[MUSIC]
Good evening.
Apologies that we're a few minutes late in starting,
but we're just letting people come in,
cuz great knowledge that has been a slight issue with the entry gate out there.
So I'm Sarah Stevenson Hunter.
I'm the new staff disability advisor in the equality and diverse unit.
I've been here three months, so I'm very new.
This is my first time in and it's good to be here, good to see what things are like.
It's really exciting this evening, in terms of our lecture,
in terms of our speakers.
And the subject matter, and I'm sure we are gonna have a great evening
being challenged, and just encouraged to think about lots of issues.
And the irony, but not the irony, but the good thing about this evening,
in the spirit of true inclusion.
You can tell the blind woman who's going to tell you about how to get out,
and where the toilets are.
>> [LAUGH] >> [LAUGH] so from memory,
the accessible toilet should be over there.
And basically, the other toilets are back out the way you came in.
We're not scheduled to have any sort of fire alarm or evacuation this evening.
So if something does happen, I believe it's back up the way we came,
I honestly don't know from there.
But obviously, if it does happen,
then we'll get ourselves out safely, just don't follow me.
>> [LAUGH] >> This is my job to sorta welcome you all
here this evening, and then I'm gonna pass over to Dr. Rebecca Surender,
who is our university advocate and Pro Vice Chancellor for equality, diversity.
She's going to just speak for a few minutes, and then our speakers,
introduce them, so over to you.
>> [APPLAUSE] >> Good evening everyone, and welcome.
I'd like to add my welcome to Sarah's, great to see so many people here.
As Sarah's just told you, I'm Rebecca Surender, I'm the University Advocate and
Pro Vice Chancellor for Equality and Diversity.
And I'm delighted to have been asked by Sarah, and the organizers tonight
to say a few words of introduction, and to introduce our guest speakers.
This annual lecture, a collaboration between
the Staff Disability Advisory Group, and the equality and diversity unit.
Is, of course, just one endeavor within the university's overall commitment
to fostering an inclusive and supportive culture for all its members.
But this lecture is always a really exciting event in the annual calendar.
And it's a significant and deliberate recognition and
celebration of the importance of colleagues living with a disability,
or long-term health condition in our community.
I'd like to thank College for providing the venue for this evening's lecture,
and most importantly, to thank the Staff Disability Advisory Group.
And in particular, its chair, Catherine Walters not just for
working with the EDU and organizing tonight's event, but for
all their dedication and commitment throughout the year.
All of course, on top of the day jobs.
I and my colleagues in the EDU are extremely grateful for
this incredible work going on across the institution, all through the year,
and to everyone who gives up their time in this way, thank you.
>> [APPLAUSE] >> The focus of this evening's
lecture is all about the complexity in our multiple identities.
And the issues faced by those with intersectional identities,
specifically those who belong within more than one equality group.
Paradoxically, however, some of the work that we undertake to promote equality and
diversity has often been organized around single defining characteristics,
such as age, sexual identity, gender, ethnicity, etc.
And our work through the various charter mark schemes,
such as the Athena SWAN, or the Race Equality Charter,
or the Stonewall index can sometimes accentuate this.
We know, however, that none of us can be given a single label, and
that any single label will be reductionist, and
will inevitably ignore many other vital aspects of our experience.
So it's great to have this particular lecture at this particular time.
As someone who's been a qualitative researcher in my academic work,
I'm very aware that one of the most effective and powerful ways to
learn about other people's lives is to listen to their stories.
We are extremely fortunate, therefore, to have two speakers this evening.
Jay Abdullahi and Kym Oliver, who are passionate about disability equality, but
are also here to share their individual approaches to their multiple identities.
And to help us better understand what living with intersectional
identities means in a practical, every day sense.
Jay and Kym have branded themselves the Triple Cripples.
And I just want to say that we of course
recognize that the use of the term cripple is controversial.
And in fact, I've received a couple of emails denoting surprise or
disapproval of this title.
However, I'm sure this will not come as a surprise to Jay or Kym.
They have deliberately chosen to label themselves as such.
And they are determined to reclaim the word cripple in their fight
against layers of disability discrimination.
I should just tell you a little bit about our speakers.
Jay is a 29 year old Nigerian Londoner with polio and scoliosis, sorry.
And Kym is a 32 year old African and
Caribbean woman who lives in London, and has multiple sclerosis.
Through their work, they aim to increase the visibility and
highlight the narratives of women, femmes, and
non-binary people of color living with disabilities.
A recent article in The Metro in December 2018 states, Abdullahi and
Oliver call themselves the Triple Cripples as black disabled women.
They face three levels of oppression on a daily basis, and
they say stories like this are rarely told.
The data shows that people from white ethnic backgrounds with impairments
have the lowest number of life areas restricted of all the ethnic groups.
It shows a disparity between how people of color experience disability,
in comparison to their white counterparts.
The article then quotes Jay and Kim.
Stats and figures aside, they say, we are both living
life as disabled women of color, specifically disabled black women.
Our lived experiences are valid, regardless of the stats.
Jay and Kim, many thanks for joining us this evening, and
we look forward to a really stimulating and thought provoking lecture, thank you.
>> [APPLAUSE] >> Thank you.
>> Yeah, you go first.
[INAUDIBLE] I don't know [INAUDIBLE] okay.
>> Right, wonderful.
Thank you all so much for joining us here this evening.
First of all, we'd like to say Eid Mubarak to the Muslim members of the audience.
Today is, of course, the end of Ramadan, so always a great place to start.
Yes, yes.
>> Did everyone hear our theme music?
I just wanna give a shout out to the person who made it for us.
K15, a wonderful friend of mine,
who actually has been very supportive of this project from the very beginning.
So I'll introduce us again,
because he did such an amazing job, but the order [LAUGH].
