Ashley who refers to his disability as a positive, shares his journey and how he found his home and community in disability sports and modelling

In this in depth conversation He chats with Brooke about why you should never doubt yourself and use your disadvantage to your advantage because the sky is the only limit

 

KEY TAKEAWAYS

• I got involved with sports because I was inspired by seeing David Weir
• You stumble into something and it can be the best thing that’s ever happened
• You can be everything you want to be, I’m still grounded but doing everything I wanted to do
• When people expected me to be good all the time, the pressure meant that I didn’t enjoy it any more
• Nothing is before its time things unfurl at the time that is right for you
• When you seek you don’t find, stumbling into something can be the best way to find what you need
• RGK are the Rolls Royce of wheelchairs and their wheelchairs  changed my whole perspective and lifestyle
• I got to travel the world and build rapport and people said that I inspired them to want to be like me
• With modelling jobs, it happens so quickly that you forget about it until you see the billboard but the Ikea job was the one that changed everything
• Half of me knew I could do this but the other half of humbleness and doubt drowned it out
• Life is different but it’s about learning to manoeuvre in the space

 

BEST MOMENTS

‘Everyone was - whose this black guy with all the tattoos in this bright green racing chair?’

‘I realised that I was good at sport’

‘Be yourself and don’t waste time doubting yourself’

‘I got to bond with David Weir, me just a regular guy and he’d done all these amazing things’

 

VALUABLE RESOURCES

Disabled & Proud Podcast

 

ABOUT THE HOST

Disabled and Proud is the show that brings listeners a different perspective on disability. Each week this podcast highlights an awesome disabled guest speaking about their own disability; why they are proud to be disabled and why they are proud to be themselves. 

 

The conversations in this show will look at what challenges these amazing people face socially, mentally, physically and life in general. This show is raw, open, honest, funny, welcoming and educational. 

 

Disabled & Proud does exactly what it says on the tin! And whilst we are creating this space for disabled people to be unashamedly themselves, without need to conform to society, this is also not about toxic positivity. This show will be shining a big, bright light on disability without it being “Paralympic or pity”. 

 

As you will hear disability is WHOLE, COMPLETE & PERFECT and whilst the topic of disability can be quite heavy - and we definitely don't shy away from the bad days - this podcast is also about having fun too! Our aim is to play a part in reclaiming the word disability - turning it from inadequacy to perfection!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

INSTAGRAM! https://www.instagram.com/disabledandproudpodcast/?hl=en: https://www.instagram.com/disabledandproudpodcast/?hl=en