I've had worse care because of who I am
"I know in the surgeries they’ve got accessibility standards, but they’re not used. Everybody should be going back to the doctors if they're not using it. And that's a big issue. For people with learning disabilities like me, who can't read very well. "
"I didn’t want to be really difficult. I'm quite a jovial person but I don't like to do the whole ‘angry Black woman’ thing. Because I think sometimes when you're not lucky and you try to voice your opinion, they feel like you are - you know Black women, we’re...read more
"People think I’ll see my support worker, and that will be fine. That kind of mentality is not what living with a learning disability is today or even what autism does. It’s much more independent than it was even 10 years ago. People still think that people with learning disabilities...read more
"We visited social services and they were expecting us, so they knew we were Deaf, but the staff couldn’t sign and expected us to lipread. I was boiling inside, I felt so uncomfortable. They just had no awareness."
"I used to be so worried that every time I speak, people will be like ‘Oh, she's bringing the race card in again’. And I didn't for many years. I'd be like ‘Okay, I'm the only black person in this room, let me not make it about colour’. But actually,...read more
"If you've got dementia, or a learning disability, that's how I feel. You don't matter."
"The people that I support, they have been finding it really difficult to get healthcare simply because they couldn't speak the language. I'll give a scenario. A couple went to hospital to reverse an operation that took place in their home country. They wanted to have kids but instead of...read more
"Especially for women, getting reproductive health to be taken seriously. Because my mum had to wait six months for a hysterectomy after having severe reproductive issues. And a lot of doctors didn't really take her seriously and thought that she was exaggerating her pain."
"My friend had an issue with migraines when we were at school. She used to get them really, really badly. She just had to be in bed all day. And when she went to the doctor, she got quite patronised by this male doctor. And he was telling her off...read more
"Consider the possible challenges on my part, delivering healthcare as a Black man. Because sometimes the representation we have as BAME community members in some of these services is really minimal. And when that is the case, members of our communities find it difficult to access healthcare because they don't...read more