On June 18th, I attended a government initiative aimed at persuading (or "telling" is possibly more accurate!) some of the major advertising companies to use disabled people in their campaigns.

Maria Eagle (Minister for Disability), myself and two guys who worked in one of the ad companies spoke and then answered questions. I thought you may like to know what I said so here's an edited version of my speech.

"My disability crept up on me gradually .When I was ten, I had a spinal haemorrhage and after an operation, I was totally paralysed for several months before miraculously recovering completely except for some paralysis in my left hand. My life went back to normal for a while, apart from a few adjustments.

I wanted to be an actress and hoped to go to drama school. However, when I was fourteen, I had a second spinal haemorrhage, another operation and again spent several months recovering my mobility but my left leg and foot remained partially paralysed leaving me with a severe limp but able to walk unaided.

I knew that no drama school would be interested in me now that I was so obviously physically defective so I put my acting dream on hold and thought I'd take it up again when I got better because I assumed I would.

From fourteen to eighteen my disability remained stable but then I got a bit weaker and had to use a walking stick. I started at University College London but it was too far for me to walk between lectures and I began to panic about how I would cope with the rest of my life if I didn't get better now so I left.

I went to a centre in California for six months to do intensive physical re-hab, certain that I would come home perfect again and able to have my life back. I exercised hard for six months with specialist equipment but I didn't improve in fact my muscles became stiffer and my balance got worse, so they ran some tests and found that there was a cyst pressing on my nerves that they had to remove if I was to stop deteriorating.

I returned home frightened but hopeful that this serious spinal surgery would answer my prayers, but when I went to see the specialist he said the operation was too risky and he wouldn't do it.

At this stage, I was leaning on walls when walking or holding people's arms for support as the walking stick was no longer enough. I became severely depressed because I didn't know what to do with myself or my life. My body continued to weaken and it was very frightening. All my friends were at university, travelling or starting jobs but I couldn't see that I had any options. I didn't know any disabled people, there were no disabled role models, disability was then even less visible than it is now so how was I to surmise that I could have any quality of life with a physical impairment?

I was sure there'd been a mistake and I'd wake up one morning perfectly able again; I was not put on this earth to be a freak, destined for a pathetic, wasted life full of limitation and struggle which is all I could imagine life with a disability would be.

With nowhere to turn, I became suicidal and spent three months and my twentieth birthday in one of those clinics which are now quite fashionable and cool but weren't then. I came out no longer feeling suicidal but still with no options that I could see and I spent the next four years doing very little. My physical health was still deteriorating and I was extremely unhappy. I couldn't leave my flat unless I had someone with me as I was only able to walk short distances with help and was getting increasing amounts of muscle spasm and back pain.

I became quite isolated because I would rather not go out at all than suffer the indignity of using a wheelchair. I was living on disability benefits but I still didn't consider myself to be disabled because the concept was too terrible.

Eventually I became so immobile that I was forced to use a wheelchair full time and could no longer deny that I was properly disabled.

Then came a chain of events which turned my life around. A friend of a friend was a photographer for the Daily Star. She had taken photos of my Mum, Debbie Moore who was a model and started Pineapple Dance Studios, and she asked me to write an article about my experiences and took some photos of me modelling Pineapple clothes. The piece was picked up by The Daily Mail, and ITV's "This Morning" asked me and my Mum onto the programme.

I was asked about the way people reacted to me since I started using the wheelchair. I spoke about the prejudice and exclusion that I and millions of other disabled people were facing and said that attitudes towards disability had to be re-addressed.

The producer of ITV's "That's Esther", saw the interview and offered me a presenting job that afternoon. Six months later, I was off income support and broadcasting to millions on mainstream television alongside Esther Rantzen and Heather Mills. I've now been working on the series for four years.

It was luck rather than endeavour that got me that job, got me here today and gave me a voice. If it wasn't for fate intervening, I would still be stuck indoors, feeling depressed with no kind of life and no hope for the future.

There are millions of disabled people who are where I was and can see no way out, they want to participate fully in society, they want to work, they have talents and abilities but these are being wasted because they don't have the opportunities, and change to remedy this is coming too slowly.

When I started presenting, I believed it was a sign of things to come. I thought that me being regularly on TV would encourage other producers to nurture and use disabled talent on-screen, which would result in disabled people becoming more integrated. I've been to regular meetings with all the key players in broadcasting over the past four years and I've heard lots of positive, rallying talk but so far, I've seen little change.

