WEBVTT - This file has cues. 00:00:00.060 --> 00:00:04.920 Hey, how are you? This episode of Something Shifted 00:00:04.920 --> 00:00:11.400 forms part of a global movement called podcast Thon. Back in 2023. 00:00:11.430 --> 00:00:16.950 Podcast thon started with just 300 podcasters in France, but today, 00:00:16.950 --> 00:00:21.720 over 1600 podcasters from all over the world are participating, 00:00:21.720 --> 00:00:25.410 which makes podcast Thon the world's largest podcast charity 00:00:25.410 --> 00:00:29.910 initiative for a week in March. Podcast is around the World 00:00:29.910 --> 00:00:34.050 publish an episode in an effort to raise awareness for a charitable 00:00:34.050 --> 00:00:37.710 cause close to their heart. As a parent to a child with 00:00:37.710 --> 00:00:41.250 special needs, I want you to know more about the work of a 00:00:41.250 --> 00:00:44.820 Cape Town based organization called the Kayley Campaign. 00:00:45.420 --> 00:00:48.540 So my plan was to rock up at their head office and have a 00:00:48.540 --> 00:00:55.920 look around it, but life. So instead I'm going super old school 00:00:55.920 --> 00:01:00.990 and I'm just going to pick up the phone and try to get hold of the CEO. 00:01:08.430 --> 00:01:12.240 Kerry campaign. Good morning. Morning. Hi, this is Sean speaking. 00:01:12.240 --> 00:01:17.130 I'm looking for Zelda. Minecraft, please. Sure. It's all. 00:01:17.250 --> 00:01:25.020 Thank you. Hi. Silver speaking. Morning, Zelda. It's Sean speaking. 00:01:25.320 --> 00:01:30.840 How are you? I'm Sean. If that last name Mycroft is 00:01:30.840 --> 00:01:34.170 sounding familiar to you, you score an extra ten points. 00:01:34.170 --> 00:01:37.110 It should, because it means you've been listening to the previous 00:01:37.110 --> 00:01:41.310 episodes of Something Shifted. You'll remember I spoke with 00:01:41.310 --> 00:01:46.530 Kaley Mycroft not too long ago. The Kaley campaign is the 00:01:46.530 --> 00:01:50.040 organization that Kaley started with a group of friends. 00:01:51.240 --> 00:01:54.420 Good to hear your voice. So could you tell me more about 00:01:54.420 --> 00:01:58.320 the Kaley campaign, please? The Kaley campaign is a social 00:01:58.320 --> 00:02:03.990 Justice Foundation that celebrates its 21st birthday this year. 00:02:04.710 --> 00:02:10.320 Um, I think one of the special features is that, uh, 00:02:10.320 --> 00:02:16.470 origin story is quite special. Uh, we were founded 21 years ago 00:02:16.470 --> 00:02:20.850 by five girls between the ages of six and 12. 00:02:20.880 --> 00:02:27.540 Two sets of sisters, um, who created employment for both their mothers. 00:02:28.230 --> 00:02:33.660 I don't think many other, um, organizations can can have that 00:02:33.660 --> 00:02:37.740 their track record. So the mother of the founders. 00:02:37.770 --> 00:02:44.190 Um, Justine, Karen and Chelsea Diane has been the financial manager of 00:02:44.190 --> 00:02:50.970 our organization for 21 years. And Kenny and Erin are my members, 00:02:51.180 --> 00:02:55.140 and I've been the CEO for the past 21 years. 00:02:55.140 --> 00:02:59.270 So I think the most important thing about our organization is we 00:02:59.270 --> 00:03:05.330 built on love and relationships. We carry that ethos through to 00:03:05.330 --> 00:03:10.760 the work that we do with disabled children, their families, 00:03:10.760 --> 00:03:16.040 their communities. And, um, we truly look at 00:03:16.040 --> 00:03:20.930 disability inclusion as being necessary across all the layers 00:03:20.930 --> 00:03:28.430 of disabled people's lives. What started off as five girls 00:03:28.430 --> 00:03:33.800 raising 20,000 grand to get a motorized wheelchair for their 00:03:33.800 --> 00:03:37.520 sister and their friend, created the realization that 00:03:37.520 --> 00:03:43.520 what was actually being gifted was independence and choice. 