How can you empower yourself?

Taking care of your mental well-being is paramount for any individual. Knowing how to manage your mental health is imperative for those with disabilities.

You can begin with these small but meaningful changes:

1. Be your own advocate - you know best the challenges you face regularly, speak up about these issues so that others are made aware, and amendments can be made to minimise your difficulties.
2. Take advantage of what you can use - Although you may not be able to change your disability, you could reduce the impact it may have on your daily life. Such as seeking adaptive tools like a device to assist throughout your day or reaching out to UEAs mental health advisers via for more information.
3. Set realistic goals - Struggling with mental health means not every day is guaranteed to be successful, but just for even setting a daily goal is a small step forward counts. Eventually, you'll get there.
4. Join a support group - Being surrounded by people that may understand your disability could make a huge difference. You'll also benefit from the collective wisdom of the group. Support groups are a great place to share struggles, solutions, and encouragement. We have one here at UEA, have a look at this link for more information.
5. Make your health a top priority - This relates to all aspects of the body including physical health. It is important to exercise in any way that you can. You can begin small and work your way gradually to increase the amount of physical activity in your day in small, incremental steps. However, each disability is different so it is fundamental to listen to your body and do what works best for you.

How can you be an 'amazing ally'?

• A - Awareness: You can help this DHM by spreading awareness on social media to keep others informed using #DisabilityALLY #Diversability
• L - Learn: You can educate yourself on what ableism is and how to detect it
• L - Lookout: Consider accessibility in your environment, and prioritise inclusion in ways that you can
• Y - Year Round: Do your best to support the disabled community all the time not solely during DHM

Disability Rights UK, in partnership with the RADAR disability network, have created a guide on how to influence your local services to support, inform and enable disabled people to be heard and take an active part in the services they receive.

Empowerment is about inclusion, about being included in local issues and services that affect you. It is about getting your voice heard where it most matters and has maximum impact. It is about not being forgotten and brushed under the carpet. It is about making decision makers understand your needs in the local community. It is about celebrating diversity and not being ignored because of your differences. It is about you and your right to be treated equally, whatever your local needs.

Whether you are a pan-disability group, mental health network, an access group, a concerned individual or anyone working for equality for people with lived experience of disability or health conditions, this guide is full of tips on how to make a difference.