Category Archives: Blog Posts

All my blogs live here.

Disability History Month

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Lets talk irony.

Hello all,

16th November marked the start of Disability History Month. Something which you may not know about. Well, now you do.

Disabled people have often been shoved to one side and ignored by society as we are not always deemed worthy. It was only in the 1990’s that Disabled People in the UK had their rights protected in law. Then in 2010 we had the Equality Act of 2010.

Ensuring Disabled people have the rights they need to be able to live their lives as fully and as freely as non Disabled People.

Lets look at what happened in the news lately, the Government wants to ensure all those who are on benefits work for their benefits. Correct me if I am wrong, but if a Disabled person is claiming out of work benefits, it is because they can not work.

I am a Disabled person who receives benefits, but I am in work. Those of us in our community who cannot work deserve a quality of life. Just because they cannot work does not mean they should be punished.

I acknowledge that befit fraud is a thing and I know that because of this small amount of people committing benefit fraud, leads to a generalisation of those who are claiming benefits.

However I am writing to defend the voices of those who are genuine and who will suffer as a direct response to these new laws.

But people can work from home now some of you may say. Yes that is an option. However, what if the employer turned around 6 months into the job and changes the terms of your contract? Saying you have to be in the office x amount of days a week. You can not make it into the office. You lose your job.

What about the lack of inclusion within society as a whole that means Disabled people are often left out? For example lack of accessible transport to get to work. Disabled people may not be able to be in work due to a variety of factors. Why is it down to the government to police a Disabled persons life?

Essentially the point of my post is that Disabled people on benefits may not all be out of work. They maybe using those benefits to work. They might not be able to work a full time job. This could be due to physical pain or mental health issues. But they are working.

What about Disabled people who do not have jobs? Well, guess what? Their health is none of your concern. If they cannot work it is between them and their Doctor. They do not have to explain themselves to you and that is OK.

Stop blaming Disabled people. Disabled people have a right to life, something which we have fought long and hard for and we are protected by the Equality Act.

Oh yes, I mentioned Irony… There was lovely post yesterday from UK Parliament celebrating Disability History Month. It is too funny, you can’t make it up.

Lets celebrate Disabled People’s history….and push these laws through from the current Government who are actively trying to kill Disabled people.

Anyway, stand up for Disabled People, we deserve a right to life.

Thank you for reading,

Philippa.

Assisted Travel

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Hello all, 

For todays blog post I thought I’d write about my trip down to London using assisted travel. As a visually impaired person I always use assisted travel when going on journeys which are not my normal route. 

I set off from Leeds at 11:15 I arrived in plenty of time for getting my train and to wait for assistance. We were told the train was running 10 minutes late but not to worry. The weather on this Friday was horrible and the river coming into Leeds was very high. There were no travel alerts saying not to travel. 

Once I was on the train and sat down my anxiety started to ease a little bit. But because I have always had an issues going down to London I was not able to fully relax. I had my ticket I checked my seat number, I was in the wrong seat. Worried about this I called my mum. She called the assisted travel people at Leeds and they said I was in the right seat and it was OK. I tried to relax. 

We got to Doncaster on time and I was looking forward to going down to London to see my brother. The train didn’t pull away from the station and I started to worry. After a while a message came over the tannoy that the train was being delayed due to signalling problems further down the line. I messaged in our family group chat that we had stopped and I didn’t know when we would be setting off again. 

15 minutes went by then a little longer, no announcement. My brother messaged to say the app was showing that it shouldn’t be too much longer. Then another announcement saying they didn’t know how long it would be. Someone else was on the phone and getting messages from someone saying it was signalling problems and that it should be fixed by 2:30…we should have been in London for 1:15. 

I was very stressed at this point and I just wanted to go home. Eventually after my mum contacted assisted travel and mentioned I was getting worried someone from the train staff came to talk to me. They assured me someone would meet me at the other end. 

After an hour we finally set off but were told the signalling problem was still not fixed. I was stressed because I didn’t want to get stuck at some random station if they terminated the train. Thankfully we organised that if this happened my Uncle could drive to get me. This eased my anxiety knowing I would have some help. 

