Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds

Rosaleen (Rosie) Moriarty-Simmonds (born 1960) is a British businesswoman, artist and disability rights campaigner. She was born without arms or legs after her mother was prescribed thalidomide in pregnancy.

Early life

Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds was born in Cardiff, Wales, in 1960. She was born without arms or legs, as a result of her mother being prescribed thalidomide during her pregnancy.

Education

Moriarty-Simmonds attended Ysgol Erw'r Delyn, a special school in Penarth which had opened in 1958. Then at the age of 14, Moriarty-Simmonds continued her education at Treloar School in Alton, Hampshire. At the time of her attendance, this was the only school in the whole UK that gave an academic education to people with disabilities such as hers. She attended Cardiff University, from 1985, as its first disabled student.

Career and accomplishments

Moriarty-Simmonds launched her career after graduating in 1985. She is best known for her work as a business woman, author, artist, campaigner, and disability activist. As a disabled woman during the mid to late 20th century, she faced discrimination on a daily basis, making it very difficult to get hired. Many companies listed concerns about her disability affecting her strength and productivity as a worker. In an interview for UK Disability History Month, Moriarty-Simmonds said she applied for over 400 jobs and was only granted interviews at four of them. She was turned down by the NHS, the National Health Service in England and Lansdowne Hospital.

Business

Eventually, she was able to secure a position as a civil servant and began working at Companies House, an executive agency of the British government. She worked specifically in the department of trade and industry. After several years in one position there she rose to the executive officer level where she remained until she stepped down in 1993. In 1995, After seven years working at Companies House, Moriarty-Simmonds established RMS, her own consulting agency, which specializes in advising on disability law and offers training to various organizations on a range of disability issues. She operated her consultancy firm from home, providing expert advice on disability law to the local government, national assembly, Cardiff council and a range of other organizations.

Arts and Media

In 1999, Moriarty-Simmonds joined the Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Association (MFPA). She started creating original paintings by using her mouth to hold a paintbrush. Her disability does not prevent her from finding a way to do what she loves. In 2013, Moriarty-Simmonds circled back to the MFPA where she was accepted as a student member and proceeded to re-ignite her passion for painting. Since then, she has had seven pieces of her artwork featured on cards and gift wrapping, sold in 14 different countries worldwide. Although Moriarty-Simmonds' first acting appearance was at the age of two, she did not return to the state or screen until 2005, when she re-launched her acting career with her appearance on the TV Series ''Define Normal''. She collaborated with production companies such as Sky News and ITV, working as a freelance TV actor. Moriarty-Simmonds proceeded with her acting career, filming a new documentary in 2017 where she played the role of herself, called ''Call the Midwife: The Casebook''. Several years later in 2019 she performed in a one-act play, ''The Cardiff Tapes''. In addition to acting, Moriarty-Simmonds added writing to her portfolio of accomplishments. In 2007 she published her autobiography, ''Four Fingers and Thirteen Toes'', in which she reflects on her life as a Thalidomide survivor. Her book discusses personal struggles as a disabled person, her experiences with discrimination growing up with a disability, and the historical context of the Thalidomide tragedy, dating all the way back to Nazi Germany. Later that same year, Moriarty-Simmonds became a freelance presenter, developing a program called ''“Rosie's World'' on BBC Wales Radio.

Moriarty-Simmonds has been a passionate advocate for the rights of disabled individuals. She became one of the leaders in the campaign for the creation of a Thalidomide Memorial in Cathays Park, in Cardiff, a memorial built to commemorate and honour the lives and achievements of those affected by Thalidomide. The memorial was built and established in 2017. The Campaign represented the challenges Thalidomide impaired people faced in the United Kingdom and their significant contributions to society. Later that year, Simmonds was also appointed as an ambassador for the 'Embolden’ campaign, A Disability Wales initiative that aimed at emphasizing the significant achievements of deaf and disabled women in Wales, and providing good role models for young disabled girls.

