Introducing the Disabled at Uni series This covers a number of aspects of the disabled student experience, serving as advice and guidance on studying as a disabled student, the support that’s out there, and how to access it. Applying to study Disabled Students’ Allowance Before your course begins (and who’s there to help) Accomodation, socialContinue reading “Disabled at Uni: 1. Applying to study”
Category Archives: Articles
Adaptive Product Reviews: App Edition (Medisafe, Google Voice Access, Todoist)
……….Which apps do you find most useful as a disabled person? A discussion on a webforum My Android phone is in many ways one of my main adaptive devices – possibly second only to my wheelchair. It substitutes for my hands, my voice, my laptop, and is my main communication with the world. This reliesContinue reading “Adaptive Product Reviews: App Edition (Medisafe, Google Voice Access, Todoist)”
Adaption = grief + pragmatism
For me, the hardest thing about living with progressive impairment rather than the static impairment I hoped I had is that shifting relationship with the ground. Just as I know what I can do, and what I can expect, this is thrown into relief by a new problem cropping up out of nowhere. I thoughtContinue reading “Adaption = grief + pragmatism”
Adaptive Product Reviews – catheter edition (leg bag, night bag, and hanger)
……….I’m about to get a supra-publc catheter. Which leg bags and night bags have people found most useful? A friend Having done a set of reviews of products that are of quite general appeal – wheelchair-related ones – this is a little more niche. When I first got a catheter I had no idea whatContinue reading “Adaptive Product Reviews – catheter edition (leg bag, night bag, and hanger)”
Living the Life I Want: The Freedom to Fail
This is part 2 of a blog exploring my “living the life you want” panel discussion at the annual Young People’s stream of the Muscular Dystrophy UK conference. I spoke alongside Lucy Watts and Fi Anderson, and discussed two issues at the conference, one was about managing PAs to maximise my ability to live theContinue reading “Living the Life I Want: The Freedom to Fail”
Living the Life I Want – PA Management
I spoke at the Trailblazers Young People’s conference last Saturday (13th Oct), alongside two other excellent speakers – Lucy Watts and Fi Anderson. The topic was ‘living the life you want’ and making notes for my remarks made me realise – in the past year, I’ve really gone from living a life that I didn’tContinue reading “Living the Life I Want – PA Management”
Adaptive Product Reviews – wheelchair edition (phone mount, drinking straw, coffee cup)
……….Excuse me, but what’s the mount attached to your wheelchair called? Another wheelchair user, stopping me in public I didn’t anticipate ever spending my time writing product reviews, but I’m very frequently asked about three things I use on a day-to-day basis. These are the Meru Flexzi 2 phone mount (wheelchair users often stop me whileContinue reading “Adaptive Product Reviews – wheelchair edition (phone mount, drinking straw, coffee cup)”
NOT DYING: A creative residency
This autumn I will be running a creative residency at a London theatre, including offering free performance workshops for disabled artists on the themes of DISABLED JOY and WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN HERE Easy read version For several years I’ve been working on a poetry show exploring my journey through the trauma of illness toContinue reading “NOT DYING: A creative residency”
Three things I wish people knew about living with life-threatening impairment
One of the hardest things about living with life-threatening impairment is actually not dealing with my situation, but with peoples reactions to my situation. Here are three things I wish people knew about living with life-threatening impairment People constantly presume how I must feel, and then react to me based on that – when they’veContinue reading “Three things I wish people knew about living with life-threatening impairment”
Five great tips for using London buses in a wheelchair
Having lived in London for three years, I’ve taken a lot of buses. In that time, I’ve been sworn at by drivers, had a woman accuse me of trying to kill her baby, been shouted and sworn at by passengers, and been chased off a bus in tears – all for trying to assert my legalContinue reading “Five great tips for using London buses in a wheelchair”