Ordinary Lives

The power of storytelling

We understand the power that authentic, real-life stories possess to change people’s hearts and minds, by combating stigma and challenging expectations around disability. The following publications, co-authored by the individuals whose lives they illustrate, showcase what is possible when the right support is put in place.

Jayne’s photo book offers a snapshot of her exuberant sense of humour and challenges the absence of representation of people with the label of profound and multiple learning disability.

An Ordinary Life in Translation is a collection of stories about disabled people translated into community languages, that challenge myths surrounding disabled people from minority ethnic communities.

Click on the images below to read people’s stories.

Our Ordinary Life Stories celebrate what is possible when people have the support and resources to live the lives they want to lead.

We define an ordinary life as a life in which people are valued as people first, as loving family members, as rebellious teenagers, as paid employees, as community leaders, as homeowners and tenants, as neighbours, as friends and partners.

Each Ordinary Life Book focuses on a single individual, detailing the key aspects of their day to day lives that are personal to them, any obstacles they have encountered along the way to having a life of their choosing, as well as any adjustments that have been made to overcome these. Some of these publications have made their way into public libraries in an effort to increase the visibility of disabled people’s lives and experiences in the local community.

These publications were co-written with each individual, in a language that captures their voice and personality. They were consciously designed to be accessible, featuring limited text alongside images that reflect and illustrate the content of the book.

Click on the images below to read people’s stories.