Friday 8 April 2011

Trailblazers

A couple of posts back, you might have seen me mention Trailblazers, the campaign group I am a member of. Since the theme of ChronicBabe's Blog Carnival this time is Causes I Stand Up For and Support, I thought I'd tell you a little bit about us, what we do and why I got involved.

Trailblazers is a part of the Muscular Dystrophy Campaign, the main charity in the UK fundraising for research into muscular dystrophy and related muscle disease, as well as supporting the individuals with the condition. We're a group of young people aged 16 to 30 who fight against the social injustices faced by people with muscle disease, and have published five reports on key areas we feel need change; public transport, access to university, access to work, tourism and leisure facilities.

I joined Trailblazers almost two years ago, and first got involved with the access to university report. Since then I have been fairly active within the group, helping with media awareness for the reports. When the leisure report was released, I spoke to journalists of local newspapers, and on two local radio stations about my local zoo charging ticket price for carers, meaning a disabled person needing a carer to accompany them effectively pays almost double an able-bodied person would. I've also attended regional group meetings in Manchester, and last month went to Parliament to help launch an All Party Parliamentary Group for Young Disabled People.

Since joining, I've realised how passionate I am about challenging people's perceptions of disability and how social barriers can be overcome. I never thought I could make a difference, but through Trailblazers, I've seen for myself what changes we have made and how much more progress we can achieve. After university, I think I want to pursue a career in campaigning in order to make further advances in the equality of disabled people.

2 comments:

  1. i keep meaning to get involved with Chronic Babe's Blog Carnival x

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm really pleased to find your blog! I'll be following.

    ReplyDelete

Thanks for taking the time to comment on my blog. I love receiving comments, it's nice to know I'm not just talking to myself :)! So let me know you're out there: say hello, share similar experiences or let me know if you've any hints or tips!

Catherine
x x x

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