It is the European Year of the Disabled.

This is an important year for us. We are the people born with a disability through no fault of our own.

Please let us have some sunshine on us. We would love the sun to shine through and help us get a nice smile on our face, just to be happy on a bad day.

We like to just get on with out lives. We can talk about different things like football or what's been on television.

We don't want people to feel sorry for us.

Just smile at us and ask us how we are doing.

We are as good as the next person.

We like to laugh and have a joke; we get irritated, we care about our friends. We try to help each other.

We love to listen to our favourite music just like anyone else - there's pop music, country and western music, rock music, heavy rock and nice and easy. It helps the day go along.

I'd like to communicate with disabled people from different countries around the world, just to see how they cope with their disabilities.

I admire the courage of disabled people I see on television who do sport and other activities. I think it helps others to see what they are able to do.