Parliamentary Campaigns and Media Officer Simone Aspis has always believed in the power of communications to achieve change. But it’s not been an easy ride. The UK Disabled People's Council worker shares her trials and achievements with Trina Wallace.
Working just three days a week for a disabled rights charity facing a funding crisis, Simone Aspis admits it's taken a lot of hard graft to achieve communication successes.
But over the last 18 months, the Parliamentary Campaigns and Media Officer, has helped raised the profile of the UK's Disabled People's Council (UKDPC) with continuous campaigning and media work.
Making contacts
Press releases and statements on everything from equal rights issues to embryo selective abortion and assisted dying have got the organisation coverage on News24, the BBC Six O' Clock News, local radio and in national papers including the Daily Mail and the Sunday Times.
And having found UKDPC's way into journalists' contact books about these issues, Simone intends to build on the relationships to get coverage of the organisation's other, less media-friendly, campaigns. Primarily, she's hoping to use the contacts to open up a two-way debate on the reform of the Welfare Reform Bill.
Media bias
The UKDPC believe the Bill will force disabled people off benefits and into low-paid, inappropriate work.
But, Simone says, the media focus on stories about benefit cheats and don't give disabled people the chance to tell their side of the story. "It's why, whenever journalists ask to speak to a spokesperson from UKDPC, we always suggest they talk to a disabled person too," says Simone.
UKDPC members have also met with ministers to discuss the Welfare Reform Bill, they've lobbied parliament and demonstrated on the issue in London. Simone says UKDPC is unique because it's run and controlled by disabled people and this is a selling point in securing media coverage and in campaigning work.
Giving disabled people a voice
"Progress is made when groups are at the centre of things - women didn't get the vote without going out their and campaigning themselves," says Simone. "In whatever work we do, we have to ensure disabled people have a voice. We're not in a luxury position where we're fighting for new rights. We're actually fighting for the rights we're meant to have."
This point is demonstrated in some of Simone's run-ins with the media. Appearing on ITV1's This Morning as a spokesperson for UKDPC talking about the Church's position on embryo selection, Simone's first question from the presenter was about her own disability.
"She said something like 'You don't look like someone who is disabled'," remembers Simone. "I'm not normally asked about my health condition, it's irrelevant when I'm talking about wider issues. But, at least this shows those who are watching that society’s attitude to disabled people still needs to change."
Key messages
In fact, UKDCP believes that disabled people's disability arises from society's negative treatment and that equality can be achieved by removing the barriers to their social inclusion. This is something that Simone conveys when she's acting as a spokesperson for the organisation, writing a press release or briefing members on key campaign messages.
Simone believed in the power of communications to achieve change when she was just 12 years old and receiving her education in a special school. "I was labelled with learning difficulties but wanted to go to a mainstream school," she says. "Nobody wanted to help me so I wrote a letter to the Secretary of Sate asking him to move me."
Raising the profile
Simone is now studying for a part-time PhD in inclusive education. A former BBC assistant radio producer, Simone says UKDPC's greatest achievement in the last two and a half years, since she joined the four-strong team, has been to raise the organisation's profile.
"That's been really important because we don’t deliver services like other disability charities, we deliver policies," says Simone. "Now we’re working to raise coverage of our position on the Single Equalities Bill.
"We'll always fight on to the bitter end to ensure disabled people have true equality."
Published before February 2009