Disabled election candidates: Liberal Democrat Katharine Macy

Katharine Macy grew up “hearing about people faking disabilities to lounge around on benefits”, but they knew the truth, because they had a mother who struggled to leave the house and desperately wanted to return to work.

“I remember her crying many times over our situation, and thinking how angry it made me that people saw her as a layabout,” says Macy, who is standing in Colne Valley.

“She was a teacher and a councillor, she gave herself to so many people, and was abandoned, written off, then accused of being lazy.

“She, and so many other disabled people, deserve better.”

Macy (pictured) says that just “existing” as a member of a minority is politicising, but it is also “exhausting”.

Every year their family’s struggles have increased, and their mother has become more disabled, “but every time we ask for help, it’s a battle”.

Asked to choose three polices that would improve the lives of disabled people, they pick accessible transport, inclusive education and reform of personal independence payment (PIP).

They would like to see a focus on accessibility for all new public transport, including making it “completely wheelchair-accessible”, and cutting the distance that those with mobility impairments need to walk around stations.

They also want to see as many disabled pupils taught in mainstream schools as possible, because “separation is not the answer, but currently very few comprehensive schools are set up to provide disabled children the support they need”.

And they point to their party’s manifesto promise to reform PIP assessments to make the process more transparent, stop unnecessary reassessments, and end informal assessments.

Macy, who was consulted on the party’s manifesto as chair of the Liberal Democrat Disability Association, says their party has taken the rare step of putting disabled people “front and centre” of its campaign.

And they say the Liberal Democrats will fight to speak up for disabled people and have a manifesto “that promises to fix so many issues with the NHS, education and the welfare system”.

They say they wanted to be an MP to “change many lives in lots of little ways”.

“Disabled people especially need this. I want to go down the path and widen it, strengthen it.

“Others before me mean I have to fight a little less. I want to do the same. Reduce barriers as much as I can, so someone in 20 years has less to reduce.

“Disabled people deserve representation and I want to try and be that.”

“Everyone deserves dignity and a good life,” they say, “and everyone includes disabled people.

“Disabled people deserve better, we deserve respect, we deserve opportunities, and we deserve support.

“None of these have been provided under the last few governments.”

From the age of about 10, Macy grew up with an undiagnosed neurodivergent mother who was unable to work.

They have “countless memories of watching other children do things I couldn’t”, either because their mother could not do it or because they could not afford it.

They relied on free school meals and their friends had to pitch in to buy Macy a scientific calculator because their mother was unable to afford one.

Growing up as autistic was also “a challenge” and “exhausting”, leading to depression, anxiety, and teenage anger.

They say: “Even now, sometimes I come away cringing at myself, wishing I could be ‘normal’, but I know from my research that autism is natural – and I work hard to accept myself.”

In the last two years, a mobility impairment has opened their eyes “even wider” to the barriers facing disabled people.

They say: “I am not disabled enough to get any government support, because usually I can walk more than 200 metres, but I spend so much more on bus fares and Ubers.

“I have to give myself significantly more time to get to places, and be willing to miss things.

“I am still learning that I cannot do what I once could – in politics, it can be difficult.

“Lib Dems win and campaign by being incredibly active. We deliver leaflet after leaflet, and canvass over and over.

“When you cannot stand or walk for more than 20 minutes on a good day, this makes proving my worth in politics difficult.”

But, they say, they know they play a valuable role in their party.

“I wrote the 2019 Young Carers motion that kickstarted Ed Davey’s focus on care and is the cornerstone of our manifesto.

“I put hours of work into both paid and voluntary support for the party.

“I will sit and write letters, fold leaflets or bundle tabloids for hours at a time, but proving I am still worthy feels exhausting sometimes.”

They added: “Being unable to show my pain, I have to rely on people believing me, accepting and understanding that I have good days and bad.

“This makes me afraid of work environments, and scared of moving jobs. But I will keep fighting, because I can.

“Not everyone has this energy – that’s okay – but it means I need to use the energy I have on making sure I keep speaking up for not just myself, but those who cannot.”

*This is part of a pre-election series of articles that will give some of the disabled people standing as candidates at the general election a chance to describe why they wanted to stand, how they became politicised, and the kind of barriers they have faced as disabled people. The aim is to raise the profile of some of the disabled people seeking elected office. Disability News Service has analysed party manifesto commitments separately. It has asked two disabled Conservative candidates to take part, but neither of them has responded

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