Celia’s story: the personal experiences behind being disabled

Why is it important to you to share your personal experiences of living with a non-visible disability on Social Media?

Sharing my personal experiences is so important because it’s such a massive tool for building awareness and education. To put a person behind the medical vocabulary, even though most people know what a feeding tube is have they ever actually thought about what it’s like to live with one? I think sharing, humanises and de-stigmatises so much of the negative thoughts people have around disability. I wish that 10/15 years ago I would have been able to find young women in my situation, being honest and sharing their experiences. I wanted to see the nitty-gritty, the raw truth, what its like everyday, I wanted to know that I wasn’t alone, I wasn’t ‘weird’, I didn’t need to be scared, and that I would find my path in life. It would have given me hope for the future and a smile in the present moment. I hope, even if its just a little bit, me sharing my personal experiences is not only raising awareness, education and bringing a greater presence to disability and chronic illness as a conversation in general, but showing people you are never alone and that despite the barriers, we can achieve and dont let anybody tell you differently.

As someone who talks about personal experiences through social platforms but also co-founded The Disability Policy Centre, how do you distinguish between work and your personal  life? What do you do in your spare time to switch off?

Work/switching off balance can be extremely difficult if you work in the disability/accessibility/inclusivity space, especially if you also identity as a disabled person, or someone with a long term health condition. Living it and working it can be very mentally draining and it becomes hard to create a separation between the two. My advice - set your boundaries, what are you comfortable talking about, sharing, how much time you are working, what is work does this include social media? Set your limits and stick to it! It can be so easy to get stuck scrolling or finishing up emails, but your mental health and opportunity to rest is just as important as the work you are doing. Always show up for yourself, and if something feels too far, stop, step back and prioritise

What would be your advice for disabled Entrepreneurs who are just starting out their journey?

I think there would be a few pieces of advice I would offer, but fundamentally is get advice and create connections. Especially if you are starting your journey solo without a team or a co-founder, speak as much as you can to others who have been through the process before on best practices, essentials, drawing up all the tips/tricks from others. We all want to see disabled entrepreneurs succeed and there is an abundance of people out there who are willing to help and offer their guidance. Once step further from that is find your community. Find likeminded people in your business space, or people with similar lived experiences, connect with and support one another through your journeys. It can be complicated, sometimes lonely and at times very confusing, so having that community around you will really help set you on the right path, and boost the profile of your company!

Celia will be hosting two sessions at Naidex 2023: ‘Being a Disabled Entrepreneur’ and ‘Disability Pride.’ To find out more check out the agenda.