00:03:44.000 --> 00:03:51.980 And it's those softer, um, skills and values that really 00:03:51.980 --> 00:03:57.170 focus on the fact that even though we have Isoquant inefficient. 00:03:57.170 --> 00:04:02.480 Every year we work directly with about 30% of that would be 00:04:03.020 --> 00:04:07.880 disabled people, children, youth and adults, and 70%. 00:04:07.970 --> 00:04:12.710 Majority of our work happens with non-disabled people because 00:04:12.710 --> 00:04:17.570 that's where the inclusion paradigm shift has to happen. 00:04:17.600 --> 00:04:21.560 Those stats are incredible to hear. Can you tell me, you know, what are 00:04:21.560 --> 00:04:25.760 the things that you're involved in then? So we were involved in. 00:04:26.540 --> 00:04:30.980 Inclusive education, focusing on early childhood development, 00:04:31.790 --> 00:04:39.170 because we believe that if children before the age of six can be set, 00:04:39.170 --> 00:04:44.930 a framework in which inclusion happens easily and automatically, 00:04:45.470 --> 00:04:50.570 um, that sets them up as inclusion actors for the rest of their lives. 00:04:51.050 --> 00:04:55.010 So our early preschool inclusive preschool play the Katie Cottage 00:04:55.010 --> 00:05:00.020 Preschool is really a living example of that ethos. 00:05:00.230 --> 00:05:09.260 We also work in community in about 40 mainstream preschools to also install 00:05:09.260 --> 00:05:14.780 that ethos of inclusion and then, um, adaptive sports leadership 00:05:14.780 --> 00:05:23.000 development and then general advocacy in all spaces is the broad mandate of 00:05:23.000 --> 00:05:28.040 what the Kaylie campaign stands for. That's really incredible. 00:05:28.130 --> 00:05:31.070 I'm sure you probably hear that quite often that the work you're 00:05:31.070 --> 00:05:33.950 doing is incredible. Um, and I hope you're hearing 00:05:33.950 --> 00:05:37.220 that often that the work you're doing is incredible. 00:05:37.310 --> 00:05:39.500 Um, the lives and the number of lives that you've already 00:05:39.500 --> 00:05:42.410 touched up until this point, and you're saying you're marking 00:05:42.410 --> 00:05:46.700 your 21st birthday, what are you looking forward to, to next? 00:05:46.700 --> 00:05:50.150 What what else is there that you still feel you have scope to achieve? 00:05:50.150 --> 00:05:52.490 Zelda. Well, you know, 00:05:52.490 --> 00:05:56.540 I think the difficult thing working in the disability sector is that 00:05:56.780 --> 00:06:01.070 so often we have to revisit so many of the same things, and that 00:06:01.070 --> 00:06:06.320 you can't be despondent because we continuously find new people, 00:06:06.320 --> 00:06:12.410 new non-disabled people who do not understand the value of what disabled 00:06:12.410 --> 00:06:17.660 people bring to their communities. So I think in general terms, 00:06:17.660 --> 00:06:24.950 what what we're aiming to do is for, um, communities and society at large, 00:06:24.950 --> 00:06:32.840 recognising that disability excellence is a reality, that if we 00:06:32.840 --> 00:06:39.590 create space for disabled people to have an opportunity to reach their 00:06:39.590 --> 00:06:46.760 full potential, everybody wins. And, um, in broad strokes, 00:06:46.760 --> 00:06:52.300 that it we need to be present in every aspect of life. 00:06:52.630 --> 00:07:01.810 And so often disabled people are given, um, you know, the short straw. 00:07:01.840 --> 00:07:08.410 You know, people, um, often speak about we need to practice tolerance. 00:07:08.650 --> 00:07:16.000 But tolerance is an awful word. We need to expect, um, acceptance. 00:07:16.210 --> 00:07:19.510 Because all of us are different. And, see, we are common ground. 