Alumnus Richard Brown MBE: An inspiring memoir on living well with disability
Earlier this year, Brookes alumnus Richard Brown MBE published his memoir. For Disability History Month, Richard recently shared insights into living with a disability and the positive impact his time at Oxford Brookes had on his life.
A life-changing diagnosis
At the age of 14, Richard was diagnosed with Friedreich's Ataxia, a progressive and incurable neurological condition. This devastating news brought fear, anger and grief for all the things he thought he would never do, such as getting married, having a family, going to university and pursuing a career. It was a difficult time for Richard but five years later, he met his future wife, Helen, and everything changed. With Helen’s support and encouragement, Richard began to turn his life around. After leaving school at 16 years old with few qualifications, he studied for a History diploma at the Open University and earned enough credit to study Modern History at Oxford Brookes University.
Transformative years at Oxford Brookes
Richard shared: “My time at Oxford Brookes was quite significant for me and helped me to get to where I am now. When I first enquired about studying at Brookes, the man I spoke to in the History department said I would do well at Brookes and promised to do all they could to help me reach my full potential. Having lived at home, living in halls of residence was a big step for me. I had a great time at Brookes. As part of my course, I studied a semester in 2001 at the University of Rhode Island, with my now wife accompanying me as a notetaker. Brookes helped me practically too; students pushed me in my wheelchair up the Headington Hill to my lectures. I also joined the Brookes Union as Deputy President, which led to my disability activism. After Brookes, I worked with the charity Ataxia UK as a trustee. My experiences with the Brookes Union gave me strong feelings about representation and supporting people, and helped me in my career.”
Career and volunteering achievements
By the summer of 2002, Richard had graduated from Brookes, and later married Helen, moved into his first home, and welcomed two children - all things he thought he would never do. He also began a career in local government, with his work initially focusing on disability and then later moving into other equality issues. In his last job, he moved into work that was not related to disability. After early retirement in 2012, Richard served as a trustee for Ataxia UK for eight years and was Co-Chair during the Covid-19 pandemic. He was awarded an MBE for services to disability and to his community in the 2021 New Year’s Honours list and was nominated for inclusion on the Shaw Trust’s Disability Power 100 list 2024 (the UK’s 100 most influential disabled people). Richard continues to be actively involved in local community work, including serving as Chair of Trustees of OurBus Bartons, one of the first community transport operators to use electric buses on timetabled services, which won a national UK Bus Award for their innovative approach to working with the local community. He is also involved in a campaign to save an Oxfordshire village pub and remains an ambassador for Ataxia UK, leading workshops every few months.
Motivations for writing a memoir
Since December 2018, Richard has been putting his thoughts and experiences into words through a blog called ‘World According to Me’, which has gained a loyal following. Through his blog and public talks, he recognised his role in sharing the reality of living with a disability, which led him to write his book, ‘Disability is Other People: My Superhero Story’, published in July this year. The synopsis explains: ‘Richard shows how the attitudes and behaviours of ‘other people’ are the main disabling forces in life and considers some of the big issues he has faced along the way - hope, death, ableism, social media and political correctness. It is not until Richard retires that he realises that volunteering and getting to know Other People is actually the core value in life. He shows us how we can make the world a better place and offers his own advice on how to live with a disability.’
Richard has lived with ataxia for more than 30 years and feels he is a resource for changing the narrative around disabled people. He says: “Disability is in your head; it isn’t necessarily you or your impairment. It’s other people and what they think you should do, rather than what you can or can’t do…There is a distinction between how society sees disability and an impairment that you can work with. Disabled people should look at themselves and be more confident. My other advice is to have people around you who believe in you.”
‘Disability is Other People: My Superhero Story’ (Troubador Publishing, 2024) is available to buy from all online retailers. Richard has also created an iTunes playlist to accompany the book.