I had a period of time when I had to spend a lot of my day in bed, due to illness. This period in bed, and the fact that I became a wheelchair user, left me feeling that life had ended.

A friend invited me to a GDA event and I slowly gained more confidence as a ‘newly disabled person’

Over the years, I began to gain a sense of who I am as a person, I started feeling more and more confident and felt that I had something to contribute to life.

I got support from other disabled people within GDA, joined the Purple Poncho Players (GDA’s drama group) and definitely gained the guts to begin challenging preconceptions that I had (and others may still have) about life as a disabled person.

I have since joined other community drama groups and enjoy making art in this way. These community groups allow me to encourage others to challenge the status quo and get together. For some of these people, these groups are a lifeline to participating in everyday life!