Awards and honours

In 2011, Moriarty-Simmonds was the first of only two recipients to win the Owain Glyndwr Seren award from Cardiff council, presented to her for being an exceptional role model and inspiration for dedicating most of her life to work with disabled people. In 2013, Moriarty-Simmonds was appointed vice president of the Cardiff Business Club, an organization that convenes inspirational speakers of international standing, bringing them together with audiences from all over the world. In 2015, Moriarty-Simmonds was appointed OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen's New Years Honours List for "Services to the Equality and Rights of Disabled People." Moriarty-Simmonds was awarded two honorary fellowships and a doctorate, one of them from Cardiff University in 2017 for her "outstanding work and contribution to the Equality and Rights of Disabled People", and another fellowship and doctorate from Swansea University for her significant work in equality. In 2022 Moriarty-Simmonds was appointed to the role of High Sheriff of South Glamorgan, an independent, voluntary, royal appointment that lasts one year and typically involves ceremonial duties, judicial functions, and community-based charitable and civic work.

Personal life

Moriarty-Simmonds lives with her husband Stephen Simmonds in South Wales. Stephan was also born with impairments from Thalidomide, which for  Stephan presents as a disability in his legs. Stephen and Rosaleen had been friends since childhood. In 1995, the couple had their first child, who they named James.

British television series ''Call the Midwife'', a drama series set in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s about a group of midwives in the east end of London, based a storyline on the family's unique situation. The show discusses a variety of birth defects that arose from nursing practices during this period, thalidomide use being one of them. ''Call the Midwife'' was the first TV drama to cover the effects of the thalidomide drug, and producers say that they were inspired to cover the issue by Moriarty-Simmonds' book ''Four Fingers and Thirteen Toes''.

Impact on the thalidomide-impaired community

Moriarty-Simmonds has educated people through various means about thalidomide impairment. One way she has spread awareness about thalidomide impairment is through the TV drama, ''Call the Midwife''. The story follows a nurse through the 1950s and 60s, and in Season 5 Episode 1, a thalidomide baby was born into a family. Moriarty-Simmonds says that the child "looks not dissimilar to me!" The producers of the show apparently used Moriarty-Simmonds' autobiography to make the show as accurate and educational as it could be. There is also a documentary, called Call the Midwife: The Casebook, which goes deeper into detail about some of the stories in the TV drama. Moriarty-Simmonds appears as herself, and talks about her own life and experiences being thalidomide impaired, and how that relates to the character Susie in the show. Moriarty-Simmonds' opinion was that the thalidomide storyline should have continued into Season 6 of ''Call the Midwife'', to continue to provide exposure for people who are thalidomide impaired.

Moriarty-Simmonds campaigned for financial compensation for people affected by the Thalidomide epidemic. She advocates for funding for thalidomide impaired individuals, especially as they get older. She says, "I will need more care as I get older." A funding agreement for the Thalidomide Trust Health Grant (TTHG), was supposed to end in 2023. Moriarty-Simmonds says that extending the grant would be helpful for the thalidomide impaired community, and, "The cost of living for disabled people is phenomenal, so this health grant will let us buy essential equipment." These contributions to the community have led Moriarty-Simmonds to be a top contributor to the thalidomide impaired community.

Thalidomide Memorial

The Thalidomide Memorial was created to honour and remember those who have been affected by the 1950s Thalidomide Crisis. It is located in Alexandra Gardens, Cathays Park, Cardiff, Wales. The memorial is a headstone engraved with words honouring the children who died due to thalidomide, those who still live with thalidomide impairment today, and their families and supporters. On Art UK, Moriarty-Simmonds is listed as the commissioner of the piece, and is seen in pictures on the Thalidomide Memorial website.

References

External links

* ''RMS Consultancy''

{{DEFAULTSORT:Moriarty-Simmonds, Rosaleen
1960 births
Living people
Alumni of Cardiff University
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People with phocomelia
British businesspeople
British women in business
British artists with disabilities
British activists with disabilities
Mouth and foot painting artists
Welsh people with disabilities
High sheriffs of Glamorgan