But you have assisted travel why are you worried? I was worried because there were very few announcements on the train, that in the past the train has been terminated at a random station and I had to get myself off as the staff forgot about me, I was worried that the last time I went to London I was left on the train and member of the cleaning staff had gone to get someone to help me. 

We stopped at Grantham and we had to make a toilet stop as the trains toilets had run out of water. Thankfully I had made my way to the toilet, before this happened. Which is a good thing because no member of train crew came to ask if I was OK. 

Eventually we set off again and all of the tracks were flooded so we had to roll through the water over the lines. I was not happy at all, I had been on the train from 11:15 and it was getting into the evening. 

Finally we got to London and I was very tired and anxious. I was putting my coat on and some women asked me if I was OK and did I need help. I said someone was coming to get me but thank you for asking. I looked out the window and saw my brother on the platform talking to those women, he came on the train and helped me off. We waited on the platform while I sorted myself out. No one from the station had come to meet me and help me off the train. 

We walked back up and it was so busy all the gates were open. No one was allowed into station because no trains were leaving. The weather had stopped everything. 

By this point it was 6:30 when my train came in and I was very tired and upset. My brother had been waiting around since 1:00 to meet me. The tube would have been packed so we decided we would get in a taxi and everyone else had had a similar plan. 

We got back to his flat and had some tea because we had had a long day and we had lost the afternoon. We have raised a complaint with the Assisted travel and we should be getting our money back. 

Train tracks outside with a barrier. After the barrier is water with some shrubs peaking out from underneath.

On my way home, the assisted travel and been cancelled for some reason so they rebooked it and got me on the train. When I arrived at Leeds someone was there to meet me, got me off the train with my bag and helped me to my onward journey. Then I was met at the other end and I got home safe. 

Assisted travel, when it works, is wonderful. It allows people who need a bit of extra help to get out and about. My local train stations are wonderful. They always help me out. 

I appreciate station and train crew are busy but when you are offering a service you need to make sure you don’t fall short. Especially when the service is there to help Disabled people to travel safely. 

I felt let down by the service. 

But besides this I had a lovely weekend with my brother. 

Yes, I will write another blog about my weekend. 

Thank you, 

Philippa B. 

White Cain Awareness Day 2023

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Hello all, 

I am dropping in again. 

Yesterday was White Cain Awareness Day. White Cains are used by members of the Visually Impaired and Blind Community as a way for us get around. 

I use a long cain and have used one for a number of years. It comes with its advantages and disadvantages. My cain allows me to be out and about and navigate more safely. I can use it to signal to others that I am Visually Impaired and I need more time, or space to get around. 

I sweep my cain across the floor in front of me to enable me to navigate objects in my path; curbs, steps, obstacles etc. When I know a route I can find the objects with my cain which are in my way and then I can manoeuvre around them. 

This is why it is important to ensure obstacles, such as cars and bins do not block paths which a Blind or Visually Impaired person might find hard to navigate their way around. If you are out and see a bin is in in the middle of a path maybe move it out of the middle of the path so someone doesn’t knock into it. 

I do not mind if people ask me if I need help. It is always welcomed a friendly ‘Do you need any help?’ It makes me feel safer knowing that their maybe people who do want to offer help. 

My cain has a red handle and has a slight spring in it. Which means when I knock into something the impact on my shoulder is reduced. Before I got the cain I currently use I would knock into something and it would jar my shoulder. Which when you have scoliosis is not very pleasant and can hurt a lot. 

If you see someone with a cain please be respectful and give us space. Do not stare at us. We may have usable vision, we may even hear you making comments. Please be kind a respectful. 

A great example I will leave you with is a father and his child. ‘Daddy, look at that woman!’ Dad replied with ‘yes, but we don’t point. She is using that cain to feel her way around, instead of just using her eyes’ Child ‘Ohhh….That’s cool’. 

Remember children learn from our experience of the world. I would much rather you try explain than tell your child to just stop staring. Yes it’s rude and we shouldn’t stare. But in this instance the Dad was explaining what my cain was for and making it a normal thing that some people navigate the world differently. Just as that child responded, yes differences are cool when we learn to accept them. 

Have a nice day, 

Philippa. 

Disabled People have feelings too

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Hello all,

As you may have seen this week in the news there has been a lot of negativity around Disabled People, more so than normal.

