Two years ago I went to a wedding party in the UK, held at a friend’s bar in a basement. As I went down in the lift to join the crowd below, he moaned “I spent £25,000 putting this lift in 12 months back and you’re the first person to use it.” Under-use of dedicated [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
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, [...]
I haven’t written this blog for a few months, because in July I moved to Australia. I won’t go into detail here about the enormous logistical task it was for my wife, myself (and our cat) to relocate to the other side of the world, but I will say hats off to Justine for bringing [...]
Last week, I went to my local Vue cinema to see True Grit. My jaw dropped to the ground when I was asked by an eager young girl for a Cinema Exhibitors Association card, as proof of entitlement to a seat for my companion (without whose help I could not have got in to watch [...]
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 [...]
Scope, the charity that supports disabled people, recently reported that 90% of Britons have never had a disabled person in their house for a social occasion. A fascinating fact – not for what it says, but for what the number really shows underneath… Most people with disabilities, unless they come with a wheelchair or a [...]