Tell us your stories about access for disabled people

The Council is collating and sharing residents’ stories about the wide-ranging issues of access for disabled people, the focus of this year’s Disability History Month 2020.

The theme of Disability History Month 2020 poses the question: ‘Access: How far have we come? How far have we to go?’

Disabled residents are being invited to send the Council their personal stories and experiences which relate to access for disabled people.  Non-disabled residents with a friend or relative who is disabled, carers of disabled people or people with interesting experiences relating to access are also invited to submit stories.

Submissions are welcome in a range of creative formats such as written word, art pieces, music, and videos, but they should all focus on access and answer the questions: how far have rights, attitudes and accessibility come and how far is there still to go in our society? To mark Disability History Month 2020, the creative contributions will be shared in an online gallery.

Councillor Paul Donovan, Cabinet Member for Democracy, Workforce and Localities, said: “UK Disability History Month has run annually since 2010 and focuses on the history of the struggle of disabled people for equality, as well as celebrating the lives and contributions of disabled people to our society.

“It seeks to raise awareness of the unequal position of disabled people in our communities, to advocate disability equality and to develop an understanding of the historical roots of this inequality.

“We would like to mark how the history of disabled persons in our borough, while celebrating how improvements are happening, by inviting people to tell us their stories about access in whichever creative form they choose.

“We would particularly welcome any stories from history, demonstrating disability in the past and how things might have changed now for disabled people in Cheshire West and Chester.”

Please send your stories to equalities@cheshirewestandchester.gov.uk

UK Disability History Month takes place each year starting from mid-late November, to cover World AIDS Day (1 December), International Day of Disabled Persons (3 December) and International Human Rights Day (8 December).  This year, it will run from 18 November – 18 December 2020.

For more information about Disability History Month visit https://ukdhm.org/