Brooke talks with Nana, who shares his unique perspective on living with a disability. Nana discusses his childhood experiences, including the moment he learned about his tracheostomy and how it shaped his understanding of himself.

The conversation delves into the challenges of navigating school systems that often lack proper support for disabled students, as well as the impact of societal perceptions on career choices. Nana emphasises the importance of resilience and self-advocacy, encouraging listeners to ask questions and challenge uncomfortable norms. 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• Disability is viewed as a unique entity rather than a limitation. This perspective emphasises the importance of individual experiences and how one chooses to define their own identity.
• Growing up with a disability can lead to feelings of confusion and disconnect, especially when parents do not openly discuss the nature of the disability. Understanding one's condition can take time, often not fully realised until adolescence.
• The educational system often lacks adequate support for students with disabilities. There can be significant gaps in understanding and resources, leading to periods of exclusion from school and a lack of tailored support.
• Career paths can be influenced by one's disability, with many individuals gravitating towards roles that allow them to help others. Personal experiences can foster a desire to advocate for disabled individuals in the workforce.

BEST MOMENTS

"I think if I was to be in that era again, I would be very forthcoming and wanting to know why am I like this?" 

"I don't allow someone's negativity towards how I look or how I sound to determine how I walk through life." 

"I think now, because the buzzword of EDI is being flung around, we're being put in a position where, okay, we have to take this box." 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/disabled-and-proud/id1621152878

HOST BIO

Disabled and Proud is the show that brings listeners a different perspective on disability. Each week this podcast highlights an awesome disabled guest speaking about their own disability; why they are proud to be disabled and why they are proud to be themselves. 

The conversations in this show will look at what challenges these amazing people face socially, mentally, physically and life in general. This show is raw, open, honest, funny, welcoming and educational. 

Disabled & Proud does exactly what it says on the tin! And whilst we are creating this space for disabled people to be unashamedly themselves, without the need to conform to society, this is also not about toxic positivity. This show will be shining a big, bright light on disability without it being “Paralympic or pity”. 

As you will hear disability is WHOLE, COMPLETE & PERFECT and whilst the topic of disability can be quite heavy - and we definitely don't shy away from the bad days - this podcast is also about having fun too! Our aim is to play a part in reclaiming the word disability - turning it from inadequacy to perfection!