PGP / SPD My story:

To the professionals who keep sabotaging my hard work: You hide behind a fake facade of community care and justice—so people defend your honour, unaware of your dishonesty. But I see you. I know what you did. You lied to the police. You manipulate behind closed doors because you can’t manipulate me. You smear my name because you can’t bend my spirit. But here’s the thing: every time you try to knock me down, I rise stronger. You pull strings behind the scenes and plot in the shadows—but I never needed you to thrive. In fact, you’d have done more for our town working with me. You can’t sabotage opportunities that live beyond your reach. And the ones you have succeeded to take? Watch them return to me—threefold—with karma on my shoulder. I am a warrior for fair treatment, especially for the disabled and marginalised. You can blacklist me locally, stalk my work, and whisper poison into people’s ears for three years—but I’m still standing. Still winning. Because what I do comes from truth....

 Oh my heart!  I have just received the most beautiful card and paw prints of Bud from Sore Paws vets. These are truly beautiful and mean the world to me. He had his heavenly third birthday yesterday and we lit a candle for him at mine. He also has a memorial at my partners. He was so exceptionally loved and is greatly missed. Rest in peace my beautiful fur baby - you were far too good for this world. 🐾 Sarah 🌹

Cropped: A disabled voice silenced: It’s disheartening to be excluded from the disability advocacy work I’ve contributed to—apparently due to my open, legal use of medical cannabis on social media. To then be cropped out of shared images feels unnecessarily spiteful. It sends a harmful message to neurodivergent people like me, especially those with RSD: "Your voice doesn't matter."  I feel erased. I spotted my shoulder in press coverage promoting another disabled woman’s voice, while I’m still waiting for the policies that allegedly justify my silencing. What rules have I broken by advocating for legal access to medicine? You don't support disabled people by erasing us. Period. I won’t share the image—for now. I still hope they'll do the right thing and include my podcast. Because disabled voices do matter and that INCLUDES mine! Sarah Wingfield  Independent Disability Advocate  #DurhamEnable #Podcast #Cropped #Blacklisted #MedicalCanna #DisabilityAwareness #Disab...

The Power of Not Remaining Silent- There is something sacred about telling the truth as it is—raw, unpolished, and alive. In a world that so often rewards silence, especially when the truth is ugly or inconvenient, choosing to speak up—consistently, honestly, and in real-time—is a radical act of defiance. Documenting the ups and downs of life as they happen isn’t just cathartic; it’s necessary. Not just for ourselves, but for the world that’s watching in silence, waiting for someone to say, “Yes, that happened to me too.” We’re taught from an early age to smooth over our pain, to present the best version of our lives, to curate our struggles into something more palatable. But life is not a highlight reel. It is messy. It is heartbreak and joy wrapped in the same day. And when we only share the triumphs, we starve others of the truth that suffering is not a flaw—it’s part of being human. The real danger lies in the pressure to keep quiet. People will go to extreme lengths to silence you...

  https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/723991?fbclid=IwY2xjawKS2xpleHRuA2FlbQIxMQABHs2pC4G-KEmB4TSxz33ln1AifbapYX8RmeSBLq22w59AD_9GPhl-71rNoWxH_aem_arr0NqKicwQzDD04kn8J5A If you care about DISABLED RIGHTS and your OWN future health 🙏🏻 GET THIS SIGNED ASAP! ❤️ We've managed 4,722 so far - that's almost halfway to our first goal! Please share and/or sign! #welfarenotwarfare  Sarah: Changing the Narrative (two Sarah's team up to double the Sarah power of actioning positive change! 🦸🏻‍♀️) Kawaii Doll Decora -- Sarah: Changing the Narrative's post: -- Cuts to disability benefits aren’t just about money. They are about whose lives we choose to protect, and whose lives we quietly decide are expendable. Right now, Britain is cutting PIP, freezing incapacity benefits, and shrugging off the damage as if it’s inevitable. The disabled community is frightened. And for good reason. We know our history. We know what happens when society decides disabled people are “too expen...

