Unbreakables stars calling for change 10 years on

TV show The Unbreakables: Life & Love on Disability Campus was a pioneering series that explored the challenges, fun and heartbreak experienced by Gloucestershire's National Star College students. But 10 years later, two of the stars say they still face challenges and their fight for change continues.

Sasha Parker has just watched back some of The Unbreakables and is feeling emotional as she remembers how it captured her fight to move somewhere she could live independently.

The BBC Three series showed its young stars falling in love, studying, and partying, but also highlighted the battles those living with additional needs face, from securing a future home to trying to find work.

Famously, it included a sequence where Sasha's then local authority wanted to place her in a nursing home. She was just 20 at the time.

Sasha, who has spastic cerebral palsy, is now living in her own house, with 24-hour care and support. Her parents fought hard and helped to pay for it. She knows how fortunate she is.

"[If I wasn't here] I'd probably be in the care home or in supported living which is no good for me. It's brilliant for other people but no good for me," Sasha added.

Despite a real desire to work and passion to help others, she says new opportunities are scarce.

"I could actually do so much more than I do already, and I think it's really important to give stuff back as well," she says.

"I just think it's important to have a life goal and at the moment I don't have a job so I would actually really love to give something back to people."

Joshua Reeves, who has cerebral palsy and was a student at the college in 2015, also watched the series back where he lives in Cardiff. He became emotional as he saw his younger self talk to the then college principal about wanting to start a campaign for disabled rights.

He described it as a pivotal moment for him.

"It brought something out of me, and I don't think I would be doing what I'm doing today," he says.

"The principal at the time, Kathryn Rudd, who has sadly passed away, really pushed on me to channel what I'm dealing with in society, and I thought I've got a strong voice, I want to use it and I could be a voice for the voiceless."

Joshua went on to start a campaign called "Don't Call Me Special" which raises awareness of people with disabilities and their rights. His work led to him being awarded a British Empire Medal.

"It was an honour to have that award to say, 'look, Josh, you've done great for the community'.

"But the fight ain't over. For myself, being a disabled person, it's only my impairment. It doesn't define who I am," he said.

Ten years on from The Unbreakables much has changed but Joshua and Sasha say there are still huge issues that need to be dealt with for people with disabilities.

Joshua recently campaigned outside parliament as the government tried to cut Personal Independence Payments (Pip), when ministers announced plans to tighten daily living assessments for claimants.

The changes will not come into force until MPs have had time to consider recommendations of a Pip review.

"I would love to see the young generation really step up the fight now," he says.

For Sasha, despite legislation, accessibility is still a big problem and stops her being able to do some of what she wants to do.

"Accessibility is just shocking in places here [Bristol], it's really bad, such as lifts and toilets. It's always a barrier."

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