Ironically, my disability has become my career. Since I started work on "That's Esther" I've attracted a lot of media attention as I'm the only disabled person to appear regularly on mainstream television. I've been asked to speak at various disability related events and have become involved with various disability related initiatives, I write a regular column for the website Youreable.com and I've even managed to do a little acting, but again, it's been in the area of disability.

I'm very grateful to be working and to be in a position where I have some authority but I hope that in the future, people with disabilities will not be defined by their impairment but will be seen and judged as everyone else is, by their characters and abilities and will have the opportunities to compete for the jobs they want, rather than the jobs that are open to them because they happen to be disabled.

Disability does not discriminate; it doesn't recognise class, colour or creed. It doesn't matter what kind of a person you are; anyone can become disabled at any time.

I would like you to imagine you are disabled right now. Obviously there are many kinds of disability but as I'm in charge for the moment, I'd like you to imagine you use a wheelchair despite the fact that today's research notes say that wheelchair users are visual clichés. I don't know how happy I am about this particular suggestion, perhaps we could all keep that bit of research between these four walls or I'll soon be out of work.

O.K, so just briefly imagine a few of the practicalities involved with using a wheelchair- you can't get into most buildings or into most people's houses- so no nipping to the shops or visiting your mates for the next few minutes- you can't use public transport, but you could use an accessible taxi- if you felt like spending thirty quid travelling one way across town- or you could take your car, if you're lucky enough to have one, but then don't expect to park it when you reach your destination as there are about five disabled parking bays in the whole of London and they seem to be constantly taken up by drivers with no apparent mobility problem. You can't go to the loo when you want to because you have to find an accessible loo and they're scarce so best not to drink too much - that sort of thing. If I sound bitter, it's because I am.

So, how do you feel now that you're disabled? (And for many people it literally does happen that quickly). Do you still have the same likes and dislikes; do you still have the same desires, the same values and principles, the same neurotic tendencies, the same character flaws? Do you still have the same goals, like the same food, fancy the same people, have the same sex-drive? Yes, of course you do because you're still the same person.

But, now that you're disabled, do you still have the same opportunities as when you were able-bodied, to express yourself and fulfil your desires and dreams? No, you don't. And how does this make you feel? Frustrated, angry, hard done by, bitter? Well, yes - these are natural human emotions that arise when you are repressed and ostracised.

Able-bodied or disabled, we are all surrounded and influenced by the same images and ideals; images and ideals that many of you are responsible for helping to create and promote; beauty equals good, ugly equals bad, thin equals good, fat equals bad, wealth equals good, poverty equals bad, physical perfection equals good, cripple equals bad.

It doesn't matter how strong a person you are, anyone living in our society is going to be coloured by what goes on around them; it would take a super-human amount of effort to counteract the messages with which we are constantly bombarded. It's very difficult for a person with a disability to maintain any sort of self-belief when everything around them screams "you do not belong" and "you are not good enough".

By visually absenting disabled people from advertising, you are helping to keep us out of the public consciousness; it's as simple as that, but luckily, it's also that simple to help turn things around by involving disabled people in your campaigns.

As a general guide-line I would say stay away from the victim and hero stereotypes wherever possible but more than that be brave, think laterally, include all sorts of disabled people in all kinds of roles and don't worry about getting it wrong. Most of us just want to be visible, there's no guide book that we all read and there are no strict "disability do's and don'ts" because we're all individuals. All disabled people want is what every other human being wants; to be treated with respect.

There's money to be made from the disabled population and if your advertising includes disabled people then we're more likely to buy your product and your brand will certainly be noticed and respected by us. There's no reason to suggest that using disabled people in ads will have any detrimental effect but by not using us you are helping to uphold the myth that we are inferior, so really, there's no excuse.

Working in advertising you are aware of the power and influence you have on the public psyche. By helping make disabled people visible you will elevate our social status and this will impact all areas of our lives from employment to relationships. The positive repercussions of today's initiative, if taken seriously will be great.

You have the power to help ensure that in the future the phrase "disability discrimination" is obsolete, that the "Disability Discrimination Act" is redundant and the people at the "Disability Rights Commission" are out of work.

Thank you.