00:07:19.540 --> 00:07:24.580 Work towards filling those spaces where we have common interests. 00:07:25.000 --> 00:07:28.930 And it is to the advantage of everybody. 00:07:29.140 --> 00:07:34.450 If every member of a family and every member of our community, 00:07:35.140 --> 00:07:39.940 um, is harness their gifts, their talents are harnessed to, 00:07:39.940 --> 00:07:44.680 um, complete that family in that community. Absolutely nobody. 00:07:45.040 --> 00:07:48.460 Yeah. Nobody should. You know, you often have this the 00:07:48.460 --> 00:07:54.430 thing that is, there was a movement. um, which, uh, and it's quoted all 00:07:54.430 --> 00:08:01.240 the time nothing about us without us. And we kind of we've edited that. 00:08:01.240 --> 00:08:03.970 We don't believe. We believe that's quite a dated 00:08:03.970 --> 00:08:06.640 concept. Nothing about us. Without us. 00:08:06.970 --> 00:08:12.310 We believe that it should be nothing without us, because it shouldn't 00:08:12.310 --> 00:08:17.920 just be issues that affect our lives as disabled people or families. 00:08:18.490 --> 00:08:24.580 Um, with disabled family member, we are human beings who have a right 00:08:24.580 --> 00:08:29.170 to have a voice in every space. 100% agree, and I immediately start 00:08:29.170 --> 00:08:32.320 thinking of universal design. And I know you're talking about 00:08:32.320 --> 00:08:35.290 space incorporating more than just a physical space. 00:08:35.290 --> 00:08:39.970 But if we do look at physical spaces, uh, they aren't always designed 00:08:39.970 --> 00:08:42.490 universally. They're not universally friendly for 00:08:42.490 --> 00:08:47.260 everybody to be able to access them. And and I'm hoping and I'm pretty 00:08:47.260 --> 00:08:50.830 sure that the work that you're doing is opening people's eyes. 00:08:51.160 --> 00:08:53.350 Uh. Have you. What? What are the things that you're 00:08:53.350 --> 00:08:56.170 seeing? The biggest changes. Where have you seen some of the 00:08:56.170 --> 00:09:00.130 biggest changes? Uh, is it just in perception, or are 00:09:00.130 --> 00:09:03.250 there physical things that others are able to look at and go, wow, 00:09:03.250 --> 00:09:06.190 the Kaylee campaign has had an impact here. Look at what they've done. 00:09:06.700 --> 00:09:10.900 I believe that the biggest impact we've had, first of all, 00:09:11.560 --> 00:09:15.610 our definition of sustainability has got nothing to do with money. 00:09:15.640 --> 00:09:19.690 Our definition of sustainability is we are still here. 00:09:20.590 --> 00:09:24.340 Um, and and really, you have to be tenacious. 00:09:24.340 --> 00:09:30.580 You have to be resilient in the space and you have to keep showing up. 00:09:30.940 --> 00:09:35.770 And I think to pick one example, um, in adaptive sports, 00:09:36.220 --> 00:09:40.180 we we are second in the Kaley Sports and Recreation Club. 00:09:40.420 --> 00:09:46.000 In 2016, um served legal papers on the Comrades Marathon because 00:09:46.000 --> 00:09:51.700 the rules Rule stated no wheelchairs for Katie and Anita. 00:09:51.970 --> 00:09:57.430 After two months of robust fighting and serving legal papers, 00:09:57.430 --> 00:10:01.180 and including every man and his dog in a high profile position 00:10:01.180 --> 00:10:04.630 in those legal papers, and then eventually threatening to 00:10:04.630 --> 00:10:10.420 take them to the Equality Court, resulted in Anita and Kelly as 00:10:10.420 --> 00:10:17.470 assistant adapted athletes being able to do the Comrades Marathon in 2016. 00:10:18.910 --> 00:10:24.310 Um, and we have to keep showing up. So it wasn't a one day wonder. 