Category Archives: Disability In General

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. 

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. 

A Day Off

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Today I have been quite productive. I got up and did some tidying, then I started on anew audiobook, afterwards I moved to doing some of my new online course with Coursera. 

The course I am doing is Inclusive Leadership; the power of workplace diversity. It is with the University of Colorado. I am so far really enjoying the course and it is giving me a lot to think about. 

Diversity and inclusion are really important for building stronger working environments for your business to thrive. As a disabled person it makes me feel great when doing this course that they have included disability within the discussion. As disability can often be forgotten, or overlooked in these conversations. Disabled people bring value to a team. 

The course had some YouTube clips which had Audio Descriptions for when people were holding up little placards with things written in them. This was a must, especially as they were talking about how to feel included. Well done University of Colorado. 

I am feeling quite accomplished today which is very nice. Doing this online course has been interesting.

I’m off to see my freind next week and maybe we will go for pancakes. I have been to Moose Coffee for pancakes before and I am hoping to go again. If you have never been I think a trip is in order. Here is a link to a blog I have done when I went before.

Today has been a great day off, relaxing but also getting things done which I needed to do. I am hoping to have another blog up soon. 

Enjoy the rest of your week. 

Happy Musings. 

Heart Health

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For my 30th Birthday I decided I wanted to raise awareness of Congenital Heart Disease. To do this I wrote about Heart Health on this blog and about my fundraising challenge. See Pips Turning 30. 

February is National Heart Month, lets talk about Heart Disease. I was born with Congenital Heart Disease, I had two holes in my heart and interrupted aortic arch. This was corrected at one week old. 

Here in the UK 13 babies a day are diagnosed with a heart defect.

The BHF has some staggering statistics:

‘Heart and circulatory diseases cause a quarter of all deaths in the UK, that’s more than 160,000 deaths each year – an average of 460 deaths each day or one every three minutes in the UK.

  • There are around 7.6 million people living with a heart or circulatory disease in the UK: 4 million men and 3.6 million women.
  • Coronary heart disease (CHD; also known as ischaemic heart disease) is the most common type of heart disease. It is the most common cause of heart attack and was the single biggest killer of both and men and women worldwide in 2019.
  • In the UK there are as many as 100,000 hospital admissions each year due to heart attacks: that’s one every five minutes.
  • Around 1.4 million people alive in the UK today have survived a heart attack.
  • More than 900,000 people in the UK are living with heart failure.
  • Strokes cause around 34,000 deaths in the UK each year and are the biggest cause of severe disability in the UK.
  • People with a family history of coronary heart disease are much more likely to develop vascular dementia.
  • Each day 13 babies are diagnosed with a congenital heart defect in the UK.
  • There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year, with a survival rate of less than 1 in 10.
  • More than 4.9 million people in the UK have diabetes – many thousands of them are undiagnosed.’

    British Heart Foundation (2023)

    These numbers show exactly why we need to ensure we invest in our heart health. Every single one of us.
A red heart with stitching up the middle holding it together. There is a needle and thread sat underneath.
A heart stitched back together.

Being born with Congenital Heart Disease means I will be on tablets for Hight Blood Pressure for the rest of my life. No lifestyle changes can stop this. I have Congenital Kidney Disease so I need to ensure my Kidneys keep working, otherwise this will have an impact on my heart. This is one of the reasons I am on tablets.

Congenital Heart Disease also means I have to attend hospital appointments to ensure my heart stays healthy and that I am doing everything I can to look after my heart.

We need to take heart health seriously, it affects more people every year. Taking far too many lives. You can do your part to help make change by learning CPR. Find a course near you.

By learning CPR you are buying someone time. You are keeping person alive when they have a Cardiac Arrest.

Most importantly phone the Emergency Services. Then someone can come and help you.

If you would like to learn more about the BHF please follow them on Twitter and give your support. Heart disease is cruel, but hopefully, one day, we can live in a world where it does not exist. 

*I am not writing on behalf of the BHF* These are just my own thoughts surrounding Heart Disease as someone who was born with CHD.

Long Caines

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Hello all,

One thing which has come to my attention lately is the lack of awareness around long Caines and what they are for.

As a visually impaired person who uses a long caine I find it rather difficult when people do not acknowledge my caine.

My new long cane held in my left hand, it has a red handle.

