Around 11m people are registered disabled in the UK. This is around 1 in 4 of all adults. They have real financial muscle, with a combined spending power of about £8Obn. But: Only 1 in 2 work, compared with around 4 in 5 non-disabled people. About 8 in every 10 without qualifications are out of [...]
Nearly all of my friends share the view that, since the arrival of the Disability Discrimination Act here in the UK, the quality of life of disabled people has improved no end. The less enlightened ones go on to say that because there’s a ramp into this taxi, or a hearing loop in that bank, [...]
Most people agree that the true sign of a modern and civilized society can be seen in the way that it treats those that are “weakest”. Social welfare, even in times of austerity, should ensure that the “weakest” do not slip through the net. For disabled people, the holes in the net have just got [...]
The description heroes has been applied liberally over the last few days to describe the Chilean miners. Every time I’ve heard this I’ve winced a little bit, in a very similar way to the way I feel when I hear disabled people referred to as heroic. The miners have been through an ordeal that they [...]
I’ve just returned from a six-day break in Barcelona. Two things struck me in particular about a wheelchair-using disabled person spending time in this wonderful city. Firstly, the ability to get to so many places is like a breath of fresh air for a wheelchair user – particularly one like me, coming from London. Both [...]
Last week I went to a friend’s wedding party. It was held in the basement health club that was his own small business. I used the elevator to get down to basement level. He half complained about how he had been obliged by the law to spend a fortune for his small business fitting the [...]
In response to my last blog entry, a comic-collecting friend reminded me that, ever since the 60’s, Marvel Comics has introduced many characters (often super-powered) with imperfections. This contrasts with the other big comic company, DC, creator of smart and traditionally handsome figures like Superman and Batman. Marvel characters have ranged from the science nerd, [...]
Last week, I noticed in the newspaper that a new superhero is coming to US bookstores. The Silver Scorpion, a Muslim boy in a wheelchair, will be arriving there in November. Perhaps this is indicative of a fresh more positive portrayal of disabled people. In fact, a wheelchair manufacturer I know was recently approached about [...]
A few months ago, I started a Save the iBot supporters' group on Facebook. The iBot is the greatest advance ever in wheelchair technology. It is a ‘personal mobility device’, with Segway gyroscopic technology, which can climb stairs (www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLrVDQiL1wk), tackle nearly all terrains (www.youtube.com/watch?v=7fY5NYCVvqs) and spectacularly, transformer-like, balance at eye level on two wheels (www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKcxOpjpBqs). The iBot [...]
I arrived in London to complete my Everything is Possible in Life Cycle ride nearly 3 weeks ago. Back home, when I first sat in my powered wheelchair again (having spent a month on the road without it), I felt like I was being given some independence back. For 32 days, when I wasn’t cycling, [...]