00:10:24.700 --> 00:10:29.290 And the following year, Kelly was the first person, first wheelchair 00:10:29.290 --> 00:10:35.260 user to get her back to back medal. Um, and then in 2018, 00:10:35.260 --> 00:10:39.730 a wonderful thing happened because of our advocacy, um, 00:10:39.970 --> 00:10:44.170 is now in the road running rulebook for Athletics South Africa. 00:10:44.170 --> 00:10:50.140 There is a section all about the inclusion of wheelchair athletes, and 00:10:50.140 --> 00:10:55.180 all the seven years down the track, Kaylie has completed six comrades. 00:10:55.270 --> 00:11:01.870 Anita has competed multiple comrades. I think it's 4 or 5 and other 00:11:01.870 --> 00:11:05.320 people are following suit. But for me, the important thing 00:11:05.320 --> 00:11:12.790 is we have a tangible reference in heading changed the athletics 00:11:12.790 --> 00:11:15.760 of Africa, not only the perception but their rulebook. 00:11:16.240 --> 00:11:21.610 And it means that we don't have to fight this fight because 00:11:21.610 --> 00:11:26.950 we've got it in writing that it is disabled wheelchair athletes 00:11:26.950 --> 00:11:32.380 right to participate. So I always hold that up as a 00:11:32.380 --> 00:11:41.140 very big milestone moment. But it's only a writing on paper 00:11:41.140 --> 00:11:45.160 if we we have to continue showing up in those spaces. 00:11:45.160 --> 00:11:48.750 Sure. Yeah. What a cool story. I mean, I was smiling from ear 00:11:48.750 --> 00:11:52.290 to ear and had, you know, tears leaking out the side of my 00:11:52.290 --> 00:11:56.460 eye all at the same time because it's such a joyous thing and really, 00:11:56.460 --> 00:12:00.060 that emotion that drives that forward, bringing people together 00:12:00.060 --> 00:12:03.480 essentially is what you're doing, um, which is such a wonderful thing. 00:12:03.510 --> 00:12:06.270 Absolutely. And, Sean, you know, the thing that I 00:12:06.270 --> 00:12:11.070 find most important is that when you when you continue to show up, 00:12:11.580 --> 00:12:19.230 you we believe very strongly in, um, person to person advocacy because 00:12:19.230 --> 00:12:22.590 when somebody has met a need, when somebody has made butter, 00:12:22.590 --> 00:12:27.030 when somebody has made ceilidh, it changes their lives forever. 00:12:27.030 --> 00:12:32.880 Change perceptions about ability and what people can do. 00:12:33.180 --> 00:12:37.080 And it's in those changed perceptions which again, 00:12:37.080 --> 00:12:42.240 we don't want alive is a lovely word. But what we want, um, 00:12:42.240 --> 00:12:46.290 is more than that. We want Collaborators and and we 00:12:46.290 --> 00:12:53.010 want people to actually make good trouble with us on our behalf. 00:12:53.190 --> 00:12:58.830 So you need more than collaborators. You need conspirators who go out to 00:12:58.830 --> 00:13:04.590 help change the world to be a more inclusive space and in, um, making 00:13:04.590 --> 00:13:10.350 time to do one on one advocacy. Arriving in unexpected spaces is 00:13:10.350 --> 00:13:14.430 so important. Um, you know, you you mentioned the 00:13:14.430 --> 00:13:21.390 physical environment and space and all of the things that possibly make 00:13:21.390 --> 00:13:26.250 it more difficult for royalty users, for example, to access a building. 00:13:26.850 --> 00:13:32.370 Um, we've always been of the opinion that they are space. 00:13:32.910 --> 00:13:37.590 So now we we actually want to get into that building because there cool 00:13:37.590 --> 00:13:41.790 things happening in that building. So let's find a couple of strong 00:13:41.790 --> 00:13:46.680 men And, you know, not resisting or fighting the 00:13:46.680 --> 00:13:50.610 fact you can do that as well. So this place needs to become 00:13:50.610 --> 00:13:57.780 physically more accessible around universal accessibility guidelines. 