Keep Showing Up for You – That’s How Change Happens Remember this — when you're kicked while you're down, it’s not because you deserved it. It’s because this world has a dark habit of punishing vulnerability. The unfairness will hit you like cold wind: sabotage, criticism, judgment, neglect, rejection. Sometimes all at once. And yet — you still have power. The power to keep showing up for yourself, over and over again. That’s where real change begins. Not in the perfect conditions. Not when it’s easy. But in the brutal moments where you choose not to give up on you. Every so-called “problem” you carry — the trauma, the mistakes, the shame, the things society tries to label as broken — they’re not the end of your story. They are the highlighter pens on what needs fixing in the world, not in you. You could bow to it all, accept it, internalise it… or you could turn that pain outward, into something that makes life better — not just for you, but for all of us. Because here’s the t...

DurhamEnable; Silenced for Healing: When Advocacy Collides with Stigma: I am a disabled woman. I live with chronic pain and a body that rarely gives me a break. I fight every day to exist, to speak, to advocate—not just for myself, but for countless others like me. And yet, recently, my voice was deliberately muted. Not because I lied, harmed, or misrepresented myself, but because I dared to advocate openly about my legal use of prescription cannabis and share footage of me managing my pain with it. Yes, cannabis. The plant that has offered me more relief than a pharmacy's worth of pills. The medicine that finally helped me eat again, sleep again, move again. The substance that, when prescribed and used responsibly, gave me back parts of my life that pain had stolen. The drug that is responsible for me staying alive. Apparently, being honest and sharing that publicly is enough to get you blacklisted. Blacklisting is not something new to me - the world rarely makes space for me and ...

Some people are incapable of understanding you or your perspective because they're so far away from anything you've experienced - you can't change that. But you should never condone their unnecessary abuse or negativity - let them keep that and swim in it. Some of us have survived and endured far more than any one individual ever should have - and we create change and paths so others don't have to suffer like we did. We don't owe anyone our reality when they choose assumptions over facts. ❤️ We damage control - we keep going and we find people who are 'for us' and our spirit tribe. I'm not alone in the way the world fixates on opportunities to hate - my feed is flooded with people on the cusp - trying to survive and constantly targeted with misguided hate, projections, unnecessary negativity and bullying. I build them up when hundreds are tearing them down - I step in the hate and offer love and understanding - they can hate me all they want but doesn...

I am not Yours to Define: Reclaiming My Space and Self-Respect: “It’s been swell, but the swelling’s gone down.” – Tank Girl *Exit stage left.* Today I made space for someone—respecting our differences, I heard her out, and supported her, even when her tone was laced with spite. I clarified things she asked me to explain. I reminded her that abuse is never her fault. And in return? She tried to invalidate my existence. Wrapped her personal opinions in insults, and threw them at me like truth bombs. Classic. So I told her plainly: "I'm not wearing your opinions of me—you can keep them." And I exited. Quietly. Cleanly. Notifications off. Let them talk 'at' me all they want. My time and energy is precious - it won't be wasted on hateful sorts. The superiority complexes some people carry are wild. When you try to educate, they take it as an insult—because ignorance dressed up as ego can’t bear the weight of being challenged. If they truly understood what they were...

Understanding the Difference: BDSM, Consent, and the Urgent Need for Education. By Sarah Wingfield – Trauma Survivor, Author, Advocate. Image credit - original creator - Australian BDSM art - > image depicts a woman laid on her front fully clothed and wearing a latex suit with cat ears, she has heels and a ball-gag in her mouth, black eyeliner and is tied together with rope play known as shibari. < In recent conversations, especially following a thought-provoking piece of BDSM-themed art I shared, I've found myself engaging in critical discussions about abuse, trauma, and consent. As someone living with CPTSD and an advocate working with safeguarding legislation and trauma charities, I want to make something very clear: Consent is not the same as coercion. And this misunderstanding is at the heart of a widespread and dangerous problem—one that urgently calls for better education in our schools and communities. ~Abuse vs. BDSM: The Critical Distinction~ Abusers do not need BDS...

