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"

What does the phrase “Disability Isn’t a Dirty Word” mean to you?

It means for me as a disabled women that I am perfect just the way I am, and that, I suppose, the message that I hope the campaign expresses to people who are questioning their impairment, is to have that pride in themselves. 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. Particularly for people who have acquired their impairment, and probably feel a lot of trauma, that we are here for you and that, of course, that not to see it and that the barriers that you might experience are a consequence of society not including you. Sometimes that is what impacts people and maybe, makes people question themselves around “Am I the problem?”. 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, AND the challenge that society and decision makers are placed with in ensuring in that we are universally included in everything. 

What does it mean to you to identify as a disabled woman?

It is very important for me to identify as a disabled woman. Why? Because, I am committed to the human rights models of disability, and indeed the social model and all its developments and nuances. It does help to understand the difference between me and my impairment, and me as a disabled person and separating my impairment from the barriers that I experience. Also, my gender: I love my gender, I love the relationship that it allows me to have with men and women, and all people who identify and experience their sexuality in different ways. I would hope that how I use my gender, in a way that compliments other people and that, within that, that I actually have respect and regard for how other people experience their gender. That is something that I have been thinking about a lot. I actually understand the limitations of my knowledge and my ignorance so for myself to be vulnerable and to learn more about others because my gender is important too. Within that though, I do recognise the double glass ceiling that comes with being a disabled woman and I am appreciating that. But also, even at the ripe old age of 48, there are times that I do slip into “Am I not expressing myself correctly”, for I presume I am not all the time. But I really sense that being a disabled woman, that there are societal and systemic barriers that limit how I succeed in different aspects, whether that is socially, economically or politically. That always helps me to have my self-esteem, but more importantly to have empathy and connection with other disabled people, men and women, non binary and others, children and older people. That is something that, the more I age, I am very mindful of: older disabled women and how we ensure that their voice is not trebly experiencing inequality and that as people have other identities, its an expression of pride rather than an expression of challenge and difficulties.