00:13:57.870 --> 00:14:02.490 But if we can change the attitude of people to get us into rooms in spite 00:14:02.490 --> 00:14:07.890 of those physical predicaments and challenges, those people lifting 00:14:07.890 --> 00:14:13.260 Kaylee's very heavy wheelchair up first steps are definitely going 00:14:13.260 --> 00:14:16.170 to look at those steps differently the next time they walk up there. 00:14:16.200 --> 00:14:21.870 So it was changed perceptions, working on that all the time. Yeah. 00:14:22.350 --> 00:14:27.330 A story I told somebody once about how having someone in your family, 00:14:27.330 --> 00:14:30.780 and obviously my child is still very small with her disabilities. 00:14:30.780 --> 00:14:33.930 And the challenges that you feel you feel people are looking at you, 00:14:33.930 --> 00:14:37.410 you feel isolated. And invariably the reason you 00:14:37.410 --> 00:14:40.980 don't see a lot of us out there is because we we might very well 00:14:40.980 --> 00:14:44.340 feel exactly that isolated. I don't feel welcome in this space, 00:14:44.340 --> 00:14:49.500 so I choose not to go out. Yeah. But as as Zoey has gotten older 00:14:49.500 --> 00:14:53.070 and as we have realized, people need to see us out. 00:14:53.070 --> 00:14:57.540 People need to see us as a family. People need to see us using spaces. 00:14:57.540 --> 00:15:00.030 Exactly to your point, they need to see us. 00:15:00.300 --> 00:15:05.520 Um, I try my words so carefully, but if I'm struggling in an environment, 00:15:05.520 --> 00:15:09.360 then step up and help me. If you've experienced that with me, 00:15:09.360 --> 00:15:12.480 you can see why it's important to advocate going forward. 00:15:12.480 --> 00:15:17.910 Absolutely. Collaboration. And I think I'm very fortunate that, 00:15:18.150 --> 00:15:23.670 um, as a former school teacher, I was very happy to, um, 00:15:24.300 --> 00:15:28.620 pass on instructions to total strangers and children. 00:15:29.040 --> 00:15:34.350 So from the time that Kelly could started speaking and it was a little 00:15:34.470 --> 00:15:42.320 we we gave her framework on how to interact with people because 00:15:42.320 --> 00:15:47.600 right from the beginning, kids particularly are kids are delightful. 00:15:47.780 --> 00:15:53.090 They need to know. So they are. Yeah. And kids would come up to me all the 00:15:53.090 --> 00:15:56.120 time and say, what's wrong with her? And I'd say, there's nothing wrong 00:15:56.120 --> 00:16:00.890 with her, but why don't you ask her? And then we frame this conversation 00:16:00.890 --> 00:16:04.580 with Kaylee followed, saying, there's nothing wrong with my legs. 00:16:04.670 --> 00:16:06.740 They just don't work the same way they choose to. 00:16:06.740 --> 00:16:12.440 Yes, look a cool way in which I now work and walk in inverted 00:16:12.440 --> 00:16:15.830 commas in the script. And an important thing that 00:16:15.830 --> 00:16:19.310 happens all the time. The two words that we we often 00:16:19.310 --> 00:16:22.040 concepts we battle against all the time. 00:16:22.430 --> 00:16:27.020 The one is wheelchair bound when everybody says and that's that's 00:16:27.020 --> 00:16:30.560 sort of the go to descriptor. She is wheelchair bound. 00:16:30.560 --> 00:16:34.250 And we say, no, no, no, no, she is wheelchair empowered. 00:16:34.850 --> 00:16:37.970 If she didn't have a wheelchair, she'd be homebound. Correct. 00:16:37.970 --> 00:16:43.700 So always trying to to get people to see things positively. 00:16:44.000 --> 00:16:48.110 And then the other thing that we always push against is the word 00:16:48.110 --> 00:16:51.770 normal. Yes. Um, because you go to a normal 00:16:51.770 --> 00:16:57.020 school, does she have normal friends? And, um, we just had it this weekend. 00:16:57.020 --> 00:17:01.100 We were we were in Bloemfontein. Um, Kaylee and the running 00:17:01.100 --> 00:17:05.360 partner Schonfeld at the marathon in bloom last Saturday. 