I had to say goodbye to my fur baby on the 7th. I've been mostly sad with bouts of bawling my eyes out. I sang him to sleep - my partner Peter was with us and we loved Bud so very much. Just woke up crying after seeing him in my dreams. Life is just so unfair and I'm missing him and will miss him a lot. I still love him and we did a beautiful memorial on the night of the 7th May for him. Lit a candle and had 'Don't bring nobody but the baby' song playing. That's the song I sang to him when I first got him and it's the song he relaxed to as I sang it to him when we said goodbye. The vets were so kind and patient with us and I kissed his little head a few times before we left him - after he was gone. He was too good for this world.  I feel so lost without him at the moment - I've cancelled everything and I'm taking some me-time at Peter's. I'm back at mine next week but he was loved fiercely and absolutely spoiled during his time with me. I wan...

I still remember being screamed at on the ward "I've got cancer and I'm not going on like you!"  She meant she had something terminal and still wasn't in the excruciating agony I was in and was crying through whilst I was wishing I was in a coma. My pain management was often administered late and incorrect, lower doses than I should have had to keep me comfortable. So of course my pain would increase and torture me. They usually had me on a side ward because of my pain - but they left me on this ward to be targeted and to be made to suffer on top of what I was dealing with. A woman to the right of me was bragging about all the help she'd had from the NHS whilst I had to have a hospital bed donated from Germany as a desperate attempt at comfort and support, and was lucky that that was even a possibility. The staff were abusive all of the time - why wouldn't they be - they blamed me - assumed I was faking because medical notes meant nothing so my expression ...

All ready to go get my son - with Peter - and take him out for the day. ❤️ Got some writing done yesterday - ended up working on a different book - but all writing is important and as long as I keep chipping away at my books and getting more written - the closer I am to releasing them on my author account on Amazon. I started on a weird fictional piece based on my disabilities and experiences and it's reminiscent of Alice in Wonderland - but a woman with a walking stick that ends up in a fantasy world of self discovery. Let's see where it goes from here. Sarah. ❤️

 Just signed up today to see Meta Horizon Worlds and what it was all about to get avatar stickers - haven't done anything in the app or game but downloaded and installed it - and I'm not even allowed on it lmao. I don't have a VR headset to even break any rules.   The online world continues to make ZERO sense - unless you have money - then you can access what you want and break any rules.  But if you're me? You get banned before you even get started. Total waste of time creating an account and downloading - if they make things unusable. Sarah ❤️ #meta #metahorizonworlds #metahorizon #unusable #unplayable #glitch #ban #AccessDenied

I've got a lot going on behind the scenes right now. I always say it’s okay to not be okay—but I tend to hide away when I’m struggling, and that’s not being the advocate I want to be. So here I am, being honest: I’m heartbroken. My beloved fur baby is being put to sleep next Wednesday. Life’s been throwing some brutal punches lately, and on top of that, I’m dealing with my usual battles—chronic pain, fatigue, and other personal struggles I’ve been quietly chipping away at. Lately, it’s felt unbearable. I’ve been crying all day, feeling useless, and running on empty. I’m doing my best to stay strong, but right now, I’m struggling to cope. I’ll be staying at my partner’s for another week after today—to escape a bit and take a break from everything. I know I’ll get through this, but it’s going to take time. I need people to understand that I might be online less while I work through it all. Sometimes sharing memes and being around my social friends really helps—but it also leaves me v...

 I just got asked not to ask someone to educate themselves better on disability because they KNOW two disabled people... I absolutely will ask people to educate themselves because people need to educate themselves on how harmful these narratives are on disabled people as a whole. You can't assume they're faking - 0.1% fraud rates and 4.2 billion pounds annually in unclaimed benefits. Your personal struggles doesn't justify misguided hate built on false narratives that use an assumed few to fuel hate for the masses. I'm an independent disability advocate - I advocate FOR your disabled friends and relatives and with good reason - if you knew your words and assumptions harmed them would you change? Disability varies from person to person and hate solves nothing. Focusing on people who fake disabilities—or amplifying the fear that many are faking—creates a culture of suspicion that disproportionately harms genuinely disabled people. This scrutiny forces disabled people to c...