So I'm Kym, I described myself as an unapologetically black African and
Caribbean, British, 6'1 tall fat woman with a disability,
with a wheelchair care case of multiple sclerosis.
This is Jay.
>> I am [FOREIGN] Abdullahi.
And I also go by Jay for show, because it takes up too much space on the placards.
>> Yeah. >> But
I am a Nigerian born British travel blogger, and I am a spice.
>> Yes. >> But I also have polio.
>> Yeah. >> Yes.
>> I think the reason why we do that whole list is because we exist in many
different places at the same time.
And sometimes, when we look at people,
we kind of go, okay, you're a woman, okay, you're black, okay this.
And we think that that's the only place they exist in.
Whereas, even Jay and I,
we talk about this all the time >> Yes.
>> Though we are both black disabled women,
we both experienced life in completely different ways, because of
the different lanes of our identities >> Yes, so and
the kinds of disabilities we have.
So despite that, I use crutches, and Kym uses a wheelchair.
There are certain differences there that are quite apparent.
>> Okay, so if you don't know what multiple sclerosis or polio are, please-
>> Google is your friend.
>> Google.
>> [LAUGH] >> We read it often times.
>> We're not going to run through that today.
So on the screen, Jay is gonna do our descriptions for the slides.
>> So yes, so on this particular slide, we have an image of myself and Kym.
>> Beautiful image.
>> Beautiful image, this goes without saying, but we've said it.
>> [LAUGH] >> And
we are all of these things all at once, and more.
We are black, we are women, and we are disabled.
And so one of the reason why we created Triple Cripples, as you all know-
>> Yeah, so the story of Triple Cripples,
the story of TC was that I found her somewhere.
No, we actually- >> She stalked me.
>> I stalked her.
No, we have mutual friend, and actually, I saw one of her videos on Instagram.
And I was like I'm taken aback, she's wonderful, I must meet her.
And what really struck me about Kimberly, I've so affectionately named her,
is the fact that she was so unapologetic about her different identities.
And Triple Cripples was something that we had both actually wanted to create for
a very long time.
However, we realized that the magnitude of something of this
particular undertaking, we couldn't do it by ourselves.
We needed somebody that not only understood what actually means to
be somebody that has three layers of marginalization, but
also to keep one another accountable.
So sometimes when I'm feeling lazy, and I'm tired, and
I can't be bothered to do it, I'm like [SOUND] just leave them, right?
But to Kym, I was like, okay, right, get typing, get typing, get going.
So for something like that, because we're trying to bring about.
>> Yeah. >> And highlight and
amplify- >> Yeah.
>> The stories of the global majority.
This is something that requires so
much more than one person might be able to provide.
>> Yeah, cuz we were kind of sick and
tired of the unaddressed discrimination and lack of representation.
>> We don't address.
>> Yeah, that's right, that women of color,
people of color with disabilities experience on a daily basis.
So we have to create Triple Cripples to try and
change the UK landscape from a sexist and a racist one,
into a more diverse, inclusive and progressive environment.
That's why we kind of- >> Yeah, definitely,
TC is definitely something that we hope and do indeed believe will make the UK,
and hopefully the world a better place, because representation is so important.
And we are hoping to go one small way into doing that.
>> And just back to the name, people keep saying we're reclaiming the word cripples,
and we're not reclaiming anything.
>> Nope, it can stay in the box.
>> Yeah, it can stay there,
because I think the challenge that happens is that people think no,
the world's been reclaimed, so everyone can say it now, no you can't.
>> Don't do that [LAUGH].
>> You're not disabled, and
you haven't chosen to give yourself that label, do not say it.
>> No. >> And we were literally talking about
actually, it was a tongue in cheek to look at the three levels of oppression,
or the three levels discrimination that we face.
And each of them has their own consequences.
And so in each category, there are these things,
there's societal structures that make life difficult for you.
>> Cuz I think one of the things we encounter often is people being like,
no, don't call yourself disabled, that's a bad word.
>> It's like no, if we're talking about disabled as,
or the word disabled, or the word disability as a social model,
then we know that it's to do with the world not accommodating us.
>> It's destructive.
>> As opposed to me being a problem.
It's in the same way we looked at the word cripples, in that sense,
in relation to each of those ways of discrimination.
>> And plus, we're so clever, triple and cripple rhyme.
We were very surface level with it.
>> I was like, I didn't wanna say anything, cuz I was like,
I didn't wanna blow any trumpets there.
It's all right.
[LAUGH] so let us move on to the next slide Jay is going to introduce.
>> On the next slide, we have three circles, one with an image of Kym,
one of an image of myself, and we have some descriptions for ourselves.
So Kym is a writer, speaker, podcaster.
She does this professionally.
>> [INAUDIBLE] >> She is an for romance, dating and
disability.
She's a peer reviewed vegan food critic.
>> Self-appointed.
>> Yes. [LAUGH]
>> The official breasts for
Triple Cripple.
>> [LAUGH] >> People always ask, so
before we carry on with the description, maybe I'll clarify that last part.
Actually, I'll do the podcast apart.
So other than Triple Cripples, I also write, and
I entered Has anyone heard of the Spotify boot camp?
>> The sound up boot camp.
Well, Spotify had a competition and they were looking for
people who wanted to do shows.
I won. >> She was one of the winners.
>> I won. >> Wonderful.
>> And so I'm producing a play, an audio play, and so
that's one of the things I do and that's why I get to call myself a podcaster.
And the other thing about the official breast for triple cripples,
when we first, we I don't know we had an interview done on us by the BBC.
And we said some interesting things, it was by BBC minute.
And most of the comments about me were literally about my breasts.
So I decided, since I've been given this wonderful position,
you know the little things coming out that was the most important
thing I decided that I should embrace- >> [LAUGH]
>> This new calling.
