Senator Nikki Bradley Undeterred by Online Abuse

New Fine Gael senator Nikki Bradley has had to make a ‘rule’ of not reading online comments after being targeted with savage abuse on social media, just days into her new job.

The disability activist and motivational speaker was nominated for the Seanad by Taoiseach Simon Harris last week. She replaces Regina Doherty after her election to the European Parliament. She is expected to secure Fine Gael’s nomination to contest the outgoing TD Joe McHugh’s Dáil seat in Donegal.

Ms Bradley, who has had an amputation following surgery related to cancer treatments, said that as soon as her appointment was announced, “some people immediately used very derogatory terms associated with disability” in posts on social media.

While she insists the comments have “not really bothered” her, she told the Irish Mail on Sunday: “I’m very aware that it’s only just started and it’s probably easy to say that now.

“I know something will happen that will hurt me. I’m just going to have to grow a thick skin. It is what it is, but I’m definitely going to take safety precautions so I don’t fall victim to that kind of online abuse.”

The Donegal woman has already made a rule that she ‘will not read them again’.

‘I’ve been warned to avoid comments for that reason (abuse). That’s a shame, because you also miss out on suggestions from the audience that they’ve posted in the comments, or positive feedback.’

Mrs Bradley was diagnosed with Ewing’s sarcoma, a rare form of bone cancer, at 16. By 26, she had two hip replacements. She has been in remission since 2005. She says it was the radiation therapy that did “all the damage” and she had to undergo multiple surgeries.

In 2013, she founded the awareness campaign Fighting Fit For Ewing and is known for her enormous physical challenges, such as climbing mountains.

Her first days in the Seanad were a “baptism of fire”, she said – but “incredibly interesting” and as a regular user of the building, who uses only one crutch, she faced accessibility issues in Leinster House.

‘The Seanad bell is ringing and you have a certain amount of time to get from A to B,’ she said. ‘So far I’m not late, but I’m a bit tired when I get to the Seanad after the walk.’

But the political newcomer said she was “overwhelmed by the positive steps” taken to make the building more accessible for staff and visitors, and has also contacted the House’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion department and an accessibility officer.

“There’s still some work to be done, but I was really impressed by such an old building,” she said. Ms Bradley, who will put disability advocacy at the heart of her aims, disagrees with fellow senator Tom Clonan that Ireland is the worst country in the EU to be disabled. But she admits: “There’s still a lot to be done.”

Poorly designed sidewalks, paved streets and handicapped parking spaces are all cited as everyday obstacles, but she argues that “we are on the right track.”

She said her nomination showed the Taoiseach had taken “a very specific step in the right direction by having someone with personal experience” of disability in the Senate, alongside her partially sighted colleague Martin Conway.

Ms Bradley said the call from the Taoiseach “came as a surprise”. “I think some people think I’ve known about this for a long time, but I’ve only known about it for three weeks.”

The disability campaigner said she had “no connection whatsoever” with Fine Gael until just over a year ago, when she joined a mentoring scheme for female candidates. And she insisted she is “not doing it because I have big ambitions to be a politician or the next Taoiseach”.

“That’s not my goal. It’s not my interest, if I’m being completely honest. The reason I’m doing this is so I can continue doing what I’ve been doing, but hopefully help a larger audience on a national level.”