From articles about the government wanting to get people off of sickness payments and back into work, to articles about the government cutting funding for Disabled Children in schools.

As a disabled person all this negativity in the news is very difficult to see. It makes me feel like people think of Disabled people as a drain on society, that we don’t have value and that the government is pushing even more so to make life more difficult than it already is.

We have value, we deserve support and we do not deserve all this vile hatred being directed at us. This government, for far too long, has demonised Disabled People and acted as though we are sponges, that we leach off of society.

We do no such thing. We want to live a life like everyone else. Just because we are Disabled does not make us any less than those around us.

We have feelings, we have dreams, we have wants and needs. To see the news attacking Disabled People is appalling.

We are being attacked because we are seen as an easy target, people think we get all this money thrown at us because we’re Disabled. This is far form the truth.

Have you ever looked to see how much a wheelchair costs? Do you know the cost of having to pay for a taxi everyday because you are exhausted and in pain from being at work all day? Yes, you read that correctly- work. Get another job I here you cry? I like my job and I am good at it. How much do you think it cost to invest in making adaptations to your own home to make it accessible, because surprise surprise our homes are not built with accessibility in mind?

The world is not built for us, as I write this I am on my day off and my whole right side hurts. This is because I have Scoliois. So no matter what job I have I will always be in pain. I have a great physio who helps me to manage my pain. This Physio is not an NHS one. The NHS does not offer sport massages as a way to manage pain. I pay to see my physio through my benefits. He helps reduce the pain I am in on a daily basis. This is on top of me doing my physio exercises.

Some Disabled People can’t work and that’s none of your business. We shouldn’t have to justify ourselves to you. For those of us who do work, that does not mean we are frauds. We all have our challenges, but that does not make us any less than a non Disabled Person. We are people too.

Thank you,
Philippa B. 

Modibodi

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Hello all,

A few months ago I decided to try period underwear and I wanted to wait a while before I wrote about my experience.

It took me a while to settle on a brand and a style I was comfortable with, I settled on Modibodi. I came across them more or less straight away while looking online for period underwear. What I liked about the brand was a few different things.

First thing I liked was that they had an accessible website, I could navigate it easily, the images were clear and I could pay with ApplePay (other options are available).

The next thing I loved was that when you are looking through the different images for styles and fits the website shows you different kinds of people wearing the underwear, Disabled Women, non Disabled, small size to plus size… not just one type. So much representation for those of us who have periods.

As a Disabled Woman it was lovely to see Disability being represented on the website. This was one of the reasons I wanted to try their product. Representation matters. No they did not have the same Disability being represented as what I have, but they were still representing Disabilities. 

Three packs of underwear in brown paper packing. One pair out the box is a mont green.

You’re probably thinking, thats great but tell me about the underwear itself? 

When I was looking for a pair to buy I thought about the kinds of sanitary products I currently use. I then used this to guide my choices of what to buy. Normally I have quite heavy periods and so I tend to always use nighttime pads with the best absorbance I can find. Therefore I chose to go with Modibodis heavy classic boy shorts. These are in their overnight section. Single pair cost £26. I’ll come back to this later. I bought two pairs, one in green and one in beige. 

They arrived quite quickly and I followed the instructions to run them under the tap and leave them to dry before using them. I was so impressed with absorbency while it was under a fully running tap! The outside of the underwear underneath was dry! I was quite skeptical of period underwear, because as I mentioned my periods are very heavy and I was not sure they would be right for me.

But after seeing them hold up under running water I was quite impressed.

I have been using them now for a few months and they are really wonderful. I have mostly been using them for sleeping in but they have held up really well. They are very comfortable and I love the feeling of knowing I didn’t have to wake up in the middle of the night to change it because of any leaks.

The only downside is that they are quite warm for summer, but I would get that with any period product I have tried in the past. So really I think they’re great all round.

You might be thinking ‘oh the price is a bit much?’

But really when you consider how much your go to brand is, mine is normally Always, at around £3.10. Depending on how many packs you go through month you will be looking at over £110 a year. So to buy 5 pairs of that under wear is £130. But knowing that this underwear would last you a few years means you are saving money.

Not to mention the impact on the environment when you consider how many sanitary products are thrown away each year.