 I've seen people being easily brainwashed to hate disabled people today because of the way the media spins the help and accessibility that's put in place to even the playing field. People creating fake scenarios to justify hate for the disabled and others wishing they could 'sit at home all day'. Imagine you have cancer, but it's not terminal, it's just going to destroy every aspect of your life and instead of being able to die you have to adjust and adapt and learn to live in excruciating agony, low energy, low movements... That's Disability. Stop thinking you can SEE disability when you could never see cancer with your eyes. You're not someone who has X-ray super powers and people you accuse of not struggling aren't around you at their worst. You know nothing of the reality and the media helps fuel your misguided hate. Wish for a permanent illness and you may get one - but considering the people hating are the ones that only care about an issue or...

 I'm seeking help from a company/ organisation for my neurodivergence: they just asked me if their site was accessible for me and I explained my disability and mobility issues and transportation difficulties. They just told me that their support is only available directly on site. Why ask me then? I may lose support now if I can't attend. They're called Daisy Chain and were actually recommended to me on a thread of my hometowns page. They're supposed to support autistic people. Some autistic people have social anxiety - struggles to get to new places too. I don't like inaccessible support because it doesn't support - it rejects. *Worried* I've been abandoned many times before because my disability and mobility issues have not been taken seriously and organisations choose to be inaccessible instead of offering home visits or telephone consultations. An even more anxious Sarah having seen there's no bus stops near there either... Sarah 💔 #AccessibilityMat...

I just read an article about a man that abused several elderly people in a care home and only got three years. When abusers are caught - they face silly and very little consequences - that's if it even goes to court at all and they don't get away scot-free! I left a job for the NHS as I was bullied out of it as a teenager for defending disabled people under our care from staff and our boss who could have triggered an epileptic fit by screaming in the face of a lady with epilepsy in our care. I have no ulterior agendas. When I speak out about things it's because I've seen how bad life actually is - I've even lived in the seething abusive underbelly of society - and survived. I turn my pain into power and I action positive change and I won't apologise for expecting that from others. No abuse is ever okay. Period. But our system is a joke and society is even more harmful towards victims of abuse - no wonder many don't feel there's any other way out of this ...

I emailed Darlington Association on Disability today about their Independent Living forum. They posted today: " We are relaunching our Independent Living Forum.    The aims of the Independent Living Forum are to: * bring disabled people together to identify the key issues that are important to you and share experiences. * support you to have your voice heard and influence change on local, regional and national issues. * Members will be asked to identify areas of interest / key issues; this will enable us to invite the right people to our events and meetings. * As part of the first meeting, we will look at the proposed changes to welfare rights and provide support, where needed, to give your views as part of the national consultations.   The first meeting is on: Tuesday 17th June, 1.00 -3.00 pm, at St. Augustine’s Church Hall, Larchfield Street, Darlington, DL3 7TG.   Booking is essential;   email: mail@darlingtondisability.org or phone: 01325 360524. Please let ...

I have just finished the press shoot with DurhamEnable for the podcast and I'm delighted to announce it will be printed in the Durham County Council newsletter! So keep your eyes peeled and I'll send you the link over the next few weeks! Sarah Wingfield 🌹  #podcast #pressshoot #disabilityinclusion #disabilityawareness #employment 

It's cool if we disagree - that's a fact of life. It's cool if I'm not for you - I won't pretend to be. It's cool if you don't understand me - I'm used to it. What's not okay is when you use this as a chance to be disrespectful. It's really THAT simple. 😊❤️ My closest friends and I don't agree on everything but I would never have them any other way - they're my friends because they accept me for who and how I am like I accept them for who and how they are and that's all that matters at the end of the day. People who know how to respect you even when opportunities arise that others would have jumped on to justify disrespect, are so important to keep around. They choose kindness over all else. Mutual respect is everything. ❤️ Sarah ❤️ 

