Have you stumbled on my website or blog for the first time? Have you found my landing page by mistake? If so, you presently could be a little bewildered. You could and should be asking questions. The foremost question on your mind should be why? Not necessary why you have never questioned your “personal identity” before. The why question you should be asking is why it is important to ask how “personal identity” is shaped via geographic locations and lived experiences.
Hello WordPress, I am David M Howie. Fasten your seatbelts. You are about to go on a rollercoaster ride. This rollercoaster will make you feel happy, sad, upset and even a little angry. Predominantly, though this rollercoaster will leave you asking what. What was society thinking? What was my role in all of this?
Mark Athinson chief executive of the disability charity Scope told the Huffington post there are almost 14 million people in the UK living with a disability. To put that in perspective the population of Scotland is 5.47 Million. The population of Wales is 3.25 Million and the population of Northern Ireland is 1.9 million. If like me you identify as disabled, you are probably hitting a downwards dip on the rollercoaster, you may even feel a little sick. If you do not identify as disabled. If this is all new to you. Tighten your seatbelt. The rollercoaster is about to go down the rabbit hole.
As a four-year-old child, I was diagnosed with a Medulloblastoma. As a result of the Medulloblastoma, I have grown up with long term conditions which include but are not limited to visual and hearing issues. Are my readers in the know about the social model of disability? If not see the definition provided by Scope here. Why is the social model of disability important to me? As I said above I have sight issues caused by the Medulloblastoma. This statement is not one hundred per cent correct. It is correct to say I have sight issues – constant double vision. Wearing glasses that prevents vision in my right eye (any eye) removes my double vision. Personally, the opportunity cost of buying glasses that limits my vision to one eye is better than not been able to see an LCD computer screen at all. I say LCD computer screen because while completing my first undergraduate degree back in 2001-2005 using Cathode-ray tube (CRT) monitors I had no issues seeing the monitors at all. My story is just one example of how society has disabled an individual. There are another 14 million stories in society. So why is it important for me to have the reader understand the social model? I have to buy glasses- not covered by the NHS- so I can be part of the community. So I can go to work. So I can go to University and so I can start my social enterprise. In a sense, I am lucky, I can pay to disable myself to fit in with the social norms of society. Go me – joking! How many of the 14 million disabled people in the UK cannot?
On the off chance, you missed my camouflaged attempt at humour, I choose to disable myself not because of my childhood Medulloblastoma but because society has made technological advances. Here is where it gets more ironic, whilst completing my MSc I used Grammarly to aid with grammar and spelling. Capitalism 101. Society disables citizens because the policy used to measure how well a society is performing is based on GDP growth, not citizen well-being. Let me untangle my thinking and prevent any confusion.
21-year-old me graduates university, ready to take on the world. One problem the world is not a nice place. To quote Rocky Balboa
“It will, beat you to your knees and keep you there if you let it…nobody will hit as hard as life”
Balboa, 2006
The rollercoaster is about to do a 360. You may virtually want to find something to break.
I have been involved in the Scottish third sector for over ten years. In these ten years, I have tried to improve my life and the lives of the other 14 million disabled people in society. Here is the problem. Society does not want citizens with high subjective well-being. If citizens are happy, citizens are not spending. Think about it. The reason you buy a product or purchase a good is to solve a problem. I have a problem in that I cannot see the new computer monitors. Therefore, I have to become a consumer of glasses that allow me to see LCD and other new computer monitors. Additionally, due to problems retaining information in early education, I am now required to use Grammarly and read aloud word functions at additional personal cost. Like the rollercoaster, my academic career is almost at the tipping point. I have my MSc and I have no plans to pursue a PhD. Therefore I need to get a paid career and make my way in society. Like the rollercoaster the final destination is clear. What is not clear is will the outcome follow incremental milestone achievements or be a steep drop off the Clift.
The end will come
Life, like the rollercoaster, will end. In life as in the ride, the final destination is unavoidable. Unlike the rollercoaster which is fixed as it is- if not replaced. In life, human well-being can be shaped by policy. A policy implemented that is designed to include all (as many) citizens, is in the best interest of society overall. Perhaps am been egotistical here, I do not care. I have been living with the side effects of Medulloblastoma since the age of four- I believe rather well. I have two undergraduate degrees (paid for by the Scottish government) and an MSc in social innovation. I have achieved this despite typing this with only sight in one eye- because the technology behind my laptop, prevents me from seeing the laptop screen. Additionally, I purchased private hearing aids- I don’t hear high pitched sounds. There is that “why” question again. Why did I purchase private hearing aids? Because it is simpler to receive good customer service at Specsavers than it is to receive an appointment with the NHS.
And there you have it. “What” disables citizens? Money! You are having the privilege of reading this blog post because I had savings and could pay for glasses that blind me in one eye. I had £4k+ to pay for my MSc. I had £1k to pay for private hearing aids and I had £24 a month (something like that) to pay for Grammarly. You are at the end. Not of the journey, that is just starting. You have reached the end of seeing disabled people as others but only if you take off your blinders. Unfortunately, I cannot.
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David M Howie 