In terms of care and keeping them clean it is relatively straightforward, rinse with cold water and then wash. Modibodi give you a handy care guide with your purchase which is brilliant.

I understand period underwear is not for everyone and I never thought it would be for me either. But for overnight it is now my go to and I am getting used to wearing them out the house too. If you have a mixture of pads and period underwear you feel comfy with then go for it.

I hope you have found this useful. Lets normalise talking about periods.

Thank you for reading and no, I did not get free underwear for writing this. 

Ticket Office Closures

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Hello all,

I thought for my blog post I would share with you a letter I wrote to my MP regarding ticket office closures.

I am one of your constituents who is writing to let you know I am deeply unhappy about the proposal to close train station ticket offices.

As a Disabled person who relies on the railways to get to work and various other things I find these recent proposals to be very disconcerting. I am already having to use the ticket machines to get my monthly pass because I cannot top up my M card with a person on the the desk. The ticket machines are not always reliable or even accessible. My needs as a visually impaired person are not being met.

The proposals to have more staff around the station, rather than being ‘stuck behind glass’ is not one I find to be helpful as a visually impaired person. Knowing there is a ticket office I can go to and know there is someone there is far more accessible than standing in the middle of a train station trying to find someone to help me. How is a Visually Impaired Person meant to find a member of staff if they cannot see very well?

These proposals which are being done in the ‘best interest of the public’ are another money saving scheme by the train operators who are looking to cut jobs and make more money.

The staff at my local stations have always been very helpful to me. They do so much more than sell tickets. They support station users to get to their destinations, are a point of contact if they feel unsafe, they clean the stations and keep the spaces looking tidy. They work hard in all sorts of weather doing a variety of jobs to keep our station running.

Disabled people are the largest minority group and by taking away a valid service and disguising it as something in the publics best interest is a disgrace. We need assistance to travel, we need support. If these roles keep being taken away ‘in the publics best interest’ then Disabled people’s worlds are gong to get even smaller. We won’t be able to travel independently.

A few months ago I was on a train and a man was screaming at a woman. The conductor contacted the transport police and we stayed at the station until they had been removed from the train. 

Our stations and trains need staff. Yesterday my M card wouldn’t let me through the barriers even though I had just topped it up that morning. A member of staff was able to let me through. What happens when the staff are no longer there? Northern Rail don’t make the card, Metro do. Am I supposed to stand around and wait on a support line when I have a valid ticket?

One of the stations where we will lose staff after 2pm is a little out of the way. I don’t feel safe there on an evening. So when there are no staff this is one more option for me getting home that has been taken away from me.

Please ensure all ticket offices remain open, I am sure the share holders and managers higher up can do without a few extra pounds. As I don’t fully believe the money will be re invested into our railways, but rather into the back pockets of the shareholders.

I look forward to your response,
Philippa B.

Disabled people need assistance at ticket offices, to be honest it is not just disabled people. There is always a queue at my local train stations.

People want to talk to people. You cannot replace human interaction.

Please write to your MP, you have 5 days left to tell them what you think of ticket office closures.

Thank you,
Philippa B.


Local Radio

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Hello all,

Over recent weeks you may have seen a few bits online about cuts being made to BBC Local Radio.

The government wants to significantly cut local programming and create a ‘local radio’ whereby stations such as Leeds, Sheffield, York etc all share content. This is quite a simplistic view of it. But if you look here you’ll find content from BBC covering strike action.

Local radio serves a purpose and has done for over fifty years. We’ve all the radio on in the house while getting ready for work to hear any traffic disruptions, to get weather updates if it is snowing. Remember sitting and hearing if your school was closed?

This weekend was the Leeds 10K, we’ve had some amazing coverage by BBC radio Leeds about the hard work put in by the runners and other people raising money for great causes. It was also vital coverage because they talked about road closures.

During the pandemic they brought people together to share stories from local areas about the struggles we were all facing, so we knew we were not alone.

As a visually impaired person local radio is so important to me because its the main way I get my local news. I have no idea what signs are up in the station, I can’t see them. On my way to work I can’t see the giant banners telling me the main route to work is closed. I didn’t know the outside to the station in Leeds was going to be updated until I heard about it on the radio. This is then what prompts me to look for more information online.