00:17:05.600 --> 00:17:09.620 And this is very lovely, man. Elderly man came and walked next 00:17:09.620 --> 00:17:12.110 to us and said to us, well, you know what? 00:17:12.680 --> 00:17:16.310 When she meets her maker, you don't have to worry because 00:17:16.310 --> 00:17:19.670 when she meets her maker, she will be totally normal. 00:17:20.540 --> 00:17:23.540 And I had to actually just total stranger say to him, 00:17:24.050 --> 00:17:29.420 she's totally normal right now and in fact has accomplished a lot. 00:17:29.600 --> 00:17:33.290 But she is exactly. If you want to use a religious 00:17:34.010 --> 00:17:37.610 reference, this is the way she was made. 00:17:37.640 --> 00:17:45.200 Yeah. Yeah. And, you know, people. Well, people can use those terms 00:17:45.200 --> 00:17:50.660 so loosely and so frequently and with the assumption of children 00:17:50.660 --> 00:17:54.770 being less than. Mhm. So that is the main perception 00:17:54.770 --> 00:18:00.530 that I feel we need to constantly do battle with. 00:18:00.530 --> 00:18:05.120 And sometimes it's ticking with a feather and sometimes it's 00:18:05.120 --> 00:18:10.550 speaking because. I love that. And let's, let's hope we don't have 00:18:10.550 --> 00:18:12.890 the beat with too many sticks and can rather tickle with the feathers. 00:18:12.890 --> 00:18:16.790 And they get it quickly. Huh? Um, I. Think sometimes, sometimes you 00:18:16.790 --> 00:18:19.070 have to be two thirds thick. You know, you can. 00:18:19.070 --> 00:18:24.260 Only because there's a time for for all of these actions. 00:18:24.260 --> 00:18:28.370 If you if if I go back to the the, um, comrades marathon thing, 00:18:28.370 --> 00:18:32.480 we tickled with the Sabres for a good few weeks, ran out of time, 00:18:32.480 --> 00:18:36.440 and then we had to start, you know, we had the legal papers 00:18:36.440 --> 00:18:39.110 and we had to actually threatened that we had to be prophetic. 00:18:39.140 --> 00:18:41.270 Yeah, there's there's a lot of work to be done. 00:18:41.270 --> 00:18:44.930 And I think you've definitely. You've you've spearheaded the 00:18:44.930 --> 00:18:47.990 way forward. Um, and again, congratulations on 00:18:47.990 --> 00:18:50.900 everything that the Kelly campaign has achieved up until this point. 00:18:50.900 --> 00:18:53.720 And I believe it will continue to do very much more. 00:18:53.750 --> 00:18:56.780 I will most certainly include details in the show notes of this 00:18:56.780 --> 00:18:59.780 episode for people to find you. But since I do have you on the phone, 00:18:59.780 --> 00:19:06.290 Zelda, what is the best thing that people can do to support those, 00:19:06.680 --> 00:19:10.160 uh, that are in predicaments that we're dealing with through 00:19:10.160 --> 00:19:13.490 the Kelly campaign or adjacent to the Kelly campaign? 00:19:14.150 --> 00:19:18.950 What would you suggest to them? Oh, well, I think just in everyday 00:19:18.950 --> 00:19:26.540 interaction, the thing that, um, separates non-disabled communities 00:19:26.540 --> 00:19:32.930 from disabled people is fear. The fear of not being understood. 00:19:32.930 --> 00:19:36.830 The fear of being embarrassed. The fear of catching something, you 00:19:36.830 --> 00:19:42.620 know, all of those unspoken fears. And my, my encouragement would 00:19:42.620 --> 00:19:49.160 be when you see somebody who is different to you. Do not be fearful. 00:19:49.430 --> 00:19:53.630 Just how would you treat any other person? You go up and you treat. 00:19:54.080 --> 00:19:58.160 You speak to that person in the wheelchair as a person because 00:19:58.160 --> 00:20:02.210 that's what they are. So do not make let your own fears 00:20:02.330 --> 00:20:11.780 of um not being up to the task or not knowing how to respond. 