United Disabilities

A big attraction of my disability trainings (learn more at www.RussL.co) is that I implement a lot of metaphors and analogies to breakdown complex and nuanced discrepancies in our society in a more relatable and digestible manner. I created this image last night, and it could very well be my epitaph. The painful irony is that society deems autistic adults as the atypical ones, yet autistic brains tend to be incredibly rational, analytical, and meticulous with a strong foundation of logicality. "Atypical" typically has a subtle negative connotation around it, but it can also describe atypical strengths, not just deficits. Yet autistic adults are told WE'RE the ones who don't make sense. Or that others need to learn how to work with us. Well what if it's the other way around? What if autistic adults need to learn how to work with YOU? I'm very diligent, punctual, and professional. I'm incredibly easy to get along with and am an incredibly efficient worker. Sure, I might get overwhelmed a lot and struggle with emotional regulation, but I'm also an incredibly well-rounded individual. And yet I was the one put in special education, the one made fun of, the one people demean and belittle. In regard to the image below, is asking society to remember shapes asking too much? There are times when I'm honestly so confounded by this world that I can't help but think: "Am I the autistic one? Or is everyone else autistic?" #neurodiversity #actuallyautistic #disabilities #neurodivergent #autisticadults #equity #inclusion

A timely article from Nancy Doyle. Diversity represents your customers and your potential customers. Your employees and your potential employees. Your investors and your potential investors. It's not tick box, it's not (just) a moral crusade. Research shows very clearly that diversity impacts the bottom line. Upwards... https://lnkd.in/eG7-5nnn

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Would you use this?

Positivity Post of the Day Lots of new eyes on my posts. I must end chemo treatment and write about popular culture more often. Got out of bed today. Hurrah. Showered. Double hurrah! Now to rest after those achievements. So for those who are getting to know me: - I’m a keynote public speaker and panelist. Showreel in my highlights. Please book me. My rider: Accessible venue and a glass of Chardonnay or three after I’ve spoken. I talk about disability, disability in the workplace, purple stuff, DEI. And kindness. Rubbish jokes and name-dropping free of charge. - I’m lefty, I’m woke, and very DEI. Given Joanne Webb founded The Girls Club - Network, and I’m a disability activist, this is a family hopefully doing some good stuff. A senior female leader? Join The Girls Club for a fabulous and fun support network. Not a senior female leader? Join me at the pub after dry January… - As a wheelchair user, I’m used to being stared at. So I tend to go cheeky with my clothing and/or my hair. Firstly it’s as cheap a mid-life crisis as I could find. The message lost on most people? Stare at my nonsense, not my wheelchair. - Things you may not know about me: I am descended from George Stephenson, the ‘Father of Railways’. And I appeared in two Belgian pop videos. As you do. Nice to meet you! #DisabilityAwareness #PublicSpeaking #WheelchairLife AltText Mark, a white middle-aged wheelchair-using supermodel, has chosen blue hair for his Mohican. He is wearing normal clothes for once but has a funky wheelchair. He is posing in a post apocalyptic environment. Actually part of the factory behind our property which burned down once upon a time.

The #DisabilityPower100, this is why we do what we do 👇 #DemandTheChange Video description: This is a video of attendees of the Disability Power 100 awards evening being interviewed. Firstly, a man in a wheelchair, wearing a purple outfit and purple hat, speaks into a microphone in front of large purple-lit stand up letters. The next person to speak is a young woman, also in a wheelchair, speaking in front of the same letters. She has glasses and her hair pulled back into a bun. The last person speaking is a woman with dark hair that has pink and blue highlights. She is also stood in front of the same large letters. She is wearing a black jumpsuit with a yellow sunflower pattern.

A heartwarming moment caught on video! 🎥 ✨ During a school race, a young boy finishes his part and then turns back to help his friend in a wheelchair, pushing him so they can cross the finish line together. 🏃♂️❤️♿ This is what true friendship and selflessness look like. 🥹👏 Let’s spread more stories like this! 🌟💞 👉 Looking to supercharge your Career, Mindset, or Creativity? These influencers are changing the game in their fields and are a must-follow for daily inspiration and actionable insights: 💞 Steve Davis | Shikha Gupta | Ed Davidson | Philipp Kozin, PhD, MBA | Christine Raibaldi | Marcus Parade, 🌞💡✅ MBA | Marcus Scholle | Luis L. | LORESCAR SL | Daily Inspiration 1O1 | Bob DePasquale, CFP®CAP® 💬 What do you think about this incredible act of kindness? ❤️ Like, share, and comment to celebrate this beautiful gesture! 🥰 #TrueFriendship #KindnessMatters #InspiringMoments #SelflessLove #HeartwarmingStories

Positivity Post of the Day 1. Oops. Started my regular(ish) posting of 2025 yesterday. Me with not many clothes on in the snow. About my weird lack of sensation as a very strange MS symptom. 29 impressions. Clearly suppressed. Fine LinkedIn. I say ‘nipples’ to that! (But lesson learned). 2. The latest copy of Enable magazine is out. Featuring so many of my friends and colleagues in the lovely disabled community. On a TikTok post from Scott Whitney asking ‘what he would do if he were not disabled’, I responded that I wouldn’t be as kind/nice. Yes, I’d be jumping out of more planes etc, but bloody hell I’m proud to stand - or indeed sit - in such gorgeous human being company. Now why they chose a clearly 27-year-old to feature in an article about ageing well with MS, I have no idea. But there you have it. But hey, I’m ageing well. Or ‘embracing well’ I guess is the message. Acceptance of diagnosis, acceptance of being called disabled is a journey for most of us. Certainly was for me. I remember saying to a Costa Coffee barista ‘I’m slightly disabled’ when I was at the walking drunk stage of my progressive disease. There’s really no such thing. But hey. Accept there’s stuff you can’t do, push the boundaries where you can. Full publication in comments. #HideMyNipples #MSAwareness #DisabilityAwareness AltText A page from Enable magazine titled ‘Ageing well with MS’ [Multiple Sclerosis]. Subtitle: Disability advocate Mark Webb has lived with Multiple Sclerosis for 32 years. Now aged 56, [a typo, obviously], he talked to Editor Melissa Holmes about everyday life with MS, how his perspective on the disease has shifted over time, and his hopes for the future. Right side a pic of me in our garden. Green Mohican, paint splatter style shirt, Walker. I am smiling and accepting that one day I will be thirty. Underneath pic is a quote, “It won’t be in time for me, but to stop MS in its tracks would be wonderful” Left side some waffle by me…

“Imagine if we all embodied this attitude? Imagine if we were all unafraid to fly?” Sal Naseem FRSA Thanks for sharing Umbereen S. Nehal, MD, MPH, MBA

With all the team at United Disabilities twenty three and a bit years old, we have mostly passed our Lego days. But we're very happy to see their inclusive range extending again. Representation matters and with roughly 80% of disabilities hidden ones, it is lovely to see this now catered for. People with hidden disabilities aren't 'lucky'. They're not lazy. They're not scroungers. But you can bet your bottom dollar they will face plenty of misunderstanding, discrimination and ableism... Another stat for you: 83% of disability is acquired post-birth. It will happen to nearly every one of us through life, even if only temporarily. Please judge less, accept and listen more. #RepresentationMatters #InclusionMatters #DisabilityAwareness https://lnkd.in/g93Wepf7