Isle of Man: Disabled TikTok star hopes to educate and inspire

Darren lives semi-independently in Ramsey

A disabled man from Ramsey has become a star on TikTok after posting videos demonstrating how he lives his life.

Darren Douglas has a rare condition called Arthrogryposis, which limits the movement in his joints.

The 30-year-old's most popular post, showing him painting a door with his mouth using a paint brush on a stick, has amassed more than 18 million views.

He said he hoped sharing the videos would "inspire other disabled people" to overcome obstacles in their lives.

Mr Douglas said he wanted others to "be more aware of disabled people".

As he got older, people became "generally interested" in how he lived his life, which gave him the idea of making making videos, he said.

"My mum has always said to me 'you were obviously put on this earth to show people, teach people'," he added.

A video of Darren Douglas painting a door has had more than 18 million views

The videos posted include Mr Douglas getting a drink of water by using an adapted cup, and cross stitching by using his mouth to move the needle and thread.

He was "overwhelmed" with the reaction to his first post of him making a cup of tea, which spurred him on to create more as he felt they were "quite educational for people".

He said he often felt that disabled people were treated like "third class citizens", which was something he wanted to change.

"I just want to be a voice for people, that's all I want to do," he added.