Kadeena Cox, a British paralympic champion, is coming out in response to some who think she is “faking” her condition since it is not always apparent.
Cox, a four-time gold medallist in cycling and athletics at the Paralympics, suffers from multiple sclerosis, a condition that affects the brain and spinal cord. The illness often causes fatigue, eyesight issues, and issues with balance or walking. Cox sometimes uses a wheelchair.
According to BBC Sport, Cox remarked, “As someone with MS, I have people suggesting I shouldn’t be parking in a blue badge area.”
A parking space designated for a person with a disability is known as a blue badge place.
She said, “I get folks who won’t give up the priority seat on the train or the bus for me.”
I often see comments on social media such as “Kadeena Cox can’t be handicapped, I don’t believe it” or “you are faking it and receiving [government] money.”
“People and their stupid or ignorant self are making remarks and casting judgment.”
Cox’s remarks are in response to research on the experiences of those with disabilities, impairments, and conditions conducted by the healthcare organization BUPA and the disability equality organisation Scope.
According to their study, 83% of persons with less obvious diseases and disabilities routinely encounter hostility or lack of understanding from others while out in public.
Cox, 31, collaborated on the commercial with BUPA and Scope.
Making a better society for disabled people requires, according to her, “increasing people’s awareness and provoking dialogues around disability, whether visible or not.”