News / disability
City Hall lights up to honour Bristol’s Disabled communities
City Hall has been illuminated in purple to mark International Day of Persons with Disabilities.
On Wednesday, several charities for Disabled people joined forces to spotlight and celebrate people in Bristol living with disabilities.
The illumination is part of a wider celebration of Disabled people in Bristol, with a day of talks, workshops and performances from Disabled individuals at M Shed following on Saturday.
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Kelvin Blake, Labour councillor for Hillfields and Bristol Disability Equality Forum (BDEF) ambassador, told Bristol24/7: “For us, it’s about showing and demonstrating that Disabled people are more than either Olympians or victims.
“It’s about showing that Disabled people can play an active part in society and we want to make the most of everyone’s abilities and skills.
“So, we’re here to champion this involvement of Disabled people in society on this important day.”
Kelvin, who has used a wheelchair since being involved in a motorcycle accident in 2006, is keen to ensure that Disabled people are appropriately considered within the landscape of the city.
“I hope that people don’t see us as someone to feel sorry for,” he said, “and actually see that we may be slightly different to them, but that’s not to say that we can’t make massive contributions to society.
“We want people to recognise us for who we are and just see us as other members of our community.”
Tony Dyer, Kelvin Blake and Ruth Nortey were among those gathered to celebrate the illumination of City Hall
The illumination, as well as the celebratory event at M Shed, has been organised by the Bristol Disabled People Organisation Network. This network includes BDEF, WECIL, the Centre for Deaf and Hard of Hearing, People’s Voice and the Bristol Disability Equality Commission.
One of the events’ organisers, researcher and advocate Ruth Nortey, believes that we need more opportunities to prioritise the representation of Disabled people.
She said: “I think it’s really important for Disabled people to see other Disabled people being leaders, but also for us to bring the joy and celebration around being Disabled and all the different ways that Disabled people contribute to society.
“I’d like to see this, particularly for younger Disabled people, as a sort of acknowledgement that you are seen and you are visible and that it’s okay to be you.
“We see you, we hear you, this is your day and we’re celebrating alongside you.”
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Whilst the illumination marks an important step in celebrating Bristol’s Disabled communities, Kelvin Blake says there’s still a lot of work to be done.
“I think this is all about social progress: challenging society to do better for us, for disabled people, because we’ve made some progress but we’ve got a long way to go.”
Speaking to Bristol24/7 about the illumination, leader of Bristol City Council Tony Dyer said: “The importance of this recognition and the reason why we do it is because too often Disabled people are left out of changes to the city and the way the city operates.
“The way that not just Bristol but cities in general, are designed in a way that does not make them easily accessible to Disabled people.
“Days like this are a reminder to all of us who are politicians of making sure that we do whatever we can to make sure that the city is as accessible for Disabled people as for anyone else.
“The city should be accessible for everybody. If it’s not accessible for everybody then we’re not doing the job we were elected to do.”
All photos: Susie Long
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