Samantha Maxwell, 33, who has cerebral palsy, says she was "discounted" from many opportunities in her teenage and young adult years due to her disability. She was once dismissed from her job simply because she used a wheelchair.
"I've been turned away from shops, employers refused to consider me for jobs, and in one case I was sacked because certain managers did not want someone in a wheelchair representing them," she said.
Writing as therapy
The author from Wrexham used writing to transform her mental wellbeing after reaching a dark point in her life. She hopes her story will challenge attitudes towards disability, while also making it accessible to those with visual impairments and people who struggle with printed books.
Her campaign received a boost from Pendine Park care organisation, which donated £325 towards an audiobook version of her autobiography, CP Isn't Me. The book is available through major bookstores including Waterstones, online sources, and via the charity Scope.
"At first it was just for me, as a form of therapy, I suppose, but soon I found I enjoyed writing and the improvement in my mental health was transformative. I felt a thousand times better than I ever had," she said.
Challenging stigmas
Her mother, Christine, urged Samantha to develop her writings into a book, which evolved into an autobiography earning glowing five-star reviews online. "It was about my own fight to challenge the stigmas of living with a disability, allowing my personality to escape the boundaries society had imposed on me as a result of my cerebral palsy (CP)," Samantha said.
"I wanted to tell my story of growing up with CP but also express how there is much more to me than CP. Writing was a way to explain the huge challenges anyone with a disability faces in getting the world to see them for who they are rather than being pigeon-holed by their condition."
Community support
Samantha thanked Pendine Park during a visit to the Bryn Bella care home in Wrexham. The donation came from the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT), established by Pendine Park's proprietors Mario and Gill Kreft to back cultural, educational, and community projects.
Pendine Consultant Artist in Residence Sarah Edwards met Samantha and said: "It has been a real pleasure to meet Samantha. We are delighted to sponsor her for the sum of £325 through the Pendine Arts and Community Trust (PACT) to help her raise funds to create an audio version of her first book. We feel it will be a wonderful resource for caregivers and the wider social care sector."
Following Samantha's gift of copies of her three books, Sarah said she would share the stories with Pendine Park residents. "I know a number will identify with Samantha's narrative and the battles that she has gone through to achieve deserved recognition," she added.
Further books and advocacy
Samantha has since authored two additional books – Disabling Ableism and Silenced – and is working on a fourth, a children's storybook. She also works as a disability advocate, named an ambassador for Wrecsam2029, championing accessibility and inclusion for the UK City of Culture bid, and serves as a Project Leader with Accessible Wrexham.
She needs £2,000 to produce the audiobook and has raised more than £1,500 through cake sales, online crowdfunding, and appeals. "I just need £466 more and then we can get production started," she said.
