Sian Joyner sees disability differently

As I stand under shelter, waiting for a friend for a coffee date, the voice wakes me from a daydream. I think about lecturing them on the figurative nature of the healing stories; I think about telling them to do one. But I’m tired, and nodding seems like the path of least resistance. These three students are on a mission. They have no banner, no identity; they have randomly approached me on their way to church. They are young. They pray for healing. I thank them. They walk away. They saw the ankle-foot-orthosis. And, having seen it, I guess they assumed my leg was broken, in need of healing….

Siân Joyner (née Jones) is a Senior Lecturer in Education at Queen Margaret University. She tweets as @Dr_Sian_Jones and writes about disability literacy at qmutoyboxdiversitylab.com

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This is an extract from an article published in the October 2024 edition of Reform

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