FW: Lara Masters - 'It' Girl on Wheels

[Guest guest]

Lara Masters - 'It' Girl on Wheels

“...I’m Lara Masters, TV presenter and wheelchair-user currently working

with Esther Rantzen on 'That’s Esther’ (ITV). I’m your 'it' girl on wheels

but I’m less posh and wear more clothes.â€

“It's very difficult for a person with a disability to maintain any sort of

self-belief when everything around them screams " you do not belong " and " you

are not good enough " ...â€

Advertising the end of the DRC

On June 18th, I attended a government initiative aimed at persuading (or

" telling " is possibly more accurate!) some of the major advertising

companies

to use disabled people in their campaigns.

Eagle (Minister for Disability), myself and two guys who worked in one

of the ad companies spoke and then answered questions. I thought you may

like

to know what I said so here's an edited version of my speech.

" My disability crept up on me gradually .When I was ten, I had a spinal

haemorrhage and after an operation, I was totally paralysed for several

months before miraculously recovering completely except for some paralysis

in

my left hand. My life went back to normal for a while, apart from a few

adjustments.

I wanted to be an actress and hoped to go to the drama school. However, when

I was fourteen, I had a second spinal haemorrhage, another operation and

again spent several months recovering my mobility but my left leg and foot

remained partially paralysed leaving me with a severe limp but able to walk

unaided.

I knew that no drama school would be interested in me now that I was so

obviously physically defective so I put my acting dream on hold and thought

I'd take it up again when I got better because I assumed I would.

From fourteen to eighteen my disability remained stable but then I got a bit

weaker and had to use a walking stick. I started at University College

London

but it was too far for me to walk between lectures and I began to panic

about

how I would cope with the rest of my life if I didn't get better now so I

left.

I went to a centre in California for six months to do intensive physical

re-hab, certain that I would come home perfect again and able to have my

life

back. I exercised hard for six months with specialist equipment but I didn't

improve in fact my muscles became stiffer and my balance got worse, so they

ran some tests and found that there was a cyst pressing on my nerves that

they had to remove if I was to stop deteriorating.

I returned home frightened but hopeful that this serious spinal surgery

would

answer my prayers, but when I went to see the specialist he said the

operation was too risky and he wouldn't do it.

At this stage, I was leaning on walls when walking or holding people's arms

for support as the walking stick was no longer enough. I became severely

depressed because I didn't know what to do with myself or my life. My body

continued to weaken and it was very frightening. All my friends were at

university, travelling or starting jobs but I couldn't see that I had any

options. I didn't know any disabled people, there were no disabled role

models, disability was then even less visible than it is now so how was I to

surmise that I could have any quality of life with a physical impairment?

I was sure there'd been a mistake and I'd wake up one morning perfectly able

again; I was not put on this earth to be a freak, destined for a pathetic,

wasted life full of limitation and struggle which is all I could imagine

life

with a disability would be.

With nowhere to turn, I became suicidal and spent three months and my

twentieth birthday in one of those clinics which are now quite fashionable

and cool but weren't then. I came out no longer feeling suicidal but still

with no options that I could see and I spent the next four years doing very

little. My physical health was still deteriorating and I was extremely

unhappy. I couldn't leave my flat unless I had someone with me as I was only

able to walk short distances with help and was getting increasing amounts of

muscle spasm and back pain.

I became quite isolated because I would rather not go out at all than suffer

the indignity of using a wheelchair. I was living on disability benefits but

I still didn't consider myself to be disabled because the concept was too

terrible.

Eventually I became so immobile that I was forced to use a wheelchair full

time and could no longer deny that I was properly disabled.

Then came a chain of events which turned my life around. A friend of a

friend

was a photographer for the Daily Star. She had taken photos of my Mum,

Debbie

who was a model and started Pineapple Dance Studios, and she asked me

to write an article about my experiences and took some photos of me

modelling

Pineapple clothes. The piece was picked up by The Daily Mail, and ITV's

" This

Morning " asked me and my Mum onto the programme.

I was asked about the way people reacted to me since I started using the

wheelchair. I spoke about the prejudice and exclusion that I and millions of

other disabled people were facing and said that attitudes towards disability

had to be re-addressed.

The producer of ITV's " That's Esther " , saw the interview and offered me a

presenting job that afternoon. Six months later, I was off income support

and

broadcasting to millions on mainstream television alongside Esther Rantzen

and Mills. I've now been working on the series for four years.

It was luck rather than endeavour that got me that job, got me here today

and

gave me a voice. If it wasn't for fate intervening, I would still be stuck

indoors, feeling depressed with no kind of life and no hope for the future.

There are millions of disabled people who are where I was and can see no way

out, they want to participate fully in society, they want to work, they have

talents and abilities but these are being wasted because they don't have the

opportunities, and change to remedy this is coming too slowly.