00:20:12.050 --> 00:20:15.980 Be brave, get into or get out of your comfort 00:20:15.980 --> 00:20:21.650 zone and allow an interaction. Encourage an interaction with 00:20:21.650 --> 00:20:26.990 somebody who is not like you in order for you to grow. 00:20:27.380 --> 00:20:29.930 Because so often people feel, you know, 00:20:29.930 --> 00:20:34.400 I'm doing a favor to this person, I'm going to push them in this race. 00:20:34.420 --> 00:20:37.660 I'm going to volunteer my time to school. 00:20:38.170 --> 00:20:44.890 And the biggest takeaway ever. And it's always the case is when 00:20:44.890 --> 00:20:50.950 I'm doing something that I think is a good thing for somebody else, 00:20:50.950 --> 00:20:55.270 and I spend my time doing it. I am always the winner. 00:20:56.140 --> 00:20:59.530 So, you know, we feel that we've always felt 00:20:59.530 --> 00:21:05.170 that we needed to foist Kaylee on other people with gay abandon 00:21:05.380 --> 00:21:11.860 because they were the lucky ones. People who meet our children, 00:21:12.010 --> 00:21:15.400 people who meet our friends who are disabled. 00:21:16.090 --> 00:21:18.910 Um, they are the lucky ones because they are the ones who 00:21:18.910 --> 00:21:22.690 are gaining something special. They're learning lessons that 00:21:22.690 --> 00:21:26.710 they can learn nowhere else, and it's enriching their lives. 00:21:27.730 --> 00:21:32.320 And I think just just before us, what's on my mind? 00:21:32.320 --> 00:21:37.840 I'm sure Katie has also mentioned to you that we're very intentional in 00:21:37.840 --> 00:21:44.770 using, um, identity first language as opposed to people first language. 00:21:45.880 --> 00:21:52.510 Um, with the acknowledged red speaking or the generally accepted 00:21:52.510 --> 00:21:57.430 way speaking is saying I'm a person with a disability because there 00:21:57.430 --> 00:22:01.960 was that whole movement around. People first see me before you 00:22:01.960 --> 00:22:05.620 see my wheelchair. And that's where the nothing about 00:22:05.620 --> 00:22:11.290 us without us also grew out of. But a more modern, um, movement 00:22:11.740 --> 00:22:17.890 is to claim disability pride. Because when you say I'm a person 00:22:17.890 --> 00:22:21.220 with a disability and you put disability on the backburner, 00:22:21.610 --> 00:22:25.630 there's almost an implication of don't see my disability, 00:22:25.630 --> 00:22:32.710 see me as a person. And disability does define Way 00:22:32.710 --> 00:22:35.920 in which you deserve. You know, when people say 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:40.360 disability doesn't define me, Keisha Kelly kicks against that 00:22:40.360 --> 00:22:45.880 all the time. It does define me. My disability defines what I do 00:22:45.880 --> 00:22:49.660 with every minute of my day. And as a result, 00:22:49.660 --> 00:22:56.260 I need to have pride in my disability as part of my identity. 00:22:56.650 --> 00:23:01.390 So we we don't say person with a disability, 00:23:01.390 --> 00:23:07.600 we say disabled person purposefully because we claiming the disabled 00:23:07.600 --> 00:23:12.760 tag as something to be proud of. I hear you and back to what you 00:23:12.760 --> 00:23:16.090 were saying as well about, uh, being fearful maybe of an 00:23:16.090 --> 00:23:20.920 interaction with a disabled person. I can say wholeheartedly that our 00:23:20.920 --> 00:23:25.480 friends that interact with my child who has who is disabled, always come 00:23:25.480 --> 00:23:30.130 away feeling that much more enriched. Uh, so there's definitely something 00:23:30.130 --> 00:23:33.580 that they're gaining by doing so, by stepping out of their comfort 00:23:33.580 --> 00:23:37.180 zone and embracing, you know, whatever that fear that they may 00:23:37.180 --> 00:23:39.880 think they have. Stepping beyond that goes goes a 00:23:39.880 --> 00:23:43.420 long way for them and for those around them and exactly what we're 00:23:43.420 --> 00:23:46.720 looking for, right, with the Kelly campaign. So thank you, Zelda. 