'True disability is what society creates'

The organiser of an event held to mark Disability Pride Month in Ballina has said it has sparked the right kinds of conversations around disability and inclusion.

Ballina native Avril Greham is a disability consultant and public speaker advocating for those with disabilities. She was one of the driving forces behind ‘Expanding Horizons’, an open panel discussion featuring Avril and her fellow advocates Rebecca Connor Wood and Peter Kearns.

Avril is a staff member with An Garda Síochána in Ballina and also works with the Ballina One Act Drama Festival, is the PRO for her local GAA club Ardnaree Sarsfields and was PRO for Ballina 2023 last year.

She said the main reason behind the event, which took place at the Mary Robinson Centre, was to start conversations and to reframe the way that people with disabilities are perceived and treated.

“It was the first event that I would have hosted in the realm of disability. Maybe 20 years ago I wouldn’t have been brave enough. I thought people maybe wouldn’t want to hear from a voice like mine but there are people coming behind you who have disabilities and are feeling that way now. If you could help change their feelings, then something like this was a no-brainer.

“Representation is key, you do want to see yourself reflected back. We all want that sense of belonging. Of course, we all want to stand out but we all want to fit in. We want to find people that get it.

“It is important to elevate these voices and give them a platform.”

Avril said that even though it is 2024, people with disabilities are still viewed as third-class citizens in some parts of society. However, she said the reality is that being disabled is not the issue, it is the barriers placed in the way by society that are the issue. She said that a topic spoken about by one of the speakers, Peter Kearns, addresses these matters

“Peter talks about the medical model versus the social model of disability. Under the medical model, I’m defined by my disability and there is this want to cure what you have, but there is no cure.

“Whereas the social model puts that right back onto society. The true disability is what society creates. If I decide to take a trip to Dublin on the train or to Sligo on the bus, it is not my disability that stops me, it is the lack of accessible transport.

“The social model questions the beliefs of non-disabled people but it also challenges the perceptions of people with disabilities as well.” 

Avril said learning more about this ethos has been important for her in challenging her own perceptions.

“When you’re growing up, society puts that burden on you. The feeling of I’m not wanted, I’m a burden, I have guilt, when really it is not anybody’s fault.

“If we can start challenging these perceptions and tackle the real issues of accessibility, and start doing so from day one, then it affects everybody and it means that everybody has access to public services.

“It can make a better world for everybody,” she said.

Avril is now hoping to make ‘Expanding Horizons’ an annual event.

“My ambition is to build on this and have different voices next year. I think it went very well. It was something special and you could feel it in the room.

“There was an opportunity at the end for people to ask us questions which I thought was important, to offer that safe space. Sometimes there is a fear that if you’ve never spoken to someone with a disability, you’ll say the wrong thing.

"You have to learn and you have these safe spaces and it was important that we offered that. We got some great questions. I wanted it to be a very informal conversation piece and to be light-hearted in parts but it went very well and is hopefully the start of something bigger.”

Abril will continue on her journey of advocacy, building up more and more through social media, which provides a lot of visibility for people with various disabilities.

She said she wants to expand this journey through public speaking and has held talks at Gortnor Abbey Secondary School, Charles River Laboratories and Atlantic Technological University in Castlebar.

“My passion is with the public speaking side of it now. I want to talk to more businesses, retailers, schools, companies and community groups.”

More information on Avril’s disability consultancy, public speaking and links to her social media channels can be found on her website www.avrilgreham.ie