About Me
My name is Martyn Sibley. I am a regular guy who happens to have a disability called Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). This means I cannot walk, lift anything heavier than a book or shower myself. However, I have a Masters degree, have travelled as far as Australia, drive my own car and live independently in London.
I would say that I’m a blogger, entrepreneur, speaker, creator of disability webinars & e-courses, co-editor of online magazine www.disabilityhorizons.com and an all-round cheeky chap! Through my blog, Twitter, Facebook and other social media tools, I discuss work, leisure, travel, care, relationships and life generally.
My aim is to inspire, inform and change the world around disability issues.
My message to disabled people is to follow your dreams, be aspirational, identify the barriers relevant to you and your impairment, NEVER let your disability stop you and always enjoy life!
Meanwhile, my message to non-disabled people is simple too. With the right support, disabled people can thrive. Without government support, accessible buildings, inclusive infrastructure, educated attitudes and open organisational practices, disabled people are marginalised. Whether legally, socially, politically or economically, the case for inclusivity is clear.
In all my work I share my story, engage with many people and am keen to work with you guys to achieve social change for disabled people.
Are you in?! Jack Black certainly is…
I feel so passionately about this that I have:
1) worked on many collaborative projects
2) written a free ebook about my personal theory on the matter. Download the Disability Diamond Theory for free here. Also see my video explanation on this link.
This personal philosophy offers a guide to living everyday life. In setting a goal, defining the barriers, overcoming them with the right resources; you can grab life and put this philosophy in to action.
Note: For anyone who is a parent, family member, friend or professional to a disabled person, you have a big part to play.
- Parents/guardians; a child’s foundations are defined by your early input.
- Friends and family should always encourage aspiration.
- Professionals are a key resource for disabled people and have a responsibility to facilitate ambition and fulfilment at every stage.
You can also get involved with the following actions:
- Subscribe using the form on the right hand side of my website to receive regular updates;
- Take a read of www.disabilityhorizons.com and even become a writer yourself;
- Check out the ‘get involved’ page for my webinars, ecourses and other helpful resources.
Yay I am the first to comment! Ur Awesome. I found a video you made about the diamond theory (I was looking for the porters diamond theory though).
Hi Vanessa
Thanks for the kind words
Did you find the other theory too?
Martyn
Hello,
My name is Karen, I am writing on behalf of Ability Lifting Solutions, a company that designs, manufactures and installs wheelchair and platform lifts for commercial and domestic use. I am managing online projects for the website http://www.abilitylifting.co.uk/ and am looking for partnership opportunities.
I have found your website http://martynsibley.com/ which is a valuable resource as it provides information and support for the less able people, their families and carers. Accessibility issues are a big challenge for those who have mobility problems and unfortunately nowadays people with disabilities are still significantly less likely to participate in social activities or attend various events, according to the Office for Disability Issues, HM Government.
Ability Lifting Solutions are dedicated to the work they do and are proud to be able to help many people enjoy better day to day experiences. The company has over 30 years of experience in the industry and work with accordance to the Equality Act 2010 (UK).
I believe your website visitors would benefit from learning about our services and therefore would like to discuss my business proposal to you. If you are interested to hear my ideas please contact me at your earliest convenience.
Kind regards,
Karen Patel
Online Projects Manager
IrusMedia Limited
Martyn
I have literally only scanned through your website and inspiring employment course just now as I checked my emails and found a link to you through Scope.I’m relieved to have found you and your work.
I’m a 22 year old woman with left sided hemiplegia and a porencephalic cyst (excuse my spelling)
It’s refreshing to see someone like you do this work. I was, and in some ways still am; in limbo. My Cerebral Palsy affects mainly my hand and I can’t tell you how frustrating it is to find myself coming up against barriers to work and help and support. It makes me feel sick actually. I’m brave and determined so I keep going but it sure gets tough. I saw your first video you driving, it left me inspired. Again, I’ve come up against barriers here too. I’m unlucky in the sense that as my disability is relatively mild I can’t get support other than lower rate DLA which means learning to drive is a challenge, finding an instructor for one thing and then I find myself losing the motivation to want to learn as ‘Oh well, U’ll never afford a car and all the adaptions’
I wanted to message you now before I forget but I’ll be looking over your website more in the next few days.
Thank you for doing the work you do
Sarah