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| Arthur
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Hi, my name is Arthur Lawson and I am 21 years old. I have Neurofibromatosis type 1, scoliosis x 2 , dyspraxia, aspergers syndrome, hyperaesthesia (sensitive limbs) of the extremities, poor muscle tone in all four limbs, slight visual impairment, symptoms similar to cerebral palsy and spina bifida and I am a wheelchair user. I live in Scotland and I really love sport. I support Millwall football team – the best team in the league, far better than Swansea city football team!
I take part in lots of different sports including wheelchair basketball where I train with the league team Lothian and am on the Scotland junior team where I have won a gold medal and a 3rd place trophy. I also play boccia and have won several medals for that including coming 2nd in the BC4 category at the national junior boccia championships in 2006. I do swimming training and I represent 2 regions in Scotland, Fife and Lothian. I have also recently started doing athletics.
I am also on the Whizz-Kidz Kidz Board where I represent Scotland. I am also joint vice chair of the Kidz Board. I am really proud of being on the KB as I know the work I am doing is very important and that I am pleased I am giving disabled children and young people like myself a voice at a high scale and I am happy that the work I do is really making a difference. Recent KB meetings included meeting with the secretary for children families and schools minister Ed Balls MP and we quizzed him on a number of issues including inclusion in PE lessons and more money in wheelchair services.
It is very important that disabled children and young people receive the right mobility equipment/wheelchairs because we need to be able to move about and do things and be as independent as possible this means receiving a lightweight manual wheelchair or a good electric wheelchair which not only has to be easy to manoeuvre but also has to look good and reflect our image and personality like any young person should be able to. It can be hard to get around in a wheelchair and if your given the wrong chair (which wheelchair services usually do) then it can be impossible.
We have also had meetings with the BBC to get more disabled young people on tv and helped the airline industry design the perfect aisle wheelchair and to design a storage box for wheelchairs.
In my spare time I like to act. I also like hanging around with my m8s and having a good time and going places. Just because I am in a wheelchair does not mean I can`t have fun but because some places are not accessible or as accessible as they could be it means it takes me longer to do things or I am left out altogether. If life puts you down don`t let it if people tell you no or no you can`t, don`t let them. Prove to them you can because anything is possible if you believe it and want it and try hard enough for it!
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