The power of digital activism: How I use social media to fight for inclusion
For Jill, a disability rights campaigner from Glasgow, the internet isn’t just a tool – it’s a lifeline. Through social media, she’s built a movement for accessible toilets across the UK, showing how digital platforms can break down barriers and amplify the voices too often left unheard.
By Jill Clark | Photo by Karen Gordon
Campaigning is my game and it is all digital. Some people say the internet and social media is dangerous. I understand where they are coming from but as someone who has a physical disability, the internet and social media is the only way for me to get my views across to the world.
My name is Jill, I am 33 and I live in Glasgow. I have a disability called cerebral palsy which affects my muscles, movement and my speech. I use a wheelchair all of the time and I communicate by using a communication device. I use a tracker dot on my forehead to access the programmes on my device. It has 144 boxes and under each box there are words for a subject, helping me express my thoughts.
I feel strongly about human rights, especially disabled people’s rights. I am well known as ‘the toilet woman’ because of my work campaigning for Changing Places toilets. Standard accessible toilets do not meet the needs of all people with a disability. Over 250,000 people in the UK with a disability need extra equipment and space to allow them to use the toilets safely and comfortably. These needs are met by Changing Places toilets.
These toilets have specialised built-in facilities to be fully accessible for people with complex disabilities who may need assistance. They also have equipment such as a hoist, a changing bed and they are big enough for a wheelchair user and two carers to move around in. I wrote more about the need for more of these facilities in issue 14 of Greater Govanhill.
As a campaigner you get invited to meetings, conferences or to do speeches. I love doing all of these things but there are barriers as someone with a physical disability. When I’m asked to go somewhere new I can’t just say “Okay, I can go!” My mind goes mad thinking of things like, ‘Will I get into the building okay? Is there a ramp? What about the toilet, is there a Changing Place? Is it big enough inside to get around in my wheelchair?’.
All of the above would normally put me off campaigning but this is where the internet and social media comes in. In the early days of my campaign, I started an online petition to get a Changing Places toilet installed and I shared it on Facebook, it got over 100 signatures. Then a few years later I decided to create a Facebook page for my campaign, The Toilet Woman and Clarky Blogs. This has helped me to get my message across about Changing Places, particularly on Changing Places Awareness Day on 19 July. I also use X and Instagram for my campaign.
When I find new Changing Places I post videos and blogs about it to make people aware of them. There is also a Changing Places toilet app that lets you know where these can be found near you. When I started campaigning, over ten years ago, there were just two Changing Places toilets in Glasgow and now there are roughly 26.
A big part of my campaign was to get a Changing Places toilet installed in my local shopping centre. I posted this information on social media and asked followers to share the campaign if they agreed. Over 200 people shared the post. Eventually, a Changing Places toilet was opened and I posted an update to let everyone know, which got a lot of engagement.
Like everything, social media has its downside too. When Glasgow Live published an article a troll left rude comments about me and my campaign. I fought back and the comment was taken down.
When I think about it, if there wasn’t any internet and social media, my campaign wouldn’t have had such success. Campaigning online also allows me to hear from people from other countries who message me to find out about Changing Places and helps me meet other people who use Changing Places or support someone who does. It has been good to build up a network and share our experiences.
My advice for using the internet and social media for campaigning is ‘don’t be shy and don’t worry about posting something people don’t like’. If that’s the case then they shouldn’t follow you.