Maria Ní Fhlatharta: "Society has medicalised us. Classed us by impairment. Segregated us by impairment. Disability allows us to resist that. It unites us."

“Disability makes me equal. It demands that society makes accommodations in order to combat the inequalities that I face. It demands that as society develops and changes, it does so in a way that considers people like me and all of our needs.”

“Society has medicalised us. Classed us by impairment. Segregated us by impairment. Disability allows us to resist that. It unites us...Disability has never been about our individual impairments, it is always about our collective liberation.”

“Belonging to this bright, beautiful family, is freeing. It is empowering. While the barriers that we face sometimes look different, they are all as a result of an ableist society.”

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Caroline McGrotty: "I think that people with disabilities need to work together in a coherent way because we're stronger together because, society is the one disables us."

“I’m Deaf and I have a disability.

The Deaf Community have a strong preference to be described as a cultural linguistic minority, which is absolutely correct. For years, I would have always said I was Deaf, and I was not disabled.

Lately, I have come to accept the word disability, and that I have a disability.”

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Ann Marie Flanagan: "My message is that it’s a beautiful word. We are absolutely gorgeous human beings and society would be lacking if it wasn’t for the mixture and the uniqueness"

“My message is that it’s a beautiful word. We are absolutely gorgeous human beings and society would be lacking if it wasn’t for the mixture and the uniqueness”"

“To have that self-love and know that who they are, and how we are all are, as women and men, adults and children, with our impairments – that we are exactly who we are meant to me.”

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Jacqui Browne: "I see disability as being part of my identity, I see it in a positive way, because it informed me and shaped the kind of person that I am."

“I see disability as being part of my identity, I see it in a positive way, because it informed me and shaped the kind of person that I am.”

“The same glass ceiling issues are there for disabled women just as they are for all women in society, so I identify with women in general, in terms of you know, discrimination, exclusion and all that and I think it is even a double jeopardy, as we often call it, for disabled women.”

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Kiko Demon: "Many disabilities are invisble, and for those of us with invisible disabilities who are also sex workers, our lives, and the challenges we face, are doubly invisible"

“Many disabilities are invisible, and for those of us with invisible disabilities who are also sex workers, our lives, and the challenges we face, are doubly invisible. Disabled sex workers exist, and our challenges intersect.”

“Not only do disabled people have sex, but some of us also sell sexual services because traditional employment is often inaccessible to us. Many of our conditions include physical and mental health disabilities, and illnesses that cause flare ups and relapses, which make accessing employment difficult.”

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Disability Isn’t A Dirty Word Twitter Chat: 7pm, Sunday 7th March

“Over the last number of months, we have heard nothing but euphemisms for disability. Our needs are somehow "additional", "special" or "abnormal" - and all of our conditions are pre-existing. The way we are talked about is so very different to the way we talk about ourselves.”


Let’s talk about this!

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Saoirse Connolly: Some Day Soon

"We must lead by example and show the entire world that we have worth, we have value and we can contribute. Words are meaningless, and action is everything. Someday disability will no longer be a dirty word."

“I would like to report that in progressive Western democracies disability was an un-interesting fact about a person. Not something that determined their worth or their place in society, but rather something that informed their life experience and as such made their perspective valuable to nondisabled people.”

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Zoe Enya McCormack: Photoessay for DisabilityIsntADirtyWord Campaign

This photo essay highlights the realities of psychiatric inpatient ‘care’ in Ireland from admission to discharge.

I invite you to view the experience of psychiatric inpatient care from my eyes and witness with me how it removes me from society, removes me of my belongings and identity, and forces me into a person of shame ‘for my own safety’, in an environment devoid of nurturance.

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Blessing Dada: "Disability’ Is Not a Dirty Word. Society Ought Not Treat it Like One"

“Confronting your ‘isms’ — racism, sexism, ableism — starts with watching what you say and do. Use ‘disabled’. It’s not a dirty word. It’s an accurate descriptor. So, use it.”

“I have always felt that without positive discourse, without a sharing of ideas, experiences and feelings, a society can never improve. When people in the disabled community share these experiences, it can help to open a dialog so improvements can be made.”

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Niamh Ní Hoireabhaird: "Your teenage years are about discovering who you are, and I had to figure out how my disability would fit into that. I decided my disability was a part of me"

"Your teenage years are about discovering who you are, and I had to figure out how my disability would fit into that. I decided my disability was a part of me"

“It took me years to understand that disability is not a dirty world. Not knowing any disabled people whilst I was growing up, my entire perception of disability relied on how it was portrayed in the media and pop culture.”

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Suzy Byrne : "People with disabilities need to claim who they are, claim their space in society and be respected"

People with disabilities need to claim who they are, claim their space in society, be respected for that, not be hidden away, not just have certain parts of their identity concentrated on.

…I am very proud of my identity as a disabled woman and I think that is something that we have seen grow hugely in last number of years and it is something that we need to celebrate…

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