>> Yes, this new found title right.
>> Yeah [LAUGH].
>> So about Jay we have a teacher, a travel blogger, a disability blogger,
a podcaster.
A fine cuisine connoisseur again self appointed.
>> Yes. [LAUGH]
>> Professional Niger Princess and
the official baby girl for Triple Cripples.
>> Yes. >> It's a job I take very seriously.
>> It is indeed.
>> Right. Let's move on to the next slide.
So we just wanted to on this, shall I do the description for this one?
>> Yeah, that's you, cuz you have [CROSSTALK].
>> No, it's okay.
>> So on the next slide we have in bold writing, in just ten months.
It's a little bit over ten months now, but I didn't update it.
>> [LAUGH] >> So we've had over 700 views.
>> 700,000.
My bad. >> [LAUGH]
>> Hello.
There's three extra zeros there guys.
I've got discalcula allow me.
So [LAUGH] we've major news features,
interviews and high profile appearances. So
on the screen is just an array of different media outlets and
different logos for the people. There are about 20 up there I think.
Of different people that we've
encountered, been interviewed by, been featured by, and
we just wanted to say, if we weren't needed,
there wouldn't be such a demand. And so
it kind of shows that the huge vacuum that exists in this particular area,
because really and truly, there are if we're talking about a global
majority- >> Yes.
>> There are hundreds of thousands
of disabled people of color. We shouldn't have so
much coverage in just 10 months. So that's one thing.
I mean, we should because we're amazing,
but that's not the point. >> [LAUGH]
>> All right, so
on the next slide we have three images. The first image is of the baby
girls at the TED Talk earlier this year at Sussex University.
>> Yes I forgot we did that.
>> Yes, and we have Kim there stunning in a yellow wrap around dress.
And Jay is wearing an African attire with orange and blue.
The next image is of Kim speaking at a panel on disability and
intersectionality at the London School of Economics.
And just below is Jay speaking at the Sussex police liaison officer
awareness day.
She had not been arrested.
Stage. >> [LAUGH]
>> You're gonna see a lot of pictures of
us, careful.
Are you all right?
>> Don't draw attention, don't draw attention, come on babe.
>> Okay, you're gonna see a lot of pictures of us for
the rest of this presentation, because one of the reasons that we
exist is because we're trying to create visibility.
And so it's important that you see our disabled bodies on your screens,
in your faces all the time.
So we've taken lots and lots of pictures to that effect.
I personally, just on the side, I never used to like taking pictures.
But I realize the importance of us being visible.
>> Yes, definitely.
I have always loved taking pictures.
It's one of my roles as the baby girl.
But yes, I definitely agree being that we are both visibly disabled women.
It is very important the fact that we are also shown in the bodies that we are in.
We could have just had a podcast but then you're just hearing our voices,
there's nothing behind it.
There's no depth to it.
There's no extra parts to say that actually, yes, they are disabled and
they are still doing this which was very important to us.
[CROSSTALK] >> Yeah, that's the annual vanity and
you're not confronted by your prejudices if you don't see it.
You can easily compartmentalize things.
>> Definitely.
>> Okay, so we want to ask some questions.
>> We're on a news flight now, we've got some questions.
>> Right. >> For you.
So can you name a well known disabled woman of color that aren't Jay or Kim?
>> Hands in the air if you can.
>> Because if you put your hand up, we're gonna ask you.
>> No one has put their hand up, okay.
>> Okay. >> Let the record show.
>> By the way on the last slide there was a picture of Kim and Jay.
On this slide there's a beautiful picture of Kim and Jay each of us wearing clothes.
And looking back, we do that sometimes.
So do you remember the time you saw a non binary person of color with
a disability on TV?
Show your hands.
>> Let the record show there are no hands shown.
>> Wow. Okay, next slide.
>> But we're not surprised.
>> Next slide.
>> Next slide is an image of Jay and Kim both with head wraps, actually,
Jay has a yellow golden wrap.
Whereas Kim has a beautiful blue head wrap and the question asked, have you met
a Femme of color with a visible disability at your workplace, show of hands.
>> We got one hand up.
>> Two. >> We got two hands up.
This was- >> Three.
>> Three, I don't have my glasses, four, four, yes.
>> You should have put them on.
But that's another story for another day.
>> That's neither here nor, okay, we have four hands-
>> Four hands.
>> Four hands?
>> Five. >> Five?
>> Yeah, five people.
>> Five hands up.
Wow, wonderful.
I quite like that, actually.
I'm not gonna call anybody up [LAUGH].
>> [LAUGH] >> Okay, so how many black women or
Femmes have you seen as the face of a disability awareness campaign?
Show of hands?
>> You can't do us Emma May, who else?
The beautiful hand that went up was by our friend that we met at the TED Talk.
>> There's no hands up for this one either.
Okay, so when was the last time you saw a disabled person of color at
the forefront of and
included in the discussions surrounding disablity rights by show of hands.
>> One, two- >> We got two hands-
>> Three four.
>> Three hands.
Five. >> You see four hands?
I see four hands now.
>> Six. >> Five six, wow, wonderful.
>> Six. >> Six hands.
>> Out of about- >> Okay, well we'll ask questions later.
>> Yeah, yeah.
[LAUGH] >> Yes, okay.
So let's move on.
I just included a slide of me and Jay being loved up because we love each other.
>> Yes. >> And the slide says sisters for
life because we've only known each other for
as long as Triple Cripples has actually been a thing.
But for both of us in our every day lives we didn't know anybody else that
was like us.
We didn't know anybody else that was also a disabled black woman.
So it was like finding a home within each other.
>> Don't cry.
[LAUGH] >> I wasn't gonna cry.
>> I know I'm wonderful.
>> She's all right.
But it was like finding a home that you didn't realize that you were searching for
for so long.