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:49.570 Is there anything else you want to say before I, before I let 00:23:49.570 --> 00:23:53.110 you go back to your very busy day of being a CEO and managing 00:23:53.110 --> 00:23:58.780 all sorts of various entities. You know, I just feel a need to 00:23:58.780 --> 00:24:04.480 finish on one quote that was coined by one of our founders when she was 00:24:04.480 --> 00:24:12.310 six years old, Chelsea Kerry, um, spoke about how inclusion can't 00:24:12.310 --> 00:24:18.340 be learned. It has to be lived. And that's kind of become one of 00:24:18.340 --> 00:24:22.960 our really calls. Um, inclusion can't be learned. 00:24:22.960 --> 00:24:26.290 It has to be lived. And I think that is central to 00:24:26.290 --> 00:24:30.420 all the work that we do. When was with the relationships, 00:24:30.420 --> 00:24:34.560 the conversations, the opportunities, um, 00:24:34.560 --> 00:24:40.410 seeing challenges as opportunities. It's all about interconnectedness 00:24:40.410 --> 00:24:45.780 and inviting other people along for the journey with us so that they 00:24:45.780 --> 00:24:50.490 can to learn the magic of what it's like to have every member of your 00:24:50.490 --> 00:24:57.390 community seen, heard, and truly appreciated. Such a great quote. 00:24:57.510 --> 00:24:59.970 Perfection. Yeah, lovely. Zelda, 00:24:59.970 --> 00:25:02.610 thank you so much for your time. Um, this has been really lovely. 00:25:02.610 --> 00:25:05.130 And again, I'm sorry I couldn't visit, but hopefully in the near 00:25:05.130 --> 00:25:07.320 future I can pop around for a coffee or something and. 00:25:07.320 --> 00:25:10.170 We look forward to that. We look forward to that and we look 00:25:10.170 --> 00:25:13.200 forward to meeting Zoe as well. Yes, we must make that happen. 00:25:13.200 --> 00:25:16.680 Yes, let's do it. Thanks, Sean. Have a good one. Thanks, Zelda. 00:25:16.710 --> 00:25:23.700 Okay. Bye bye. Thank you for listening to this 00:25:23.700 --> 00:25:26.850 episode of Something Shifted. We make this show as a labor of love. 00:25:26.850 --> 00:25:29.700 And because we believe stories about possibility. 00:25:29.820 --> 00:25:31.170 It's just what the world needs to hear. 00:25:31.200 --> 00:25:33.930 We'd really love it if you would share this episode and be part of 00:25:33.930 --> 00:25:37.890 that shift for someone else, too. And if you really like the show, 00:25:37.890 --> 00:25:41.550 go ahead and leave it a five star review and follow something shifted 00:25:41.550 --> 00:25:45.840 on Apple Podcasts or on Spotify. You can also leave a comment if 00:25:45.840 --> 00:25:49.680 you're using Spotify Mobile. I read them all and respond 00:25:49.680 --> 00:25:52.710 there too. You can join my mailing list 321 00:25:52.710 --> 00:25:55.950 shift and start the week off right with three things for your mind. 00:25:55.980 --> 00:25:58.320 Two things for your body and one thing for your soul. 00:25:58.320 --> 00:26:01.800 Every second Sunday. Plus, you'll automatically go into 00:26:01.800 --> 00:26:05.190 the draw for giveaways and have first dibs on tickets to live events. 00:26:05.190 --> 00:26:08.340 To all of the links to all of the things that I've mentioned 00:26:08.340 --> 00:26:11.760 are in the show notes. Big thanks, as always to my executive 00:26:11.760 --> 00:26:16.440 producer, Rhonda, and of course to you for believing in possibility. 00:26:16.860 --> 00:26:22.980 My name is Shawn and this is something shifted by.