Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds - Wikipedia

Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds Order of the British Empire
Born	5 December 1960 (age 64)
Nationality	British
Education	Treloar School
Alma mater	Cardiff University

Rosaleen (Rosie) Moriarty-Simmonds OBE (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.^[1]

Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds was born In Cardiff, Great Britain on 5 December 1960, and is known for her work as a disability activist. She was born without arms or legs, as a result of her mother being prescribed thalidomide during her pregnancy. Thalidomide is a drug commonly taken by pregnant women in the 1960s to treat nausea but was later linked to severe birth defects. The impact of this drug wasn't widely understood at the time, resulting in many challenges for Simmonds growing up. Education was widely unavailable for Simmonds, as schools did not commonly have the staff or resources to accommodate students with disabilities. When Moriarty-Simmonds was born, her parents were unprepared to deal with the challenges of her disability, as the education regarding her condition was limited at the time. Her parents faced many hurdles in getting her a proper education. In Whales, where she grew up, people with disabilities were a small minority. In 1960, there were only 619 “severely disabled” people in Wales, so parks, ramps, and buildings were not very accessible to her.^[2] As a child, Moriarty-Simmonds faced severe bullying, as she states in an interview “As a child growing in up the 1960s, prejudice was something I had to tolerate. You learned to live with ignorant people staring at you because you looked “different”. You learned to tolerate negative attitudes and slowly began to appreciate all around there were barriers preventing equality – attitudinal, structural, behavioural and environmental.” At the time when she was growing up, the social understanding of disabilities was limited, but Simmonds used this as motivation for fight for disability education and acceptance in society. In the 1970s, awareness around disabilities and disability rights movements were on the rise. More people began advocating for the right for disabled children to learn, and Simmons was able to receive proper education. At 10, she started her in-person education at Ysgol Erw’r Delyn in Penarth, a special school for disabled people. It was here where she connected with other children with disabilities, and found her passion for advocating for disability rights. Although it has been open since 1958, as one of the first special schools in the United Kingdom, the school eventually ended up closing its doors in 2014 to relocate and add extra accommodations to make its students more comfortable, ensuring that they could provide adequate care for future students.^[3] After Moriarty-Simmonds turned 14, her parents tried to put her in a primary school, however, she ultimately ended up attending Treloars School in Hampshire, which focused on education for students with disabilities. Treloars School had accessible classrooms, and adaptive learning styles to fit the needs of all of its students. From here, Simmonds knew she wanted to grow up to be a disability activist, as she navigated the challenges of the world around her. She wanted to give other disabled children the chance to experience learning and to make the education system a more welcoming place for people with disabilities. As she says in her blog, children around her had lots of questions regarding how she navigates her day to day activities as a disabled person. “Rosie has tackled the compelling issues of “how do you brush your hair” “who helps you in the house?” “how do you get from your wheelchair into bed?” and even “how do you pick your nose!” Although she was often annoyed at these questions, Simmonds always told it like it was, using honesty and vulnerability to educate children on her disability.^[4] She argues that we shouldn't shut down questions regarding disability, especially for children at a young age, as it teaches them to see disabilities as strange or different. By educating younger generations on disabilities, simmonds feels younger people will be greater informed on how to help and understand their disabled peers. Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds, although physically impaired, has worked hard to fight for her education and adapt to her environment. She believes that disability awareness has come a long way since her childhood, and mentions how she feels grateful for the progress society has made. As a disabled activist, she makes it her mission to bring a greater understanding and education to the lives of impaired people.

Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds achieved higher education while dealing with her disability that one might think would close off education opportunities, but for her, it was not something that would deter her from trying to get an education. Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds had even been turned down from some institutions because they couldn’t accommodate to her wheelchair, said the UK disability month page, adding to the difficulties of getting a good education. But she has now utilized her education to get jobs and make a mark on the world, informing others about how unfairly disabled people are treated. Because of her education, she is also a voice for other disabled people.

Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds went to Ysgol Erw’r Delyn in Penarth.^[5] The welsh establishment was open for special needs education and was one of Penarth's oldest special school. They first opened in 1958 and now are relocating. ^[6] This school closed on 9 November 2014, a shock to many in the community. Then at the age of 14, Moriarty-Simmonds began her education at Treloar School in New Hampshire.^[7] At the time of her attendance, this was the only school in the whole UK that gave education to people with disabilities such as her own. Treloar school is a special school not maintained by the state but charges fees for non-profits. It is administered by a charity. This school gives education to disabled people and young kids from the ages of 2 to 25. Treloar educates 170 students spanning 23 different counties in the UK and Ireland. Treloar serves as a school and as a college that aids mainly physically disabled students. They have weekly boarding and termly boarding acting like a boarding school in a way with different options for different age ranges. Along with education, Treloar provides therapy as well as medical care and support for students. Treloar school had been involved in a scandal regarding unsafe transfer of blood from 1974 to 1987. At the school in New Hampshire, students had been treated with blood that had HIV and Hepatitis which the children had not been notified about which led to deaths. Moriarty-Simmonds did not have any experience with this scandal though.^[8]