So definitely sisters for life or at least until she annoys me so.
>> Wow. >> Whichever, whichever happens first.
>> I didn't see that coming.
>> Fickle. >> We'll talk about that afterwards Jay.
So, the next slide.
>> Right, the next slide we are talking about key facts now.
The first circle states that one in four black people are disabled in
the United Kingdom.
>> Okay, so we'll do some general stats first.
So I don't know if anyone knows apparently there are more disabled women
than men in general.
>> General around the world.
>> So I think the statistics right now are at 23% of women by comparison to
19% of men is the general statistic.
>> Yes. >> And in relation to the second circle
says, black adults experience reduced participation.
And I think that was mentioned at the beginning, in key life areas, so
it wasn't generally people of color it is specifically black adults out of everyone
else experienced the lowest standard of life in key life areas like education,
hobbies.
>> Health care.
>> Everything.
>> Leisure, so basically being a human, right?
So, the next one, women, ethnic minorities, and disabled people.
>> Especially.
>> Are all underrepresented in media.
So, we have three different types of stats there.
>> Yeah. The other thing is, by ratio, black and
non-black people of color are more affected by disability because they
are the global majority, so that's something else to bear in mind.
So. Shall we move on the next slide, or
do you wanna talk about- >> I think we can move on.
>> Okay, cool.
[LAUGH] >> Having private conversations in public.
>> [LAUGH] Okay, so just based on that last stat, if we're talking about women,
ethnic minorities, and disabled people being under represented in media,
if women, Femmes, disabled people, people of color, and whoever exists
within those intersections, if they're not in the room making decisions.
How do they get representation?
>> And how do we actually get fair representation when we aren't
in those rooms?
And what does that mean if people who do not live experiences are making, I mean
we're living in a world where that's happening, and we see how that's going.
>> It's on fire.
>> Yeah, exactly.
We're all going to die.
>> And that was always true.
>> I know but.
>> Yes. >> I was trying to do the whole global
warming thing but you didn't catch it.
>> I'm sorry.
>> It's all right.
My jokes are dry.
It's all right I accept.
>> [LAUGH] >> So the next slide says racism and pain.
>> Wonderful exciting topic.
>> Yeah. >> Yeah so the very first circle writes
late diagnoses and a higher mortality rates during pregnancy and childbirth.
This relates specifically to black women,
our pain and our symptoms are simply not believed.
So during our moments when we are trying to bring new life into the world,
unfortunately, we end up leaving it as well.
>> Yeah, and it's like if your pain and your symptoms aren't believed,
imagine how hard it is to get even to the point of diagnosis.
Much less get the treatment and care and facilities you're requiring for
medication you require to help manage your disability or condition.
I think a lot of people think that racism is someone calling you a name that
you don't like.
Or perhaps not letting you sit next to them on the bus.
I have my two younger brothers are here actually.
And I was talking to one of them the other day and
he mentioned walking down the street and from when he's young he's been
telling the story of someone crossing the street whenever they see him coming.
Now my brothers are gentle giants.
They were raised in the same household as me.
I know exactly what they do in life.
And so from when he's been small, he's been experiencing people of other
races crossing over the road whenever they see him crossing over the road.
Or looking at him in spaces like he doesn't belong.
You don't have to call someone a slur for them to know they're not welcome.
And in the same way if you're talking about the structure of medicine, right,
and we're talking about the structure of education, which we'll cover later,
but right now if we talk about the structure of medicine,
if I'm your healthcare provider, and I have these biases, yes, and
these preconceived notions, unconscious or conscious,
I'm not sure I believe in unconscious bias anymore, because it's 2019, but okay.
>> Yeah, that bias is fully awake.
>> Yeah, I know.
And we've got so much information around us.
If you're choosing not to engage with that, that is a choice.
But that's a controversial opinion.
But if we are living in this time and you do have unconscious bias.
Or you have these premeditated ideas or
these sorry preconceived notions of who is sitting in front of you and
what they deserve, and whether or not to listen to them based on these ideas,
your treatment plan, even how you observe how you record data.
Everything is going to reflect that bias.
And it's going to affect their health outcome.
We were at last year's shout out network, what is it, festival, and
we met a doctor, a young doctor, who happened to be a person of color.
And they were talking about how in their experience of going in as a new
doctor to a hospital, they were surrounded by all these non POC, doctors, POC
means person of color, doctors, and having to toe the line that was led for them.
So they were engaging with a person of color,
particularly a young black man who had particular issues in a ward and
they've been going through their notes, and every morning,
they're supposed to have this round table with all the doctors and
they're all supposed to talk about each patient and
say what treatment plans are happening, what they're taking, and everything.
Every other patient who was being spoken about was non-black.
And they were going thoroughly into each of their medical histories and
all of these things.
And whenever they came to a black and patient,
they would kind of just skip over most of that history.
Now to someone, to a layman, they might not even notice that but
what does that mean for the patient?
What does that mean about the level of care is going to get but
also what does that say to the young doctors coming in that says, well,
you don't need to pay attention to these people.
You don't need to care as much about what's going on in their lives.
You can just use these general sweeping statements or these general kind
of treatment plans to deal with them because it's not that important.
It says that they are not worthy of equal care.
It says that they are not human enough to be treated as equal to the other
people that you're seeing.
So it's not something that exists just in the mind of the person who,
let's say an individual.
It's a structural thing.
You come into structures we work in structures.
We're social beings.
So if I come into a circle, that's how bullying works, right?
If I come into a circle and no one's talking to person A,
I'll be like, why aren't they talking to person A?
I might not query it, depending on my personality.
I might not question or challenge it, I might just join in,
because I don't wanna be treated like person A.
And so that's what happens in our medical structures anyway.
>> Yeah, she went really deep there, I was engrossed.