Local news starts, for me anyway, on the radio.

When I am not feeling well, or my eyes are more strained than normal, I will put the radio on the background and listen to local radio, Andrew Edwards, Rita Ahmed, Liz Green… there are so many great presenters. But its not just them, it is the producers, the journalists who go out and find the stories in our local area. They represent the area we are in, no offence to Sheffield, but I don’t live there. I don’t know the local area, so if the new ‘local radio’ is going to talk to me about what is happening there I will feel less connected to the content.

If you have not written to your local MP yet, please write to them and tell them you want them to make some noise for saving local radio. Local radio helps our community to feel connected, we can share in the highs and lows of our sports teams, hear new and upcoming musicians as they break onto our local scene, discover incredible people raising money for charitable causes… there are so many reasons to save local radio and we must act now.

Search #KeepBBCLocalRadioLocal on Twitter to find out more.

Philippa B. 

Loop Earplugs

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Hello all,

I am back for another blog post. Sorry I have been away, again, I have been thinking about stuff to write and then I got a few ideas. So here is one of them.

A while ago I was looking around for something which could help me to reduce the amount of noise I have to contend with when on public transport or just out and about. Scrolling through twitter and intstagram I came across a brand called Loop. I remember a few friends mentioning it to me and I decided I would give them a go.

They have quite a few different options on their website and I was struggling to choose an option. They have ones for blocking out noise at concerts, for sleeping, or just everyday background noise. Eventually I settled on the Experience ones. These are designed to block out background noise and still allow you to hear conversations which are happening around you.

They have a few options for colours, I decided on the purple ones. I don’t normally go for purple so I thought I would be a bit different. It is a nice deep purple which is lovely.

Once I got them and had opened them up I was struggling to put the tips on the ends of the loops. This is because having Dysrpaxia I struggle to do tasks which are quite fiddly. I eventually got them on by just forcing it, but it was difficult to get the two pieces to align. But anyway, we got there.

Getting the train to work is an exhausting experience because of all the noise. So I pulled out the little plastic case they come in and I put them in my ears. I noticed that I could still hear the sounds of people talking and the keyboard clicks from phones around me. I was irritated and I was not happy. I took them out and then noticed the whooshing sound of the train came back into my ears. I put the Loops back in and couldn’t hear it anymore.

Another day I had to get the bus. Which again I wasn’t happy about because it is longer than the train journey. I also have to deal with floating bus stops- click here if you want to know more about how they impact Visually Impaired and Blind People. The bus journey was long and I knew I would get irritated, then frustrated quite quickly so I put the Loops in. Once again I could still hear the noise of people chattering away on their phones, but I couldn’t hear the noise of the bus speeding along. I decided to take one out. Yes, the noise of the traffic and the speeding bus returned. Putting it back in, it disappeared. 

They are pretty good at blocking out background noise but still enabling you to hear conversations happening around you.

They cost about £30 which at first I thought would be expensive, but if they work then great. They are not entirely what I set out for, but I can have a use for them when in busy environments without a lot of background noise. I have decided to try another pair of the loop earplugs to see if a different version blocks out all the noise- or as much as possible for when I am on the train.

I would recommend giving them ago as they re quite comfy and can be worn for long periods of time. The tips have different sizes and they are washable. I am just going to use alcohol wipes or soap and water to clean them.

Anyway, that’s that and I hope you have a good day. 

And no this is not an endorsement.

Sensory Overload and Flare Audio

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Hello all,

I hope you are enjoying your Monday… well as much as you can enjoy a Monday.

One of the things which I really struggle with is sensory overload. Senses are wonderful things, but for me they can all become a bit too much. When there is a lot going on, if it’s too bright, too loud, too many people making it feel like you are stuck in an enclosed space and you just wan to leave. It is all very intense.

The best I can try explain it to you is  this: it is as though your computer has too many applications open and you are trying to get it to do all the things you want it to do at once. It is not going to happen, it starts to slow down and if you try and push through by just continuing, your computer will freeze.

It is the same with sensory overload. Try and keep going, keep powering through. Eventually you will stop. You will not be able to do anymore. You have pushed yourself passed the point where you are overstimulated and you have not given yourself time to process all the different senses going on around you. You have opened all the browser tabs you can while refusing to close some of the others to make space.

