A talented musician and dancer with a passion for musical theatre, Skye loves to express herself and is determined to build a career in the industry. But when health conditions began affecting her mobility, not having safe, suitable equipment became the biggest barrier between Skye and the future she dreamed of.
Skye grew up with hypermobility spectrum disorder, which causes painful loose joints that can pop out of place. At age 15, she also developed the chronic condition ME (myalgic encephalomyelitis), that can cause extreme exhaustion.
Her conditions affect her mobility so much that she barely left her South London home for nearly a year as she had no wheelchair. As she has some mobility, the NHS can’t provide the equipment she needs.
Skye eventually bought a second-hand wheelchair, but it didn’t fit her properly and was unsafe, often tipping or causing her to fall while moving.
Although it helped her get through A-Levels and begin taking classes for musical theatre, she still had to do most things online from home. Skye knew she needed a lightweight wheelchair that fitted her perfectly, kept her safe, and allowed her to move freely enough to follow her dreams.
Then, aged 18, Skye discovered she could apply to Newlife for equipment up until 19th birthday.
She said: “I was so happy when they told me they could help. The wheelchair Newlife provided is perfect for me. It’s lightweight, which is great for dancing, and it fits me, so I feel safe. It has also given me the freedom I needed.
“Having this wheelchair means I can actually self-propel, and along with my power assist, it means I can go anywhere. Without this wheelchair I wouldn’t be off to study Musical Theatre at university in a few weeks. Music is my whole world. I trained in classical music as a child, then I found musical theatre, and it became everything to me. The more I do it, the more I love it. It’s what makes me happy.”
Skye is also determined to improve representation for disabled people in the performing arts. She said: “After I did a solo performance people told me they didn’t know it was possible to dance in a wheelchair. I never saw anyone perform in a wheelchair when I was younger. I want children to be able to go to the theatre and see someone in a wheelchair perform, so they know it’s possible. I was once told I don’t stand a chance of pursuing musical theatre in a wheelchair, but I am very stubborn.
“One day, I would love to see casual representation of disability in the arts, where disability is not someone’s whole personality; they just happen to be disabled. It is important that people know we belong everywhere.”