>> [LAUGH] So that's how we end up having high mortality rates.
That's how black women end up dying at higher rates of uterine cancers and
things like that.
That's how that happens.
That's how we get late diagnoses of disabilities of conditions.
And that's how we end up dying of things that we shouldn't necessarily or
even just ending up with more disablement than is necessary or
more illness that is necessary because some things, are manageable.
And if you don't know until the last minute what happens,
do you know what I mean, so- >> Right, in the very last circle,
we have disabled women and fence experience five times more sexual abuse.
Plus only 5% of sexual assault is actually reported within these groups.
So just to use a bit of a media example, so in the not so recent, well,
in the recent past, Harvey Weinstein was accused by a number of women in Hollywood
for being sexually inappropriate, sexual assault, etc., etc., what have you.
Now, the only two women with which he actually raised his voice to say uh-uh,
I didn't do that, were Salma Hayek, a Latina woman, and Lapita Nyongo.
The rest of the women that had said, he did this to me,
he was inappropriate in a number of ways were all white women,
and he had absolutely nothing to say about that.
Now for me, personally, allegedly, he did it, allegedly.
But it is very telling of the fact that it was only with these two
non-white women that he was actually more vocal to say, no, it's not true.
And it has been actually shown that when the victim of sexual assault or
rape or something like that is black woman or women of color and
the perpetrator is a white men who are less likely to be bullied because.
Why would he touch you, right?
So when we have only 5% of sexual assaults actually being reported,
that number just tells us that it's so much larger because it's like,
well, if I'm not gonna be believed anyway, why would I even bother?
I'm just wasting my time because I'm having to rehash this trauma.
>> And the other interesting thing about that statistic in itself is that
just in terms of the people of color.
If we're talking about women of color, black women and
indigenous women experience higher rates of sexual abuse and
domestic violence, and intimate partner violence.
A lot of that exists there.
But within those communities, there is a lot of stigma associated and
cultural taboo associated with kind of reporting or
associated with even recognizing abuse as abuse, right.
So if you've got that, and you've got the low reporting rates,
and you add to it the disabled women are and
firms and have higher rates of abuse than women without disabilities.
You have a number,
which is possibly just unquantifiable because we don't have the data.
>> Yes. >> But if we combine all those things
together and make kind of logical conclusions we can say,
well disables black and indigenous women experienced the highest
rates of sexual violence and intimate partner violence.
>> While we're getting a house back in order,
what I will say is that through the media medium, very powerful tool.
If these things are going unreported,
you are kind of shown the who is the actual best group of people to assault.
You are the actual best group of people to write because I can tell that
nobody cares about you.
>> Yeah. >> So.
>> There's a free fall here.
I can do whatever I want because your body
does not matter, your life has no value, so yeah.
>> In some ways,
that's the benefit of us creating Triple Cripples because there have been so
many stories that have come back to us and people talking to us about their
stories and some of the things. I'm not a counselor, I did try and become
one at one point but I'm currently not. And hearing some of the stories
that people come to me with. I'm always in shock at the number of
people they have told about what has happened to them, and
nothing has happened. Always it's women
of color generally [CROSSTALK] >> It's usually an open secret.
Everybody knows, nobody does anything.
>> Nobody does anything, and
especially because of their disability there is this dismissal happens
of everything that you say. And then statistics we were talking about.
>> So our next slide looks at representation so.
>> So this is why all of those things are why we need representation.
>> Yeah so in our very first circle we have mental health,
emotional well being and societal outcome.
>> Yeah because we know the impact that representation has
on people's mental health.
On this societal outcomes.
If I include you, or I'm able to see myself reflected in the world,
I know it's possible for me.
I know what I can become.
I also feel part of that community in society, and
those things cultivate well being.
Those things cultivate a sense of self, a sense of understand, but
also not just for you, but for the people that exist around you, right?
There is less confusion about okay, are you equal to me, are you a person?
Cuz I've never seen you before.
You're the only one I know that you're not an anomaly anymore.
You're an integrated part of a society.
So you're a member of that society and It means that in my planning,
in my architecture, in my everything, in my education, you are integrated.
Your needs are part of that.
So it's important that you're represented otherwise that isn't gonna happen.
>> Right, so the next cycle states the power of media.
Now what is so
incredibly powerful about the media is that it gives us these messages.
It gives us these claims without us even realizing.
So it doesn't say that only white people can be disabled.
It doesn't tell us that at all.
Yet, whenever we think of disability, whenever we think of fragility,
whenever we think of somebody that we want to look after and care for and
protect, it's a white face that pops on.
>> Yeah. >> So if it's only ever a white person
that I think is worthy and deserving of protection of being looked after, then
anybody that doesn't fit this essentially very low, very narrow category.
There's kind of like no you'll be all right.
I'm sure it doesn't hurt as much.
I'm sure this pinch because it doesn't show up on your darker skin on
your highly melanated skin.
It doesn't hurt as much.
So when I our pain is not believe this is again it's all tied in together
you are more likely to.
Excuse me, become disabled or become further disabled.
Or at some cases it is fatal.
>> Yeah yeah, wow.
The media is powerful.
I think we- >> That's why we.
We happen this peace >> Yeah man
>> We separate a lot of these things.
We separate media, we separate healthcare systems,
we separate education will actually they're all part of the same thing.
Guess who's watching TV and reading newspapers, you're doctors,
you're teachers- >> I guess is creative
>> Thank you.
>> Yes, so and the very last bubble we have aspirations employment,
relationships, and education.
Yeah, I think we've kind of covered that in terms of the things that
representation can do.
So just to come back to the Triple Cripples, right, so
we are about telling the stories of those who remain hidden from view.
And it's history is literally just telling stories, right?
It's just recording stories as they happen in time.
