'I felt like I was the problem' - Disabled Mayo woman had to be carried up stairs in school

Mayo woman Avril Greham was born with an impairment but says it has never stopped her from achieving success and independence. 

Disabled activist Avril (46) owns her own home in Ballina where she grew up and works as a civil servant and is heavily involved in her local community in various ways.

She is a dog owner and is able to drive her own car despite being a wheelchair user. Avril's story proves that having a disability is no boundary to living a fulfilling and independent lifestyle.

Life wasn't always this way for Avril, especially growing up in primary and secondary school, where she recalls friends having to lift her wheelchair up school stairways so she could go to class. This was only one boundary Avril faced as a young disabled woman who, looking back on it now, says she should of never had to face what she went through.

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One story in particular Avril shared to her social media really shines a light on how excluded disabled people can feel.

"When I was seven, my friends would run off to the wooded area at school. It was a huge part of playtime, full of adventure for everyone else. But it wasn't accessible for me. My friends tried to include me, they really did, but the space itself just shut me out.

"I felt like I was the problem, a burden even. I thought I just wasn't able, not enough. It took me years to unlearn that false belief. My impairment doesn't disable me, society does. That's the real barrier," Avril said.

PICTURED ABOVE IS AVRIL GREHAM AS A YOUNG CHILD

Sports fanatic Avril was born with an impairment called arthrogryposis multiplex congenita which affects the development of joints before a person is born.

"It can affect one joint, it just depends but for me, it's most of my joints and it has an impact on your muscles as well. So basically they stop developing before you're born but it's non-progressive."

Growing up Avril said that luckily she had a really good group of friends who supported her when she needed it.

"But I've always found that when I was a child that, you know, other children accept and are open more readily. It was always the adults in my life that might have had a difficulty or just didn't know how to talk to somebody who was impaired or disabled. 

"My parents, from the day I was born, I was never treated any differently. They ensured that I participated in all areas of life.

"I suppose the challenge for me was the physical environment. I used to walk with calipers and a walking aid, so in terms of school, it was the environment that was disabling me, as opposed to teachers or my friends or other students."

Avril went to UCD, moving all the way to Dublin by herself and living on the university campus when she was 18. This was when she was seriously challenged because of the lack of support for her as a disabled woman.

"They're the national DPO which is a collective run by disabled people for disabled people and it's unlike a service provider or charity.

"We're an independent group focused on rights and representation and we work to ensure disabled people are at the heart of decision making. What that essentially means is the public bodies must involve disabled people in policies that affect their lives."

Avril also proudly hosts an event which is returning for its second year called 'Expanding Horizons.' It will take place at Great National Hotel Ballina, Thursday, July 24 at 7pm.