The Barrier and the Gatekeeper
- brinkburn6
- 3 days ago
- 3 min read
I watched the International Women's Day speeches in the House of Lords recently. Baroness Jane Campbell wasn't in the chamber. She joined via Zoom, supported by her personal assistant. It was a small but telling moment. A great demonstration of what happens when barriers are removed, talent can flourish.
Jane used her speech to reflect on a "first break" she received decades ago. That single decision started a career that changed disability rights in this country. It's a reminder of something we don't say often enough. A career isn't just about talent or ambition. It has two foundations. Independent living. And someone willing to see an asset rather than a problem.
Jane wasn't just celebrating. She was warning us. Both foundations, she said, are currently under threat.
She talked about Lucinda Ritchie. Lucinda is 33, studying for a Master's degree, and is a recognised expert in digital accessibility. For eight years, she lived independently, supported by a 24-hour care package. Then she was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia.
She recovered. She was medically fit. She had full mental capacity. But at the point of discharge, commissioners decided she was "at risk." Against her will, she was moved to a nursing home.
To make the transfer easier, her powered wheelchair was switched off.
Once there, it became clear the staff couldn't operate the eye-gaze technology she uses to communicate. A woman who had been a powerful voice for change was, within a matter of weeks, effectively silenced. Not because of her condition, but because of decisions made by people who weren't her.
It is very hard to build a career when the system designed to support you has stripped you of the ability to move and speak.
But even when that foundation is intact, there's another barrier waiting. I spent years working in disability consultancy. I watched the same hesitation play out in boardrooms and interview rooms, over and over again.
Employers worry. They worry that if they hire a disabled person and it doesn't work out, they won't be able to manage the situation. They see the wheelchair or the support worker, and their mind goes immediately to risk, to complication, to the unknown. They are so focused on what might go wrong that they miss entirely what is right in front of them.
A disabled woman who makes it to an interview has already done things most candidates haven't. She's navigated an education system that wasn't designed with her in mind. She's found ways through a physical world that often ignores her. She hasn't just coped. She's developed the kind of adaptability that most organisations claim to want and rarely find.
That isn't a liability. That is exactly the kind of experience that moves things forward.
If we want more people like Jane Campbell contributing to our national conversation, we need to work on both fronts simultaneously. We need to protect the care and support that makes independent living possible. And we need employers to stop confusing disability with risk.
Inclusive employment isn't a favour. It isn't charity. It's what happens when someone looks past the equipment and sees the expertise.
Jane's career is proof of that. Lucinda's situation is a reminder of what we lose when we don't.
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