A couple of years ago, I went to Barcelona. As a wheelchair user who travels a lot, I am depressingly used to things being pretty hard work. In many countries access is patchy at best (most wheelchair users therefore end up going back to the same places again and again). But Barcelona was a breath [...]
At a medal ceremony at the main Olympic stadium in London during the Paralympics, the British Chancellor of the Exchequer, George Osborne, was roundly booed by many of the 80,000 crowd. A British social commentator later said that maybe this was a “black power" moment for disability? He was alluding to a similarly significant and [...]
We moved to Australia from the UK partly because it is a lot easier to get around here outside the home. Buildings are newer, there’s more space, and generally people seem a bit more willing to help. Of course, this is a skewed view, because I come from London – where everything is old, there’s [...]
The number of disabled characters in film, TV and radio is growing every day, as more and more producers become aware of the issue of representation. A growing number of disabled lobby groups are making themselves heard amongst the correct audience of film and program makers. This is great news, in our quest for a [...]
I went to a new GP today. The appointment was a long one, as I recounted my not inconsiderable medical history. The conversation was a bit stilted. As a result, the thirty minutes seemed like sixty. It surprised me that a doctor nowadays would have such an awkward ‘bedside manner’. Then, suddenly, the conversation became [...]
Like many disabled people, I may sound like a stuck record, going on and on about parking. The reason I do is because not being able to park near where you're going has a huge direct, and often indirect, impact on your quality of life if you're disabled. Generally speaking, many disabled people will have [...]
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e9EYh_Tr_Sc&sns=em
Yes, maybe it is a controversial question. It clearly isn’t true of the majority. But I pose it, in order to make a serious point. Wherever you are on this planet, as a disabled person, your quality of life is often dramatically affected by the consideration shown by those around you. Nicking the parking spot [...]
Here is an article that appeared in the UK’s Observer newspaper on 4th December, the day after the annual International Day of People with Disability http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/dec/04/ian-birrell-prejudice-against-disabled It talks about the depressingly widespread “demonization” of disabled people – and a climate of hostility that is made more common in this era of global austerity. Without doubt [...]
Three years ago, when we decided to move to Australia, to live near Sydney in Pearl Beach, Justine said "I'm buggered if we're going to be in Pearl Beach in 2011, and unable to stroll along it hand in hand together!" So began our search to find a powered wheelchair that could cope with sand, [...]