Martyn Sibley: European Tour with Disability

Author: Ian C. Langtree - View Credentials
Published: 13 Sep 2012 - Updated: 11 Aug 2023
Publication Type: Informative

Table of Contents:
Synopsis - Overview - Related Content

Synopsis

Martyn Sibley born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy is beginning a journey across Europe in a specially adapted car.

Overview

Cambridgeshire Disability Champion Plans European Tour - Martyn Sibley is 29 and was born with Spinal Muscular Atrophy, a genetic condition that causes muscle weakness.

Martyn Sibley is a blogger, social entrepreneur and disability advocate. Since starting his blog in July 2009 he has built up a large online presence with disabled people using social media. He left his job as a fundraiser at the disability charity Scope and has since launched online magazine Disability Horizons and hosted disability webinars, disability conferences and disability courses. Alongside this he has partnered with charities, councils and companies in the disability field around technology strategies. With a mantra of 'inspire, inform and change'; Martyn shares his journey, his passion and his vision.

Despite being reliant on an electric wheelchair and 24/7 care, Sibley works with other disabled people to maximize their potential. Using the internet and his own experiences, he shows just what is possible through positive thoughts and actions. He has traveled widely and taken part in many adventurous activities.

On September 22nd 2012 he begins his toughest challenge yet, beginning a journey across Europe in a specially adapted car. This latest venture will take him to ten European countries, including his grand-father's birthplace Lithuania and help him assess how different countries respond to disability.

The project costs were sourced through a crowd funding initiative. Sibley will share his experiences throughout Europe with his 20,000 strong online community through articles in his magazine Disability Horizons and on X. The articles will:

• Showcase individual achievement in tough situations.
• Illustrate the rough and the smooth of being disabled.
• Highlight different approaches to disability across Europe.
• Help to raise awareness on disability issues and social inclusion.

Photograph of Martyn Sibley

Sibley sums up his aims for the trip as:

"I'm just an individual sharing a personal challenge and experience."

"My hope is that the trip can be a catalyst for change. Many disabled people can already see what is possible, society will gain more insight into disability and it will be a lot of fun. The awareness and money raised will provide a platform for others to progress this social cause".

To make this project a success the following is needed:

• Media and PR support.
• Finances for fuel, the ferry journey and other route costs.
• Introductions to people and organizations in the visited countries.

Author Credentials: Ian C. Langtree is a writer, editor, and the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Disabled World, which he established in 2004 as one of the longest-running independent resources for disability news and information. Over more than two decades, he has written and edited thousands of articles on disability rights, health, accessibility, and assistive technology. Drawing on a global perspective shaped by extensive travel and lived experience, Ian is a committed advocate of the Social Model of Disability, the framework developed by disabled activists in the 1970s that focuses on removing societal barriers rather than on individual impairments. His writing is grounded in that framework and in a lasting commitment to disability rights, accessibility, and social inclusion. To learn more about Ian's background, expertise, and accomplishments, visit his full biography.