When I started presenting, I believed it was a sign of things to come. I

thought that me being regularly on TV would encourage other producers to

nurture and use disabled talent on-screen, which would result in disabled

people becoming more integrated. I've been to regular meetings with all the

key players in broadcasting over the past four years and I've heard lots of

positive, rallying talk but so far, I've seen little change.

Ironically, my disability has become my career. Since I started work on

" That's Esther " I've attracted a lot of media attention as I'm the only

disabled person to appear regularly on mainstream television. I've been

asked

to speak at various disability related events and have become involved with

various disability related initiatives, I write a regular column for the

website Youreable.com and I've even managed to do a little acting, but

again,

it's been in the area of disability.

I'm very grateful to be working and to be in a position where I have some

authority but I hope that in the future, people with disabilities will not

be

defined by their impairment but will be seen and judged as everyone else is,

by their characters and abilities and will have the opportunities to compete

for the jobs they want, rather than the jobs that are open to them because

they happen to be disabled.

Disability does not discriminate; it doesn't recognise class, colour or

creed. It doesn't matter what kind of a person you are; anyone can become

disabled at any time.

I would like you to imagine you are disabled right now. Obviously there are

many kinds of disability but as I'm in charge for the moment, I'd like you

to

imagine you use a wheelchair despite the fact that today's research notes

say

that wheelchair users are visual clichés. I don't know how happy I am about

this particular suggestion, perhaps we could all keep that bit of research

between these four walls or I'll soon be out of work.

O.K, so just briefly imagine a few of the practicalities involved with using

a wheelchair- you can't get into most buildings or into most people's

houses-

so no nipping to the shops or visiting your mates for the next few minutes-

you can't use public transport, but you could use an accessible taxi- if you

felt like spending thirty quid travelling one way across town- or you could

take your car, if you're lucky enough to have one, but then don't expect to

park it when you reach your destination as there are about five disabled

parking bays in the whole of London and they seem to be constantly taken up

by drivers with no apparent mobility problem. You can't go to the loo when

you want to because you have to find an accessible loo and they're scarce so

best not to drink too much - that sort of thing. If I sound bitter, it's

because I am.

So, how do you feel now that you're disabled? (And for many people it

literally does happen that quickly). Do you still have the same likes and

dislikes; do you still have the same desires, the same values and

principles,

the same neurotic tendencies, the same character flaws? Do you still have

the

same goals, like the same food, fancy the same people, have the same

sex-drive? Yes, of course you do because you're still the same person.

But, now that you're disabled, do you still have the same opportunities as

when you were able-bodied, to express yourself and fulfil your desires and

dreams? No, you don't. And how does this make you feel? Frustrated, angry,

hard done by, bitter? Well, yes - these are natural human emotions that

arise

when you are repressed and ostracised.

Able-bodied or disabled, we are all surrounded and influenced by the same

images and ideals; images and ideals that many of you are responsible for

helping to create and promote; beauty equals good, ugly equals bad, thin

equals good, fat equals bad, wealth equals good, poverty equals bad,

physical

perfection equals good, cripple equals bad.

It doesn't matter how strong a person you are, anyone living in our society

is going to be coloured by what goes on around them; it would take a

super-human amount of effort to counteract the messages with which we are

constantly bombarded. It's very difficult for a person with a disability to

maintain any sort of self-belief when everything around them screams " you do

not belong " and " you are not good enough " .

By visually absenting disabled people from advertising, you are helping to

keep us out of the public consciousness; it's as simple as that, but

luckily,

it's also that simple to help turn things around by involving disabled

people

in your campaigns.

As a general guide-line I would say stay away from the victim and hero

stereotypes wherever possible but more than that be brave, think laterally,

include all sorts of disabled people in all kinds of roles and don't worry

about getting it wrong. Most of us just want to be visible, there's no guide

book that we all read and there are no strict " disability do's and don'ts "

because we're all individuals. All disabled people want is what every other

human being wants; to be treated with respect.

There's money to be made from the disabled population and if your

advertising

includes disabled people then we're more likely to buy your product and your

brand will certainly be noticed and respected by us. There's no reason to

suggest that using disabled people in ads will have any detrimental effect

but by not using us you are helping to uphold the myth that we are inferior,

so really, there's no excuse.

Working in advertising you are aware of the power and influence you have on

the public psyche. By helping make disabled people visible you will elevate

our social status and this will impact all areas of our lives from

employment

to relationships. The positive repercussions of today's initiative, if taken

seriously will be great.

You have the power to help ensure that in the future the phrase " disability

discrimination " is obsolete, that the " Disability Discrimination Act " is

redundant and the people at the " Disability Rights Commission " are out of

work.

Thank you.

What do you think? Have your say in the Youreable Off-topic forum.

Posted: 25 June, 2002