A Dream Apology: I have just woken from the weirdest dream and I feel so much lighter and happier.  In my dream I got an apology for something that happened to me in real life recently, within the last few weeks to be precise, they didn't invalidate, they didn't get nasty, they simply acknowledged and owned accountability and they were kind and sincere. Although I know this hasn't happened in real life it's still made all the difference, that heavy weight of pain I've been carrying from their harmful behaviour and the invalidation afterwards, without acknowledgement, has been lifted, I think my spirit guides have seen me struggling and doing everything and anything I can to get help and fix myself and try and let go of wounds I didn't and don't deserve and have gifted me the simple yet affective closure I'd never get in real life. It was a dark haired man on a page called Promotional Film TV that said if Sarah is watching, I'm sorry that happened and...

Still going ❤️ Still helping ❤️ Still actioning positive change ❤️ I keep changing the world and actioning positive change as best I can, no matter what’s thrown at me or who targets me. These days, I do it behind the scenes – where others can’t influence people into withdrawing their support for me. I still don’t understand why some feel the need to do that, but that’s something they need to figure out – not me. I’m incredibly proud to announce that I’ll be at a press shoot with DurhamEnable on Tuesday for a disability awareness podcast focused on employment. Once I have the details and the link, I’ll share it here and sincerely hope it reaches the right people – the ones who need to hear it. I hope it helps them recognise their worth and believe in their dreams. I want other disabled people to believe in themselves. To know their worth. To demand access and space in this world – and to keep demanding it until the world buckles and makes room for all of us. We can do this together. We...

  Stalking, Misuse of Power & Silencing Victims: A Personal Reflection As a victim of stalking—serious enough to involve the police—this issue is painfully close to my heart. I've ticked all the listed options as potential indicators of stalking. Because if someone knows their communication, gifts, observation, spreading false information, or showing up in person is unwanted and unwarranted, and they do it anyway—that is stalking. Full stop. But there’s something else I need to highlight: the misuse of police powers. As I stated on the official survey and the Police and Crime Commissioner for Cleveland’s Facebook page: > "I would like to add: reactions to behaviour—even when repetitive—can’t be labelled as stalking or mistreatment when they’re not the original problem. You need to target the antagonists, not those trying to cope. (Speaking from personal experience here, as a blogger who’s been threatened—including, but not limited to, arrest—for stating facts about my o...

I just had a lady claim to be open to discussion to just use judgement and assumptions to change my reality to fit how she wants to see me, as soon as I allowed the space for the discussion. This is why communication fails and positive change gets halted prior to being actioned. They would rather correct your reality on how they feel it could be than accept it for how it is. If you want discussion, discuss but stop invalidating people's experiences to dictate because that is technically hate which is what she was ironically arguing about. Not everyone who disagrees is hateful no, but plenty are. Facts can't be changed no matter how bad you want them to be. We need to focus on solutions not dictating or invalidating or changing another's reality to feel superior or create an enemy where none exists. I responded with some potential solutions so we can only see if that's 'heard' or misconstrued further. Understanding is EVERYTHING. If you can't believe someone ...

Still Fighting: Three Years and Counting by Sarah Wingfield Independent Disability Advocate / Blogger / Actress / Producer / Artist / Charity Volunteer / Activist + I never quit. But I’m not quite succeeding either. Not yet. Three years of relentless effort. Three years of knocking on doors that never open, of being told to "wait," to "be patient," to "prove myself" over and over again like I haven’t already lived a lifetime doing exactly that. My skills are real. My talent is real. My capabilities are undeniable to anyone who’s actually paying attention. But so often—they’re not. So I keep moving. I keep fighting. Because standing still is not an option when survival depends on movement. I don’t have the luxury of giving up. I never did. In a world that dismisses disabled bodies, that underestimates disabled minds, that fears and marginalises anything it doesn’t understand—I create. I advocate. I write. I act. I volunteer. I produce. I organise. I paint. ...

