The way many disabled people appear to be hypersensitive to everything, putting anything bad in their lives down to discrimination and hate crime because they are disabled, reminds me of how many black people were in the early 90s in terms of racism. This therefore gives me hope things may improve as disabled people are more included in society but until then I understand that I may be referred to as a coconut.


If we understand a coconut to be someone who is black but is considered by their so-called peers to be white inside because  how well they are perceived to fit in with white people and because of their assumed disloyalty to their peers as they do not think everyone is against them, then some see me in terms of a disabled version of this.


I admit in the past I have accused others of this myself like David Blunkett and others but these are people have been successful in mainstream career but have needed to conform to do so. People may see me as a coconut because those do not know me may assume I conform but they do not see the true picture. If however being positive about myself and my abilities is why I am regarded as a coconut then I embrace the term with pride!


The only way to change things is to get stuck in and work in the people in control on their terms for now giving hands  dirty rather than sitting outing throwing stones at the windows with clean hands.