Disability

It's all complicated when you have an injury — It's bad enough that wearing a bra is mandatory for large-chested women if you want to fight the sag and avoid flashing jiggling headlights at innocent bystanders, now imagine trying to put it on one-handed. "Is there anything I can do to help?" my daughter asked when I arrived back…

Sorry, but autism is not the ideal way to be — In recent years, more people have been diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Hopefully, more autistic people will get the help and understanding they need. But some people go a bit too far and say that autism is not a disability, that it’s merely a difference. Some go a step further…

I’m in there if you take the time to look — Brain Injury Awareness Week — Seeing My Hidden Self Last week (16 - 22nd May) was Brain Injury Awareness Week. It was an opportunity for everyone to focus on what is, for many brain injury survivors such as me, a hidden disability. To the outside world I may look as…

Wouldn’t everyone want a dog? I get asked these questions a lot… — Guide dog handlers have already learned to use a white cane. This skill, which is learned in Orientation and Mobility training¹, is a prerequisite for most guide dog school applications. The decision to apply for a guide dog would be the next step. Why wouldn’t every person with vision loss want a dog? There are a few reasons why someone…

A new perspective on thinking; how a blind person is able to utilise technology, tools and strategy to overcome design barriers in his world. — I asked my friend Hussein Patwa to write this post after he talked me through his process for building a wardrobe from IKEA whilst being blind! Hussein is an accessibility consultant and on the panel of Scotland’s Mobility Access Committee. He provides me often with a unique perspective on the…

Have fun and be healthy! — One of the side hustles I created was teaching chair exercises to seniors and disabled participants. I was able to teach this class for three years and loved the enthusiasm and energy the seniors brought to the class. The program was called “Move Your Body”, the classes held in Nursing…

Enduring all the crap isn’t a superpower. — Life has a tendency to get in the way of itself, doesn’t it? A lot gets thrown our way every day. …