It's no secret I need counseling and support. I've endured more than most, have recent trauma to overcome and I've tried. I read the following article and suggestion which I'll quote after I write this but as much as I understand and accept it will help others and can help others, it won't help me. I can't do this, my memory is not the issue and I want to leave the past in the past. It happened already I just want to move forward but every time I've sought help I've been rejected, mistreated, thwarted and despite this I'm reaching out to other support groups and organisations / helplines that are hopefully more compassionate and understanding. I won't ever condone the use of any support group to commit hate crimes against an individual that was targeted, no matter the narratives they breach confidentiality to share to create hate campaigns and exclusion over support and help. I am still doing my best despite how people have abused their power and...

I Just Want to Be Safe — And Heard I wrote a whole paragraph about this yesterday and deleted it. Why? Because it hasn’t been safe for me to speak. As a woman — and especially as a disabled woman and survivor — every time I speak up, I get trolled, abused, mislabelled. I’ve had to block people constantly just to breathe. I reject the term “CIS.” I always have. And I shouldn’t need to defend that. It wasn’t coined in kindness — do your research — and it doesn’t speak to my experience. I am a woman. That should be enough. I have trans friends. I support trans rights. But the friends I have who are trans don’t want to erase the language we use for women — they want to work alongside us. That’s how we build something safer for everyone. But what about safeguarding? What about uncomfortable truths? I'm a sexual assault survivor. I’ve never been raped by a woman. I know what it means to feel vulnerable — to be vulnerable — and I should be able to say I want spaces where there’s no room f...

I have rearranged my job centre appointments because although they're super important to me, I need to work through the stress and flare ups I'm going through right now. I'm taking control of everything and moving things around so I still meet my goals and give myself the time and space I need to recover when Disabilities are unpredictable. Rest and getting through the bad is all that matters right now. I may have to adapt and change things sometimes but in the long run it changes nothing when it comes to making sure I have the energy levels and rest so I can do the things I do.  Society teaches us to mask and fight through but it's not always possible, and with the bad luck and unpredictable things I've had to deal with recently I need to call a time out and recuperate so I don't end up worse and in hospital. I got dizzy and hit my head on a sink today, albeit a light hit thankfully it's still a sign that my body is demanding my attention and time and I hav...

There’s so much people don’t see when they look at someone who’s autistic. They see the outside, the bits that maybe don’t fit into what they expect. But what they don’t see is the daily battles, the exhausting effort it takes to exist in a world that often wasn’t built with people like us in mind. I’ve had to overcome so many obstacles just to feel like I’m allowed to exist, to breathe, to be myself without judgement. From the constant misunderstandings to the pressure to mask who I really am just to make others feel comfortable. That mask is heavy, and it costs you more than people realise. Some of us live in constant sensory overload, others struggle to communicate in ways that people understand or accept. Some of us don’t show emotion the way others expect, but that doesn’t mean we don’t feel. We feel deeply, sometimes too deeply. And we carry those feelings for a long time. I’ve been made to feel like I’m too much or not enough, sometimes both at the same time, and I’ve had to wor...

  The harmful behaviour I've had to deal with still affects me today and I'm doing my best to rise above it and acknowledge and accept that some adults aren't who they claim to be, bullying behind the scenes whilst seeking encouragement and support.  I'm proud I'm not like them and I'm working hard on finding new and genuine support spaces that are safe to help me overcome all the abuse and bullying I've had to deal with. It's hard when you're the only one who knows the truth and you aren't a nasty person so you don't go around recruiting hate campaigns and speaking against people, I mean I could if I wanted to but that would make me exactly like those who have harmed me and who I avoid. They've added to struggles, they've caused emotional and irreparable harm. They have worked together and abused their trust, power and safe spaces and I want nothing whatsoever to do with any of that. I'm not naming names here but I have and alway...