Cerddi yn Cwrw: Disabled Voices of Carmarthen
- cerys35
- Jul 9
- 3 min read
Author: write4word
Our second Cerddi yn Cwrw of July is a special occasion. Many members of our community are disabled and their writing often reflects that lived experience. “Disabled Voices of Carmarthen” is a creative celebration of that aspect of their cultural identity. write4word adopts the social model of disability not the medical model and any member of our community who self-discloses as disabled is invited to perform. Of course, all non-disabled members of our community are also welcome as audience members to celebrate the spoken-word of the disabled experience. write4word is part of a specific journey to remove the ‘dis’ from disabled led by Shahd Zorob supported by the Localmotion Carmarthen partnership network. Our special guest reader at this event will be Bethany Handley.
Monday 21 July 6pm (Wales time) CWRW 32 King Street, Carmarthen SA31 1BS
All and any form of spoken-word is encouraged, poetry, flash fiction, novel extracts, stand-up, monologue, dialogue, but this friendly and supportive community does ask that you keep within a three-minute limit.
The event tends to be primarily English language, but we often have Swedish, Spanish, Hindi and Irish contributions. Being based in Carmarthen we are particularly happy on the nights we have strong Welsh language elements.
All cultures are welcome to this inclusive and safe space.
Sign up on the night in person or online by emailing in advance
Doors open, virtually and physically, at 5.45. Readings start at 6.00. (Wales time)
THIS IS A FREE ENTRY EVENT, but a suggested donation of £3 would include a raffle ticket
The event will be recorded, so anyone not wishing their performance to be later shared to a wider audience please let us know.
Here is the link to join the event:
Meeting ID: 822 9866 4827
Passcode: 584535
Bethany Handley, a writer, poet, and disability activist, was named among the UK’s most influential disabled people (Shaw Trust 2024). She won Creative Future’s Gold Prize for non-fiction and edited the anthology Beyond / Tu Hwnt. Her poetry pamphlet Cling Film (Seren, 2025) was a Country Living top 40 cultural pick 2025
The Social Model of Disability was developed by Disabled people and describes people as being disabled by barriers in society, not by our impairment or difference. If modern life was set up in a way that was accessible for Disabled people, then we would not be excluded or restricted.
The social model of disability helps us recognise barriers that make life harder for Disabled people. These barriers are identified as being the physical environment, people’s attitudes, the way people communicate, how institutions and organisations are run, and how society discriminates against those of us who are perceived as ‘different’. Removing these barriers creates equality and offers Disabled people more independence, choice, and control.
Language is an important part of the Social Model of Disability because language reflects the cultural assumptions and thinking of the society around us. Language is never purely descriptive - it shapes how we see each other, the value we place on different identities, and sometimes how we behave.
In the past, Disabled people were described in a way that reflected a negative or medical view of disability. These terms, such as ‘cripples’, ‘handicapped’ and ‘wheelchair bound’ reinforce a negative view of Disabled people and often show us as powerless ‘victims’ or ‘objects’.
However, Social Model language rejects this negative or medical language and replaces it with more positive language that sees us as human beings. For example, “Disabled person”, “wheelchair user” , and “person with learning disabilities”.
The Social Model of Disability states that people have impairments, they do not have disabilities. According to the social model of disability, the term ‘people with disabilities’ is said to confuse impairment and disability and implies disability is something caused by the individual, rather than society. A Disability is caused by society’s unwillingness to meet the needs of people with impairments. As a result, the term ‘Disabled people’ is used to describe people with impairments who are disabled by barriers constructed by society.
