Trailblazer Fraser utilizing enhanced platform to champion disability rights

The 28-year-old Fraser is paralyzed from the neck down, but has developed a great social medium through his visions

The honest Henry Fraser believes the coronavirus pandemic has taken his platform to new heights as a spokesperson for people with disabilities.

Fraser, who has been paralyzed from shoulder down since he was 17, has built a sizeable following with his mouthpaints of famous sports stars and wildlife.

The brother of the former Saracen flanker Will Fraser, the 28-year-old, has over 100,000 followers on Twitter, has had exhibitions for his works of art and has also published two books.

Fraser has been screened since the Covid-19 pandemic began and has only left his home three times since March.

Covid-19 has had a devastating impact on people with disabilities, and Fraser, who lives in Chipperfield, admits that he felt an additional responsibility to highlight those impacts.

“It was a friend who sent me the statistics. I believe by September 59% of all people who had died from Covid were disabled. It was almost two out of three, ”said Fraser, who works with Purplebricks to encourage the nation to stand behind Team GB on their trip to Tokyo.

“It was shocking to read and devastating to see. It was crazy that it wasn’t a bigger deal. In the UK I think one in five people has a registered disability, which equates to a large number of people. But people don’t really think and think about it because they don’t see disabled people in their daily life. But disabled people would like to be out and about every day.

“There are circumstances that are beyond our control, be it illness or temperature, accessibility, all these things that keep us from doing this. It’s one of the things because now I have a platform through the things that I’ve done. It would be irresponsible on my part not to use them to highlight these problems for people. “

A beacon of positivity on social media, Fraser knows exactly how important it is to enjoy the little things in life.

Negative comments on Twitter are sometimes inevitable, but the resilient Fraser has learned not to become the bait.

The story goes on

Fraser believes Lockdown helped better understand the limitations imposed on disabled people in their daily lives.

And he hopes that this trend can help change perception and strengthen empathy towards people with disabilities into the future.

“I very rarely have negative experiences on Twitter, there are very few,” he added.

“But those who are against it are really against it. I try not to react to it right away because it would be a pretty visceral reaction and I would probably say something I would regret later.

“But reading these comments is annoying and they get traction, but I think a lot of people now, especially in the first lockdown, have experienced the life that many disabled people live in, being at home and all those things. I think people showed a lot more empathy. “

Fraser argues that disabled people need a bigger voice when making decisions, especially about their own lives.

Oral artist Fraser is one of four brothers and currently lives in Chipperfield with parents Andrew and Francesca

He is currently looking for practical ways to improve the lives of people with disabilities. He is working on an app called “Sociability”, which provides information on accessibility in public places, in pubs and restaurants.

It might not be useful in the near future, but it could be an invaluable tool in the long run.

Fraser now has his own projects, not least building his own house. It’s six doors away from his parents’ home and one step out of his comfort zone.

The Hertfordshire painter has never shied away from a challenge and said, “It will be a challenge for me, I’ve lived at home for a while now and felt very comfortable here.

“I need a new challenge in my life.”

Henry Fraser is working with Purplebricks to encourage the nation to stand behind Team GB on their trip to Tokyo, with the same great support that he received in London 2012. Visit @PurplebricksUK on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram & YouTube