Racism, ageism, and sexism are all, to varying extents, battles which are being won. Full inclusion may be some way off for some groups, but the issues are at least fully aired. By contrast, “Disablism” is arguably the next big prejudiced view that is commonly held in our society and which still frequently results in [...]
One of the things that is guaranteed to get on my goat is the likelihood that disabled people are almost always lumped together into a group called “the disabled”. This throws into focus two things that my English teacher would have had me up on: Firstly, since when did an adjective that should be applied [...]
A couple of years after my accident, I started thinking “wouldn’t it be great if we lived in a world where disabled people are defined by what they can do rather than by what they can’t?”. So, instead of being disabled, they are just as able to do things as anyone, but just in a [...]
During the stay at our hotel in Lincoln, an episode occurred that perfectly underscores many of the reasons why some disabled people still feel excluded from mainstream society and why they think that there is still some distance to go until genuine inclusiveness is achieved - a lack of true empathy. Our hotel informed us [...]
Some people with disabilities fall into a new gender category that I have started calling ‘the third sex’. In most bars and restaurants there are loos for men, loos for women, and disabled loos. And most ‘disabled’ hotel rooms are twin-bedded, not double-bedded. The reason for this seems to be that some individuals don’t expect [...]
It may sound strange, but I often think to myself how fortunate I am to be disabled in this modern world of microchips and other ground-breaking technology. It is an unarguable case that my life is made so much easier and so much better in quality than if I’d been born just a few years [...]
Here is a short film showing some footage of the first 10 days riding through Scotland http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4K4prhQVWto (also, if you haven't seen it yet, have a look at the Max cam - it's like Formula 1, but slower http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I16oYpDMJyg)
We are 14 days and nearly 300 miles into the journey and having a well-deserved rest day in Newcastle. I thought it would be an opportune time to assess how well the campaign appears to be working. The first point to note is that having a better thought through route and preparations, together with a [...]
I had intended to make this entry about the crucial need for disabled people to have to plan their lives in minute detail. Then, as if to underline my point, two incidents happened on our ride – our hotel stairlift broke down, and the elevator for the Tyne cycle tunnel wasn’t working when we got [...]
Faced with the option of either having a severe disability for the rest of their lives, or facing a firing squad, it is a fair bet that most able-bodied people would probably chose the firing squad. The finality of this choice is often brought about by fear: a fear of surrendering autonomy and being dependent [...]