When Simone Poole was seven-years-old, she had a collision with a schoolmate that left her immobile for more than a day and after she regained movement in her legs, her gait was never the same.
She often struggled to walk and at one time was forced to hold on to walls and furniture to get around. When she became pregnant with her first child, the doctor suggested that carrying the baby to full term would adversely affect her condition. She chose to do so and shortly after she gave birth to her daughter, she lost the limited mobility she had.
Over the years, before this occurred, she had experienced severe stigma and discrimination and like many people with disabilities, suffered the harshness of an unsympathetic Guyanese society.