You have crashed.

With people it is very similar. There are different ways you can manage sensory over load. But by keeping  going ‘pushing yourself a little further’ is not one of them. You are not giving yourself time to regulate or reset.

Anyone can succumb to burnout, but for those who have sensory processing issues that tolerance is a lot lower.

One of the ways I manage sensory overload is through music. When on the way to work I will listen to music. But there are times when I don’t want to listen to music. I just want to reduce the level of sound I can hear.

I decided to try something which would do just that. I bought myself some calmer earbuds from a company called Flare. I tried the Calmer range.

A square cardboard pouch with Calmer written across the front.

The packing for them is recyclable as it is in a cardboard pouch. There was not a lot of excess packing either which is more environmentally friendly. The buds are washable and made from silicon which is again better for there environment as they are not a one use purchase. 

I got the clear ones, but in hindsight as a visually impaired person this was not a good idea. When you put them down they are harder to find. But they do come with a nice little bag for them go in when you are done with them. The bag is black and has a tiny draw string. Perfect for putting in your pocket.

A small black drawstring pouch with a 'flare' label on the side.

They are made of silicone which I normally hate the feeling of. But these ones are quite soft and squidgy. They are easy enough to put in your ears and they have a tiny piece that sticks out agains the side of your ear so you can pull them out.


I was a bit unsure of them at first as trying new things takes time. I wore them around the house to get used to the feel of them in my ears and it did help a lot. They were comfy once I got used to them. Eventually I decided to try them out on the train on the way to work.
Unfortunately they did not help dampen the sound. I could hear people talking and I could hear annoying keyboard clicks on phones (why do people leave these turned on? I presume some people do it just to be annoying).

I didn’t write them off straight away so I tried them again in work. I work in a busy environment. I thought I would try wearing them to reduce the background noise. Reducing background would be a major help to me so I can just focus on what I am doing, but unfortunately they did not reduce the background noise too much at all.

I put them back in their little bag at the end of the day and slipped the into my coat pocket.

While they did not reduce background noise as I hoped they would I was happy with the comfort of them. Once you got used to them you couldn’t tell they were in at all. Which is a major bonus when you are trying to find ways of working with your sensory needs to try make your day better.

If you are wanting to try the Flare Audio Calmer Range please follow this link. They come with a nice little carrying pouch and feel very comfortable. They do have some great reviews. They just weren’t for me. Flare has a ton of other options available for different needs. Maybe I just haven’t found the right one.

When I am sleeping I use a brand called Beary Quiet. These are wonderful.

Thank you or reading,
Philippa.

Raynaud’s

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Hello all,

It is getting to that time of the year where some people are out in shorts and t-shirts, some are still wearing a jacket. I am still in my big coat.

One thing I have done today though is to put my big socks away for the summer. I normally wear two pairs because it is cold and I have Raynaud’s. Even in the summer my toes go purple or my fingers go a very pale white.

‘Raynaud’s affects your blood circulation. When you’re cold, anxious or stressed, your fingers and toes may change colour.’ If you want to find out more please follow this NHS link.

4 of my fingers, 2 of the tips are white, then a normal pinky colour at he bottom. The end finger is a slight purple.


Here is a photo of my fingers, you can see the contrast between where the blood is flowing and where it is not. When this happens my fingers go numb. If I bite one of them its difficult to feel the pressure.

People living with circulatory disease may feel the cold more than others and it is particularly frustrating when the weather is on the turn. You never know how to dress. Do I need a coat or do I just need a jumper? What kind of shoes should I wear? Will I be too hot or too cold?

I normally take a jumper wherever I go because you can always take a layer off. I you don’t have the layer to begin with then you’re stuck being cold.

One of the items I tend to invest in is a good pair of slippers. I have lambswool slippers because they are very comfortable and very warm. It is always a good investment for me as I wear them more or less all year round. Even in the summer if it is cooler on an evening just to keep them warm enough so that my feet do not get chilly. 

If you are interested in reading more about Raynaud’s or Circulatory disease please take a look at the British Heart Foundations website.

Or check out my other posts about Circulatory Disease.