year and seeing her in pain is heart wrenching.
I was so annoyed I had to step in and visit the job centre myself and explain you can’t treat somebody this way. She has been struggling. Although they have now moved her appointments to telephone calls it makes me wonder how much more other people are going though disabilities like this, with not much support. It was encouraging to see that the performances did not stop. Barokka, K (2017). “I am 98% of the time kneeling or laying down, performing poetry and performance art while refusing to stand and cause myself pain, whether seen by others or not“.
I guess disability or not if you can, the show must go on.We just have to do our best in all things.
It’s great that there was a conference in Illinois 2001 about how scholars and educators might broaden the scopes of conceptualizing disabilies in education arenas, I guess this would high light the needs for users but what is being addressed now, it’s amazing that from 2007 to 2010 it grew to Belgium, enormously attracting many leaders from a number of countries. How could this be implemented or applied to in Great Britain.
Connor, David J. (2008) “Disability Studies and Inclusive Education — Implications for Theory, Research, and Practice.” International Journal of Inclusive Education, vol. 12, no. 5-6, Sept. 2008, pp. 441–457, https://doi.org/10.1080/13603110802377482. Accessed 7 June 2023.
Barokka (Okka), K. (2017). Deaf-accessibility for spoonies: lessons from touring Eve and Mary Are Having Coffee while chronically ill. Research in Drama Education: The Journal of Applied Theatre and Performance, 22(3), pp.387–392. doi:https://doi.org/10.1080/13569783.2017.1324778.
Your heartfelt comment brings to life the difficult realities faced by people with non-visible disabilities and the often unseen struggles they undergo. The personal story about your mother is both moving and powerful, providing a human face to these challenges.
Your blog post is very personal, and I appreciate your openness to share about your experiences about your Mother’s injury. It is heartbreaking to witness the struggles she faces and subsequent difficulties accessing job centre appointments for someone unfamiliar with technology. Your advocacy was necessary; no one should be treated this way. Khairani Barokka’s quote about continuing performance despite disability is truly inspirational and shows determination to persevere despite challenges.