Why I don’t just support charities for people with disabilities

As someone with a disability you are probably aware of the still extremely real stigmas out there surrounding people who live with disabilities. I believe that one of these stigmas is the expectation that we need to either work or raise money for only organisations that support others with disabilities. While I understand that it’s, at times, very important to support younger people on the road that we have been on before, I feel that it is sometimes important to extend out and support other charities, because as we all know, our disabilities don’t define us.

Personally, the main fundraiser that I did was a few years ago, when I did a fundraiser for ’’Are You Okay, Day” while doing the Colour Run. At the time, raising money and awareness for this charity was extremely important to me as I had just lost someone who I was close to from suicide a few months earlier. Along with, this doing something outside of the disability community meant a lot to my identity as a average person instead of a person who has a disability. This feeling is developing again as my company ‘On Our Own Tracks’ and I are about to do a Movember BBQ Fundraiser to raise money for Men’s mental health, and I feel that it is a good way for us to connect with an important charity along with connecting with our community.

So I encourage you to think about what charities are important to you and reach out beyond the disability community.