Moriarty-Simmonds continued her education after Treloar School by attending Cardiff University. Starting at this university in 1985, over 100 years after its establishment in 1883, she became the first disabled student to ever attend this school.^[9] Often while at this university, she would have to write notes with her mouth. Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds said, “I made friends and went to wild parties but it was a big learning curve for me and the university.” ^[10] Cardiff University is located in Cardiff, Wales. Cardiff University is a public research university university with about 32,725 students. 23,970 of these students are undergraduates and 8,755 are post-graduates.^[11] Cardiff is one of the top 25 universities in the UK and it is 2nd in the UK for research impact. Cardiff’s student union is also highly ranked in the UK, coming in at 3rd.^[12] Going to this university helped her to become very accomplished in her life and soon after graduating, she worked as an executive officer in the civil service, with many more opportunities to come.^[13] At this university, Moriarty-Simmonds would get her BSc - Also known as Bachelor of Science - in Psychology. A BSc in psychology is a more science-related degree that utilizes the biological and neurological aspects of psychology as opposed to a BA in Psychology which focuses more on the study of human behavior and feelings in a more social and cultural context.^[14] Her degree from Cardiff University helped her career as she was able to become vice president of the Cardiff Business School. And because of the education she got, leading to one of the many jobs she could get, she was able to bring issues of inequality and disabled people being treated unfairly, to many Wales business and entertainment groups.

After graduating, many opportunities had opened up for Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds. Moriarty-Simmonds continued to advocate for disability rights as well as the inclusion of disabled people in our world that isn’t as accessible to disabled people. She persevered through the discrimination she faced for being disabled and got an education that set her up for a better life. “it was 1970 before disabled children had the right to an education.”^[10] Working hard and achieving a BSc in psychology also helped her future activism opportunities. Even after finishing her own education, she fights for other disabled people to have access to an education. Her advocacy work with disability awareness aims to impact the world and her education and degree have helped her reach that. One of Moriarty-Simmonds’ core beliefs is that everyone should have access to an education. The unequal treatment of disabled people through not being allowed to have an education shows how unfair our society is for many.^[15] Of the millions of people disabled that are 25 or older, only about 20% of them have a bachelor's degree. This is compared to 41% of over millions of non-disabled people who do have Bachelors degrees. This low percentage of disabled people with degrees is what many disability activists are trying to increase.^[16] This shows in Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds' experience as she was the only disabled person at Cardiff University to completely finish college and get their degree. Though others had become disabled while at Cardiff, she was the first disabled person to arrive, who had been disabled from birth.^[10] Much like how Moriarty-Simmonds is trying to increase disabled people’s access to education so they have a better future. Many disabled people want to be able to achieve their life goals and being given an education is what Moriarty-Simmonds believes must be done so that disabled people can accomplish what they want to accomplish.

Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds promptly launched her career after earning her degree in psychology from Cardiff University 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 1900s, Moriarty-Simmonds 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 from the NHS, the National Health Service in England and Lansdowne Hospital due to constant discrimination against her disability.^[17]

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 the RMS, For Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds 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. ^[18]Additionally, she maintained a busy speaking schedule, delivering lectures on disability rights and accessibility all over the world. Moriarty-Simmonds was driven by her desire to raise awareness both within and beyond the field of disability rights. When she became pregnant with her son, Simmonds took a break from her busy career to spend time with her husband and focus on raising her son.

In 1999, Moriarty-Simmonds joined the MFPA, Mouth and Foot Painting Artists Association. 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's had seven pieces of her artwork featured on cards and gift wrapping, sold in 14 different countries worldwide.^[19] 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.^[20] 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 called, “The Cardiff Tapes”.^[21] In addition to acting, Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds added writing to her portfolio of accomplishments. In 2007 Moriarty-Simmonds 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.

Rosaleen 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 honor 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. Wikipedia commons: Thalidomide Memorial

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, Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds was awarded an OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the Queen’s New Years Honours List for her “Services to the Equality and Rights of Disabled People.” ^[18] The OBE is an award given to people who have made a significant contribution to the country and is the second highest ranking award one can receive in the UK. Rosaleen 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 Simmonds took on the role of being a 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. This appointment shows her ongoing contributions to the civil service and her commitment to promoting inclusivity throughout the country.

Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds lives with her husband Stephan Simmonds in South Wales. Stephan was also born with impairments from Thalidomide, which for  Stephan presents as a disability in his legs. Stephan and Rosaleen had been friends since childhood. In 1995, the couple had their first child, who they named James. James talked about his unique childhood in an interview with WalesOnline. “For a long time that was the norm for me – having two disabled parents, and it didn’t register with me that it made me any different. That was my life.” He said. Rosaleen and Stephan managed parenting with their disabilities by using alternative parenting methods. For example, Rosaleen used voice control as a replacement for running after James. This meant that she would raise her voice a few levels if he was about to do something dangerous and he would stop. They also had support from family members. Her uncle designed a baby-changing table they could both use.^[22]

But James wasn’t a particularly difficult child. Rosaleen said that James seemed to instinctively know not to struggle with his parents and would cling to his mother's clothes even as a baby before he had concrete knowledge of her disability. James graduated from college in 2024. He majored in MSc Real Estate Management at the University of the West of England. James now works as an asset manager at Mileway where he focuses on a multi-let portfolio across South Wales. He is also an RICS Matrics committee member.^[23]

Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds’ husband, Stephan Simmonds, lives with Rosaleen in Cardiff, South Wales. He works with Rosaleen at her consultancy company. Stephan also has an active social media presence where he advocates for disability inclusivity.

Cardiff is the largest city in Wales with a population of 372,089 people. Living in a city rather than a rural area provides the couple with increased opportunity and support for living with their disabilities.

British television series Call The Midwife based a storyline on the family's unique situation. Call the Midwife is a drama series set in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s about a group of midwives in the east end of London. 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 Rosaleen’s book Four Fingers and Thirteen Toes. Rosaleen says that her story being shown on TV will “deliver our story in bite-size pieces of information to people of all walks of life.” This is something that Rosaleen says she reaches for in aspects of her professional and personal life.^[24]

Rosaleen also fills her personal life with her lifelong hobby of painting. Rosaleen has always loved creating art, which she does by holding the paintbrush in her mouth. Ever since Rosaleen was a child she has been using her mouth to hold drawing and writing tools. She uses acrylic paint, which is what Rosaleen discovered was the easiest medium for her to work with after trying a variety of options including watercolor, pastels, and inks. She typically paints landscapes, still lives, and some portraits. Rosaleen worked to hone her craft in the free time she had between going to school, starting her family, and starting her own consulting business. Then, a senior at the MFPA (the Mouth and Foot Painting Association) reached out to Moriarty-Simmonds and encouraged her to join. She sent in her portfolio and was offered a scholarship as a student mouth painter. This has allowed Moriarty-Simmonds to display her work at many of the MFPA shows and demonstrations and transformed her interest in art into more than a mere hobby.^[25]

Thalidomide was a medication that was widely used in the 1950s and early 1960s to treat sleeping problems and morning sickness.^[26] However it was later withdrawn due to the fact that if taken during the early stages of pregnancy, it could cause severe birth defects. The children that suffer this affliction are called Thalidomide Babies, and about many of them died shortly after birth due to the severe birth defects. Thalidomide did cause many different types of birth defects, which contributed to why it took so long to tie Thalidomide to the thousands of babies that were affected by it. The Thalidomide Trust says it causes, “shortening and absence of limbs, malformation of hands and digits, damage to ears and eyes, sensory impairment, facial disfigurement/palsy and damage to the brain, internal organs and skeletal structure.”^[27] Given all of these disfigurements, many people with Thalidomide Impairment have gone on to lead successful and fulfilling lives. People with this condition have learned to adapt and overcome it, some even having families and giving birth to healthy kids.^[28] Thalidomide babies are now approaching their Sixties, and their deformities are only causing more pain as they age. Other than aches and pains, Thalidomide survivors experience a loss in mobility, strength and poor mental and emotional health.^[27]

Today in the UK there are 426 people with Thalidomide Impairment still alive today, and Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds is among them.^[27] She was born with no limbs, and just 4 Fingers and 13 Toes, which is notably the title of her autobiography. She is somebody who overcame Thalidomide impairment and lived a very successful life. It makes it all the more awe-inspiring that she has accomplished what she has while being Thalidomide impaired. Though lacking arms and legs, Moriarty-Simmonds has many achievements and careers. However, her journey was not an easy one, as she had to jump through hoops such as not being taken seriously as a business woman and being bullied for her physical deformities.

Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds has educated people through various means about Thalidomide Impairment. One way Moriarty-Simmonds 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.^[29] Moriarty-Simmonds says that the child “looks not dissimilar to me!”^[30] The producers of the show apparently used Moriarty-Simmonds' autobiography to make the show as accurate and educational as it could be.^[31] 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.^[32] Rosaleen 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.^[30]

Rosaleen 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.”^[33] 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.”^[33] These contributions to the community have led Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds to be a top contributor to the Thalidomide Impaired community.

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, South Wales, United Kingdom. The memorial itself is a headstone engraved with a few words honoring the children who died due to Thalidomide Impairment and those who still live with it today. On Art UK, Rosaleen Moriarty-Simmonds is listed as a commissioner of the piece, and is seen in pictures on the Thalidomide Memorial website.^[34]

• Official website RMS Consultancy