Janet O'Keefe

Martyn Sibley lives with a disability known as Spinal Muscular Atrophy. Even with this disability, Martyn is living a full rich life and has earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Economics; Master’s Degree in Marketing, travels, blogs, guest speaks and runs his own business.

Martyn has recently written an eBook called “The Disability Diamond Theory” (launched in September 2011). The eBook offers a guide to living everyday life. He offers solid advice for goal setting, defining and breaking barriers through the use of proper resources.  The book offers his philosophy on life.

Martyn says, “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!”

“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.”

Visit Martyn’s personal website for more information.

Disability Horizon is co-founded with Srin Madipalli as an online magazine to provide articles, resources, encouragement and information to disabled people. The scope of the magazine is to provide quality information to enrich the lives of the disabled across the world. They offer articles on the arts, care, personal assistants, mobility aids, grants, funding, independent living and more.

Martyn is one of the keynote speakers at this year’s Towards a Positive Future conference to be held in Newbury on 16^th June 2012.

Here he shares why he is taking part:

“The 2 things that enabled me to go on and achieve so much in life were having a good education, alongside having the right support. Inclusion should be at the heart of disability matters, but investment in the necessary resources must be provided. I want to share my personal experiences, with a rounded awareness of other impairments, to explain why inclusion and education can go together. I hope to encourage parents to aim high for their children, and show professionals there is always a way.”

“I am speaking at the conference to answer questions around my story as a child: schooling, transitions, leaving home, going to university, finding work and managing independence. This conference is vitally important because parents and professionals need to understand the current issues faced around SEN and work together to ensure the disabled people of the future can thrive and not just survive.”

“My talk is about my personal experience of disability. With a great deal of theory, legal and political talk; I will bring the human part and reality to what the reforms actually mean. I can show with the right support anything is possible.”

“Personally I am very fearful of the social care reform implication. Meanwhile I can see some positives in the aims of the reforms (streamlining processes and funding streams), however I have concerns of the actually reality they will bring for disabled people. “

Visit here  for more information about the Towards a Positive Future 2012 conference. Book now to hear Martyn speak live  2012 conference!