Fighting for disability equality one step at a time

Three years ago my doctor told me I would never walk or run normally and that I would never be an athlete. This was due to a disability in my left leg that I was born with, since then I’ve made it my goal to do what everyone told me I would never do.

Sport has been a huge part of that journey and now I can proudly say I represent my country at the highest level of wheelchair fencing with my sights set on the 2021 Paralympics. So, to say I was excited to hear that I had been chosen by the Nike by your workshop programme as one of 20 individuals in London to co-create a shoe, was an understatement. Not just because it’s a really cool opportunity but because it would give me a platform to challenge misconceptions about disability.

It’s so important to me to raise awareness that people are not only disabled by their diagnosis, but also by barriers in society. I want to challenge negative public attitudes, tackle stereotypes and battle unconscious bias. Since then I have set about creating YouTube videos about disability and social change. I use my channel to debunk myths about disability and talk about issues such as mental health.

I want to help transform the face of disability and address society's preconception that being disabled is about what you can’t do. That’s why I gave my shoe the name ‘At odds’ because it’s about being at odds with society's stereotypes of the disabled and different while celebrating the fact that different is not less.

Click here to buy a pair of Oliver's Nike At Odds shoes.