A little bit of knowledge . . .

As a disabled person, I consider myself to be fairly lucky.  Yes, I face physical challenges on a daily basis but they haven’t stopped me from living a fulfilling life, getting a good education, raising my own family or running my own training business. I was fortunate enough to be born at a time when people’sContinue reading A little bit of knowledge . . .

Facing a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy: Hope for Parents

  I must admit to being a bit of a soap addict.  I was thrilled to see “Emmerdale” doing their bit for Cerebral Palsy Awareness Month, following the difficult birth of Megan and Jai’s baby girl. The doctors have advised the new parents that due to complications during the birth, which meant the baby sufferedContinue reading Facing a diagnosis of Cerebral Palsy: Hope for Parents

Support for young disabled people and their families

It’s sometimes hard for young disabled people and their families to find the support that they need and even harder to make their voices heard. SENDIAS is a project in West Berkshire which aims to support young disabled people, up to the age of 25 and their parents/carers.  They want young people and those whoContinue reading Support for young disabled people and their families

Ten misconceptions about people with disabilities

    Disabled people need someone to talk for them “Would she like a drink?” or “How old is she?” were common questions posed to my mum when I was growing up.  People assumed just because I am disabled that I can’t speak for myself. I soon piped up with the answers, making sure theyContinue reading Ten misconceptions about people with disabilities

Bringing Disability into the media spotlight

  Having a speech impairment, I’ve always hated the sound of my own voice. Not only that, but I have at times, struggled to make other people understand me. So when I started promoting my first book, “Does it wet the bed?”, my publicists, Literally PR, asked what types of activities I’d be comfortable doing. Continue reading Bringing Disability into the media spotlight

Legislation doesn’t improve knowledge of disability

Since “Does it wet the bed?” was released, I’ve done several interviews for newspapers, magazines and radio shows. Each has focused on different aspects of the book and my life but nearly all of them have included the following (or similar) question: “Have attitudes towards disability changed since you were a child?” My answer hasContinue reading Legislation doesn’t improve knowledge of disability

Giving people with Cerebral Palsy a voice

This week is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Week and today, 7th October, is World CP Day.  As someone with Cerebral Palsy, I’m delighted to be part of such an occasion that will highlight Cerebral Palsy, raise awareness of the condition and celebrate the achievements of those who have CP. I’ve always found that disability and CerebralContinue reading Giving people with Cerebral Palsy a voice

Why I love having Cerebral Palsy

This week is Cerebral Palsy Awareness Week, with tomorrow being World CP Day.  I’ll be live on Twitter between 1-2pm GMT to answer your questions about cerebral palsy, my life living with the condition and about my memoir, “Does it wet the bed?”.  But in the meantime, here’s why I love having Cerebral Palsy. .Continue reading Why I love having Cerebral Palsy

Nerves & Excitement

I’ve finally finished writing my book.  Years of drafting, redrafting, agonising over the right words to convey my message, are finally at an end and I have set a date for publication: Monday 31st August 2015. If I thought writing the book was hard, this bit is even more daunting.  Getting the formatting right, finalisingContinue reading Nerves & Excitement

Disability Awareness for Children

Last week, I went to a primary school to deliver my Disability Awareness for Kids workshops. The children were taking part in a Disability Awareness week but I was apprehensive about their reaction to me; a lady in a wheelchair who didn’t speak especially clearly. I realised that talking to a group of children wasContinue reading Disability Awareness for Children