And without a history or collated history or written down history or
recorded history, it's hard for you to know what existed before but
it's also hard for you to inform your future actions right or
your future in action if your actions have been detrimental to people, so.
We are trying to do that and we're trying to create a forum for people,
I guess globally on a larger- >> Yes!
>> Scale. >> A living
archive- >> Yeah.
>> Really. So, another really fascinating thing about
history is that it tells us who and what is important.
>> Yes. >> Right,
so the names that we have all learned through schools, the places,
the battles, 1066, Battle of Hastings, that will never leave me.
But there are so many battles that happened in my own home country
of Nigeria, I had absolutely no idea.
So many politicians, somebody came so many empires that I have no idea about.
So when we are writing down history when we are telling history when we
are retelling history, we are telling you, this is important.
>> Yeah >> Remember this,
I'm telling you this is important.
>> Yeah >> Remember this.
So we have to now realize that Who is being left out?
They are not important they need not be remembered.
>> Yes. >> So this is why triple crapples is here
because we are important and we should be remembered.
>> Yeah cuz we're trying to shift the attitude within people's cultures
right and transform their outcomes in that way and kind of change.
If we talk about in terms of our backgrounds,
in lots of people of indigenous cultures around the world,
there is stigma and taboo associated with illness and disability.
Huge stigma and taboo, which sometimes ends in fatality.
Now that make exist in other places in the world, but
if we're talking about a world majority.
That's where we're coming from, and
if I existed here in England I am blessed enough to have been born here.
And existence system though imperfect where if my parents try to murder me,
someone would find out.
Do you know what I mean?
>> And someone would care.
Or the social,
the societal structure is such that it would be seen as a terrible thing.
Whereas there are cultures around the world where-
>> [COUGH]
>> Just being born as we are.
Means that they are seen as a card, they're seen as a curse,
they're seen as invaluable, invalid >> You're seen as a burden at
the best of it.
And you're seen as a punishment from the gods at the worst
of it >> Yeah.
And so it's important that we tell stories and record people's you know,
experiences because The more you see me, it's, remember we got that,
we got a, my brain is starting to forgot >> Is it the one from YouTube?
>> Yes. >> Okay, I'll tell it.
So one of our Lovely supporters on YouTube had commented on our videos and
she was a supporter from Ghana.
And she told us the story of her uncle who actually had cerebral palsy.
And throughout his entire life, his family essentially locked him in a room for
his entire life from his birth to his death.
Yeah. >> And these are things that happen.
>> Yeah. >> So it's not just about us complaining
about this doctor didn't take my things seriously.
It's also talking about these other things.
So increasing visibility.
We're on a new slide now.
>> New slide.
So this first circle is from a world of isolation to a world of possibility.
Because for a lot of, as we talked about in the beginning, for a lot of people
of color who have disabilities, cause we're not seen in the media or
anything anywhere, we are literally the only disabled people we know.
Literally I knew myself.
Jane knew herself.
And so, to say that people of color, rather.
That we knew and that it's so important to have us on the screen.
It's so important for people to see us and
hear us because then they're like you're me.
Yeah yeah yeah I've seen it.
>> I see myself.
>> I've seen myself, adn there's nothing more liberating than
being able to see yourself reflected outside of yourself.
It's Validating in the way that I think is deeply spiritual and
possibly I can't articulate.
It's the he's got me.
So the next >> Circle
>> circle says the impact your world.
And the reason why I wanted to talk about this, I went to a talk I was blessed
enough to be in a forum with, I don't know if anyones heard of this,
there's a lady called Angela Davis, who's an activist.
Okay, The Angela Davis [CROSSTALK].
>> She [CROSSTALK].
But I was asked to sit at a round table with her.
TC were asked, but Jay was in Spain so I went by myself.
[LAUGH] >> [LAUGH]
>> It was like-
>> But my time will come,
my time- >> I know,
it was like going somewhere without your twin.
I was just like, I want.
And yes, in that room I was the only woman of color with a visible disability.
And one of the things they were talking, all these activists from around the world
were around this table and they were all talking about these wonderful things and
then someone said something to the effect of it's about being somewhere in person,
it's not about all this online stuff.
That's not activism.
And I had just, I was very- >> This was [INAUDIBLE]
>> I was like what?
Because for a lot of disabled people, and I said this at the talk at LSE,
the Internet is our main means of reaching out and touching the world and
touching other people and being in contact with other people and
being able to communicate and accessing information.
And disseminating information.
Some of the best, and most prolific activists for
disability rights exist on the internet.
The internet's been a brilliant invention, for
being able to put allowing people to access this information and for allowing
disabled people to be visible in general and especially disabled people of color.
They've been able to create networks Under each other.
So the internet isn't something to be Pooh-poohed, and
especially when we're talking about existing at different margins of society,
when we're planning events and things like That it is so
important that we think about the ways in which we can make events accessible.
And one of them is by utilizing streaming by utilizing the internet so
those who cannot physically come places, I'm able to come here today but
had things not gone so well yesterday I wouldn't be here.
So There are loads of disabled people I'm sure who'd want to be here but
can't access it.
The internet is an amazing tool for that.
So I just wanted to include it, because that's part of increasing visibility,
utilizing all the outlets and all the ways of communication that we can so
that everyone can be included in trying to change the world.
Because this event to me, Katherine is me trying to see if you guys trying to
make the world a better place by giving out information that will help people.
>> Kim, what did you do?
>> Okay, I was just a little bit excited.
>> [LAUGH] >> Yeah, and
in that will be changing the narrative to transform outcomes.
That's the last circle.
>> Yes, that's the last circle.
So onto to the next slide.
So on this one we have disability in higher
education cuz we figure we're at the college of the university.
>> Yeah. >> Let's talk about higher education.
