Jay Howard, 32, has shed light on a particularly ‘dark time’ in her life, following a little-known injury. The TV star, and first disabled cast member on E4’s Married At First Sight, said she couldn’t even dress herself during this period and feared she had multiple sclerosis (MS).
“I had to have an MRI scan and everything because they thought I had MS,” she recalled in an exclusive interview with theMirror. “It was a big thing, it went on for over 12 months. I was in and out of work… it was a horrible time for me.
“[The doctors] kept coming back saying ‘this is fine and that’s fine’, and I was like, ‘well, it isn’t because I can’t move it’. I can’t even lift a brew up without dropping the cup.
“It took ages, I kept having to go to A&E. My mum had to take me all the time. My mum was really upset, [it was a] really dark time for her because my doctor basically put it into her head that I might have MS, so I needed an MRI.
“That made me think, ‘oh god, if it is, then what are we going to do?’, because my mum was like ‘I’m going to have to take care of you [24-hours-a-day]’. It was bad, but it came out that it wasn’t. So, I’m alright.”
Around seven years ago, Jay was diagnosed with a repetitive strain injury (RSI), which typically involves pain, throbbing, swelling, or numbness caused by repeated motions. For Jay, the main issue was severe cramping in her right arm.
As she was born without part of her other arm, this injury made everyday tasks and her previous work in sales especially difficult. She recounted: “I had a right nightmare with it because I kept getting repetitive strain. And my hand went completely for like three months and my mum was having to dress me and everything, feed me and all that kind of stuff.”
Despite numerous hospital visits and procedures like nerve conduction, she eventually found a solution that ‘changed her life’. Remarkably, this turned out to be a one-handed keyboard, specifically designed for individuals with one hand, like herself.
“All turned out it was because I was straining my fingers by using normal keyboards,” she said. “We got one, I’ve not had a problem since. It’s been brilliant and it’s actually changed my life, I’ve not had to go to any more hospital appointments, I’ve not had it ceasing up, it’s not been cramping.”
Although Jay’s RSI continues to cramp up during the colder weather, it’s no longer a daily issue. In light of her experience, she’s keen to draw further attention to the often overlooked needs of people with limb differences and disabilities.
In November, she hosted an ITV chat show Unfiltered Women with Samantha Renke and Fats Timbo, where they candidly discussed life in a disabling society. Now an ambassador for the limb difference charity Reach, she is also engaging with schools, workplaces, and businesses through public speaking events.
Besides from one-handed keyboards, she urges employers to consider numerous other simple adjustments for varying accessibility needs. This could be anything from using coloured paper to accommodate for people with dyslexia and other learning disabilities, to elevators for individuals with mobility difficulties.
The star, from Accrington in Lancashire, continued: “It’s not like ‘what’s wrong with your office’, more of an open chat about it. It could be something as simple as, you’ve got two candidates wanting the job. One of them is a non-disabled person [and the other is] a disabled person, but the disabled person is more qualified.
“But you haven’t got a lift for them – and it could be something as simple as that. It’s just getting to the office to do the job effectively, it puts the disabled person at a disadvantage.
“…When I went into a business that I did a talk with, the HR department actually came up to me afterwards and they said… ‘You know what? I didn’t know half of the stuff you said, but I’m so glad that you mentioned it because we’re actually going to go away now and put that into effect’.”
Later, she added: “There’s not enough awareness on it.”
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