Sue Austin is a British diver and artist. She is also a wheelchair user so when she dives, she does it in a different way to others. Sue says diving in her chair gives her the most incredible sense of freedom.
Sue says "Acquiring a disability has led to doing things I would have never even dreamed of."
When Sue first started using s wheelchair (aged 31) she felt people saw her differently; "It seemed like people were seeing me not as myself anymore, but from the perspective of what they assumed it must be like to be in a wheelchair."
"Because those stereotypes around disability are so powerful, people can get lost in them."
Sue has been asked to visit NASA to explore wheelchair use in space, and has recently achieved a flex wings pilots licence so wants to design a flying wheelchair. Sue says this feels like only just the beginning.
Sue says that people are realising that, "viewing the world from different perspectives enables them to have new experiences and breaks down boundaries for us all."
What do you see in the picture?
What is the person doing?
What is different about the way the person is diving?
Explain the story
- Why do you think people saw Sue differently when she first started using a chair?
- What does Sue mean by "stereotypes around disability"?
- How is Sue breaking down disability stereotypes?
- In what way is Sue encouraging people to view the world "from different perspectives"?
- Why does Sue want us to see things differently?
- What other groups of people can suffer from stereotypes?
- How does looking at things differently 'break down barriers for us all'?
- What can we learn from Sue?
- Why is this story about No Outsiders?
"No Outsiders in our school: Teaching the Equality Act in primary schools" by Andrew Moffat
"Reclaiming radical ideas in schools: preparing young children for life in modern Britain" by Andrew Moffat
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