So, our very first bubble is a hashtag on Twitter and it says,
#WhyDisabledPeopleDropOut.
>> Yeah. >> Ablest attendance policies and
lack of attendance accommodations target those of us with more unpredictable
chronic illnesses and leave us at the mercy of frequently ablest professors.
>> Wow, go ahead.
>> [LAUGH] >> Jay is like yes,
you're gonna get all the fire today.
>> No. >> [LAUGH]
>> Me personally I
feel like this is definitely one that Kim can tackle.
Because, my disability is very predictable.
It sucks, but it sucks from Monday to Sunday.
So there's no change.
>> Yeah, whereas mine is mine is mine fluctuates wildly and unpredictably.
And my experience with higher education has been tumultuous at best.
MS is one of the reasons I had to drop out of university in the first place.
But on trying to re-engage as a disabled person,
one of the things that I found out.
And I think sometimes people think when people with disabilities engage
with education that the reason they don't finish is because they
lack the academic aptitude to fulfill the student duties.
And I would just like to say for the record that, that is not the case.
If we're just going by my personal example,
I'm supposed to have an IQ in the upper 10th percentile of the entire population.
>> Hashtag no bragging.
>> No but if we use me as an example,
the fact that I am not able to engage with higher education academically.
Despite having that so-called attitude by these tests,
which I think are just nonsense.
Anyway, but if we're gonna use those tests as a barometer for
who is supposed to be capable of academics, then I should be fine.
But that's not what academia is about.
That's not how it's set up, right?
So yes, you've got these stringent deadlines.
You've got access issues.
You've got I think attendance requirements.
And for people with different disabilities, what that means is,
at least for me if we use me as an example again, MS' condition and
you guys are experiencing it now.
That affects your cognition and it can affect your ability to articulate
yourself in terms of it can affect your speeches.
So you become fatigued, you have pain,
there are lots of different things that affects you.
[LAUGH] >> She's been in the park ladies.
>> [LAUGH] I am.
But what that means is that when I am then expected to attend a course,
if let's say, the classroom is a five minute walk for regular walking folk or
ambulance fake away.
For me that five minutes could mean that I am no longer able to even
engage in the lecture I attend because the fatigue from the activity is
going to knock out my brain.
I'm just going to be there absorbing nothing.
But also what are the ways in which people learn not everybody is.
Someone who can read rims and rims and rims and rims of paper,
and in order to understand the concept, some people require bullet points,
some people require verbal explanation.
And so within academia,
in a lot ways they're very rigid ways in which we understand learning.
And you're expected to perform.
But it doesn't make sense.
I have an issue with learning in general.
But if we're just talking about from a disability perspective.
If you're talking about the fact that people might have to take time off
because they're not able to attend physically.
But if you were to provide, let's say a stream again internet.
Or your to provide a video you are to be able to provide something for
them to be able to do things whilst they're at home or
do things at a pace that they were able to then that would be fine.
Even within classrooms there are very few provisions made for
students with learning difficulties.
Let's not even start with students who have other needs,
who have visual disturbance.
Who are, I've never been to a lecture before where there has been a student
whose hearing, let's say, is not where everyone else's hearing is.
And they have been provided for, there have been provisions made for them.
I've not been to one like that before.
And so we have to think about the ways in which we're presenting.
Or the ways in which education, higher education, is presented in that way.
Does that make sense?
I don't know if I've made any sense, but let's hope I did
>> I speak Kim, so I always get it.
>> [LAUGH] >> Right,
we're moving on to the second circle, this is another Twitter screenshot.
Current academic structures and systems are so inherently ableist.
But I can't get a degree in god damn disability studies,
because it is inaccessible to me, hashtag why disabled people drop out.
So it is rather damning when you wanna have a degree in disability studies,
and it's inaccessible.
You'd think this would be the one place but no.
>> Yeah, and that's the thing, as I said that sometimes the buildings,
I understand that buildings and structures can't necessarily be changed.
And in the sense that we're trying to preserve the historical significance and
all of that.
I think that's fantastic.
I love architecture.
So I really appreciate all of that stuff.
However, I also think that people should be able to access education [LAUGH].
Access knowledge, too.
>> If you intend to keep the building, great, let's keep it.
But if you're going to have classes, you're gonna have lectures,
everyone should be able to attend.
And it shouldn't be just if we have someone enrolling who's disabled.
Cuz what that does, then, Is that when I turn up you're never ready for me.
When I tried to enroll in university again, I had to spend the first semester
and a half waiting for them to make it accessible.
What does that mean?
That means that the whole time that I should be learning.
I'm not because I'm not able to access the education.
You're using me as your test subject, and really, I shouldn't be your test subject.
So that's not fair on me, asking me, okay, well.
And also, the other thing that was mentioned in this thread,
which I was like, I'm so glad.
Someone mentioned the fact that if you are using me as your test subject,
you're expecting me to know before I even start the course what I'm gonna need.
That doesn't make any sense!
If I hadn't accessed this course before,
and I've not been part of the structure before.
How will know what adjustments need to be made before I've engaged?
It's not possible.
So, it's important that from before I get in, I'm welcome and I'm provided for.
If everyone is provided for, then everyone's okay,
no one falls though the gaps.
But it's where you have the separations of who should be seen in institutions.
There's also that that's not.
>> So it's just a case of saying you need to be ready so
you don't have to get ready.
>> Yeah. >> Essentially now,
the very last call is from an article on the guardian.
And it states,
a blind student facing deportation says university reneged on support.
Now, this particular gentleman, his name is Pami Della, he's from Nigeria, and
he was a blind student that wanted to start a PhD at the University of Dundee
and he- >> He was sponsored to.
>> Sponsored to so he had raised money by selling his own home in Nigeria.
And also had money from a sponsor to be able to see him through his PhD.
