Tag Archives: disability

Down the down escalator

Posted on Mar 26, 2017 by

A couple of weeks ago I used my Huffington Post blog to pay tribute to Glyn Worsnip, a stalwart of Radio 4 throughout the 1980s. Sharing his experience on air of being diagnosed with cerebellar ataxia, the illness that cost … Continue reading →

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The Thundersley Invacar

Posted on Mar 6, 2017 by

As a young child in the early ’70s I’d go along with Jen to many of her doctors’ appointments. We’d get picked up from home by an old ambulance – converted into a sort of minibus – which would do … Continue reading →

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The Milky Way

Posted on Feb 8, 2017 by

The Milk Marketing Board produced some of the most memorable advertising of the early ’80s with slogans like ‘fresh milk’s gotta lotta bottle’ and ‘nice cold, ice cold milk’. Odd times, when prime time TV featured ads for no-brand staples … Continue reading →

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Get on the bus

Posted on Jan 19, 2017 by

In a significant milestone for disabled rights, the Supreme Court ruled in favour of wheelchair user Doug Paulley’s argument that a bus company hadn’t done enough to get a woman with a pushchair to heed the sign ‘Please vacate this … Continue reading →

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No longer waiting for a miracle

Posted on Oct 2, 2016 by

In February I posted a blog which stemmed from a news story on a 16-year-old’s brush with the benefits system. Edward Bright, who lost his limbs in early childhood due to meningitis, received a letter insisting he is reassessed regarding … Continue reading →

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The Threepenny Opera

Posted on Sep 11, 2016 by

Against my better judgement, I allowed myself to be dragged (literally for part of the journey) to this new production. I never really got into Brecht, don’t like jazz, and as my husband rightly points out, tend to be a … Continue reading →

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Snake on the train

Posted on Jul 20, 2016 by

Dismayed to read in the news this week that Eurostar, as ‘a temporary policy’, has been using one of the two disabled toilets on some of its trains to store passengers’ bicycles. Apparently this was in lieu of adequate designated … Continue reading →

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‘Danger: handicapped children!’

Posted on Jul 2, 2016 by

I knew 2016 was going to be a strange, difficult year, looking back 20 years to Jen’s death. Here’s a strange thought: What would I have looked back to 20 years ago? In 1996, my memory would have gone back … Continue reading →

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Education, education… repetition

Posted on Jun 12, 2016 by

Low expectations for disabled kids Over the weekend I’ve been working my way through the remaining boxes put in the cupboard under the stairs when we moved house almost 18 months ago. And so I came across a scrap book … Continue reading →

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The 55 steps

Posted on Jun 3, 2016 by

Window dressing versus real accessibility That same Friday morning last month, when I’d inadvertently counted the steps at Barbican tube station, I purposely counted the steps at the gym. Disabled friendly it ain’t. First there’s a steep flight of stairs … Continue reading →

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