THIS ATTITUDE IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TRYING TO CHANGE.

THIS ATTITUDE IS EXACTLY WHAT I AM TRYING TO CHANGE.

There is a very important difference between disagreeing with somebody and making personal assumptions about their disability, finances, ability to work, relationship, motives and character.

An alternative opinion is not bullying. Defending yourself is not bullying either. But repeatedly presenting assumptions as “facts” without actually checking whether they are true is not constructive discussion.

The original issue here was disability, benefits and the harmful assumptions disabled people are routinely subjected to. Somehow that became speculation about my partner, my income, whether I “should” be working full-time, accusations of having an “agenda”, references to racism that were completely unrelated to the discussion, and judgement about how I spend my time.

That is precisely the attitude I advocate against.

Disabled people do not owe strangers a breakdown of their medical history, finances, capacity for employment or personal circumstances simply because somebody has decided they “look capable”.

Nor does doing voluntary work, advocacy, creative work or community work prove that somebody can sustain conventional full-time employment. Disability does not work like that.

I also want to correct something that was stated publicly about my partner: assumptions were made about him receiving benefits as my carer. That was not fact checked before being presented as though it were established truth.

This is exactly why fact checking matters.

I spend a huge amount of my time supporting people, advocating for disabled communities and challenging harmful stereotypes. You are absolutely entitled to dislike my views, my style or my advocacy. What you are not entitled to do is invent personal information about me and then use those inventions as evidence that I am somehow undeserving, dishonest or hypocritical.

The wider problem is bigger than this one exchange. Disabled people are constantly told what they should be able to do by people who do not live in their bodies, know their circumstances or understand the barriers they face.

We hear:

“You can do this, so why can’t you work full-time?”

“You went somewhere, so you can’t be that disabled.”

“You volunteer, so you shouldn’t need support.”

“You have interests, so clearly you could just get a job.”

That is not how disability works.

And when disabled people challenge those attitudes, it is very easy to dismiss us as angry, difficult, attention-seeking or having an “agenda”, rather than considering whether the assumptions themselves might actually be the problem.

I am not asking everybody to agree with me.

I am asking people to fact check, stop making assumptions and treat disabled people like human beings rather than public property whose lives must be justified to strangers.

You can disagree with me.

You can challenge what I write.

You can present evidence and another perspective.

But please do not mistake judgement, speculation and personal attacks for “just stating facts”.

If we genuinely want stronger communities, then listening to one another and checking information before condemning people would be a very good place to start.

That is the attitude I am trying to change. ❤️

Sarah Wingfield ❤️ 

Actor • Author • Advocate 

Kawaiidolldecora.uk

#disabilityinclusion #strongertogether #disability #disabilityawareness #disabilitysupport #disabilityrights

Alt text:

Collage of screenshots documenting hostile and ableist comments directed at disability advocate Sarah Wingfield during discussions about benefits and disability rights. The upper sections show a lengthy comment criticising Sarah’s unpaid work, questioning why she and her partner are not working full-time, speculating about benefits, accusing her of bullying, and making unrelated references to racism. Sarah’s responses challenge those assumptions, defend disabled people’s right to dignity, and explain that unpaid work and advocacy do not erase disability or barriers to paid employment. The lower-right section shows another commenter stating that people on benefits should “remember who’s paying for them and be grateful,” with Sarah replying that disabled people are not owned by taxpayers and highlighting unpaid labour and the disability wage gap. The graphic includes Sarah Wingfield’s pink signature branding with “Actress | Author | Advocate” and “KawaiiDollDecora.uk.”