And he had been given assurances from the University of Dundee that
everything possible would be done and
everything would be in place to support him during his adoption..
So unfortunately, what happened was because of lack of care,
essentially because of their failures, they essentially said that they
were no longer going to support his student status.
And he's essentially facing deportation.
But remember, he sold his house, so he's facing deportation to destitution.
He has no place to go.
And he's a father.
He has a wife and he has children as well.
So when we are talking about failing students I mean,
this is a failure in the highest order, it's gross negligence.
And in the rest of the article it did state but
this was not the first time that this had happened in this particular University.
>> Yeah, and I think what's important to note here in this particular case is
that he was doing the PhD.
They didn't make the right provisions and
he was complaining about the fact that provisions weren't being made.
And that's when they said they will no longer going to support him.
>> Because how dare he complained?
>> Yeah. And
that's the other thing that we mentioned, disabled people's voices
are often stamped into the ground like we are not allowed to make complaints.
Because why should you complain?
We're giving you special treatment, no such thing It's called equity.
And if you're able to walk through that door and
come through and not have anything fall on you,
why should I be grateful if I'm having to do an obstacle course?
>> And that's the thing as well with being disabled person,
it's as though we're told to rely on the generosity of others.
This should not be generosity we should not be grateful.
This should be something that there's a standard,
this is a rights and we deserve something as such.
But you should just be grateful that you could even come here as I started
>> I was reading an article the other day.
And they were talking about the idea that academics know are no longer,
no longer have the weight that they had.
And they were scared of a world where layman's words were being Heralded
above those of academics.
And it really made me think about this whole hashtag and this idea of who is
meant to be an academian, who's not and whose voices we recognize.
And it was interesting cuz on the one hand I'm like, yes,
I do believe that there's something to be said for people.
Being very engrossed in a particular area of study and learning everything
there is to know about, all that they think there is to know about it.
And trying to amass knowledge, right?
And understanding.
But at the same time if we're saying that academics are the only people who can
talk about particular subjects or who have any know how about anything in life.
And was saying that Lehman, like me, like Jay,
shouldn't have a voice and shouldn't be able to weigh in on any issues.
I feel that that is, it's a small kind of indicator of a larger picture of
how we see the world or how certain people in society to be, right?
Because if we think about academia and who is studied and whose voices are heard.
When I started the counseling course, let's no talk about it.
When I started the counseling course, one of the things that I noticed was
that every single person was studying was an old white man from the 20s,
every single person.
And it was their theories, other than one older white women I think from 1950?
>> Hashtag diversity.
>> [LAUGH] But it's like and these people's voices are supposed to be in all
of history the most important voices when it comes to counseling and psychotherapy.
How? In all of the world,
the only people who know anything about human interaction
are from Europe between this period of time and that period of time.
What does it say about academia when academia focuses on a particular area
in a particular demographic.
If that's where your focus is, I'm very happy for laymen to take the mic,
very happy because what happens when, and we know this, even in science, you do.
Well, I was going to say, even in science, you do experiments and
you have to kind of, you can't just look at.
Okay, well, I wanna find out if these shoes are black and so
I'm gonna just look at these shoes and decide that every pair of shoes is black.
Now you have to get a cross section of things.
But in academia, we don't necessarily do that in terms of our sources and
we poopoo sources that aren't from this hemisphere.
And so I think it's important to think about those ideas that we have of
academia in relations to things like disability.
Because if we only think that old white men should be listened to.
There is no way that a disabled black fem or a disabled woman or
anyone else is welcome in these spaces, right?
Okay. >> Okay, next slide.
Cool, right, so on this slide, we have written disability and
the global majority.
We have three circles.
The first of what we have four circles,
the first of which features an outline of Ghana and the flag of Ghana.
The second which features an outline of the great African continent and
all the flags of the 54 countries represented.
We have on the next circle an outline of South America and all of that, like.
And as per usual, a very attractive picture of Kim and Jay.
>> [LAUGH] There's an attractive picture of us on every slide, yes.
>> [LAUGH] >> So essentially this slide,
which is We were talking, we wanted to talk,
just round off by talking about why do we exist.
Now got like two minutes.
And so we're just going to say that we exist
because we're trying to highlight the narratives of the global majority.
So that means not just staying in the UK, that means travelling around and
finding out the stories of people who exist outside of here.
Because it's very easy for us to say that Our stories and
stories of people in the Western Hemisphere are the only ones that,
Western Hemisphere anyway are the only ones that are important.
And that's a function of white supremacy, right?
The voices of people of color in these places are elevated was the voices of
people of color and other places are not listened to.
And we're not trying to do that.
So we're traveling.
And this year we're going to Ghana for about three months to go and
collect stories of people who are living on the ground.
That's the first place we're going.
And we're planning to go to other places in Africa and South America.
South America is actually the other place in the world has the highest
Population of black people outside of Africa and
gradually travel to other places in the world as well.
But we're starting with those two places.
And we wanna speak to the change makers on the ground.
>> Yes. Definitely we want to speak to the people
that have been, The lived experiences of actually being on the ground,
being in these nations.
Because as Kim rightly said,
we know what it's like to be disabled black women in the UK.
To be a disabled black woman in Ghana, to be a disabled black woman in Nigeria,
we have absolutely no idea about what the structures that are in place what
it actually means to go about your day to day life.
So these are the people we want to speak to.
And we also want to speak with and get to know and
interact with people that work within the charity sector, within NGOs and
also the media because again, visibility, it's very important in using.
Our own platform to amplify and lift up all of these voices within Guyana and
hopefully around the globe.
>> Yeah. >> Yeah.
>> Anyway. >> Anyway.
>> That is the culmination of the entire talk.
We sped through that last one, I hope that was all right.
[LAUGH] Thank you.
>> All right, thank you.
>> [APPLAUSE]