I use a long white cain with a roller ball on the end and a red handle. My cain is there as a symbol to others that I am visually Impaired and need extra space and time to navigate my surroundings.  It is also there to allow me to feel what is going on around me so I can navigate safely.

For example I can use the cain to discover a change in surface so if there is a dropped curb or some steps I can use it to tell if there is something blocking my path and which direction I need to take to avoid this obstacle.


One very important thing to note is that I use the caine in my right hand as that is the side I see nothing out of.

If you see a person with a long cain please give them the space they need to navigate safely, do not grab them, do not jump over their cain. If you think they may need help just say hello and ask ‘do you need a hand?’ I personally do not mind if someone asks. I would rather be asked and politely decline.

Before we are let loose with our Caines we go through training. This allows us to learn to use the caine in a safe reliable manner. We have to learn to navigate steps, curbs, changes in terrain (oh yes on and off road) we learn what tactile paving means what. So we know if where approaching stairs, a crossing (what kind of crossing) or even if we are approaching a train platform.

Caines are not cheap either so this is why we ask that you don’t leap over them, as you could hurt yourself and in the process damage our caines. Or us. Ouch!

If you would like to learn more about being Visually Impaired please follow this link to discover more of my post about being visually impaired.

Thank you again for reading.

Mind My Cain

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Hello all,

It is Monday again which means it’s time for another blog post. This week I’m focusing on being a long cane user.

As you maybe aware I am Visually Impaired and use a long cane. In order for me to get around I sweep the cane across the floor in front of me to be able to find objects in my path. Including but not limited to steps, curbs, dogs and people.

Earlier this week I had gotten off the train and was making my way to the escalators. It was a busy morning and I was making my way to work. Someone was at the side of me and noticed my cane hit their leg, they looked down at my cane and continued to move forwards. The difficult and dangerous thing was that we were trying to get on the escalator. People at the other side of me noticed I had my cane, they stopped and let me get on. I said thank you.

My long cane in the centre, a red handle. In front is a train platform.

The person who had come into contact with my cane continued onto the escalator. I continued to use my cane to navigate onto the escalator and my cane caught between their legs. Once we were on the escalator I stood my cane in front of me and waited until we reached the top.

I put my cain out cautiously to find my way off. As I did this and moved forward the same person was caught by my cain.

The difficult thing with being a cain user is that we are using it for the right reasons. To discover obstacles in our path and navigate safely. The problem comes when others pay no attention. Mistakes can be made yes, but when someone actively notices your cain and continues to not give you the space you need to navigate safely then they are putting you and them at risk.

The danger in this situation is that the person who ignored my cain could have tripped up and slammed their head onto the escalator. I could have then fallen onto them. This would have been very dangerous for both us.

Similar situations can occur when cain users are crossing roads. If people ignore our cain and step into the road or don’t move out of the way then they could cause both of us to fall over.

When out and about people tend to have their headphones in to block out all the noise around them, which makes sense. But this can also mean you’re in your own little world.

This can lead to people being less aware of their surroundings. Meaning they may miss someone using a mobility aid. Which can have serious consequences.

All we ask is that you try be a bit more cautious. We are doing what we need to do to get around. We can’t travel at quieter times if we need to get to work. We shouldn’t have to travel at quiet times.

Please just be a little mindful and don’t rush people. Getting to work can be very hectic and can create stress. But if we all just try be a little more aware of our surroundings (unless, like me you’re Visually Impaired and find this difficult) we can all have an easier and smother time on public transport.

Thank you,
Philippa B. 

My Visit to Red Wings

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A while ago I really wanted a nice new pair of sturdy shoes. Th reason being I have had a pair of really good shoes for nearly ten years. These shoes have started to wear, but they are still useable. I just decided I should save up and look around for a replacement.

I know a few people who have Red Wings, they have told me they are ridiculously comfortable and have never had any problems. They work with all their outfits and they look amazing.
So acting on personal advice I looked online for their shoes. The prices, while expensive seemed like a good investment- if they last you the time people have assured me they will. Hear’s to ten years of RedWings.

The pair I saw online were a petrol shade of blue. The design is 6-INCH MOC TOE WOMEN’S BOOTS 3353. I sat and thought about it for a while and struggled to find places where they had them in stock for me to try on. When I am spending that much money on shoes I need it to be right.

When I went to London to visit my brother we went to the Red Wings shop.It was nice inside. All the shoes neatly on display with storage boxes stacked at the end of the room waiting for peoples new shoes to be taken home.

A PAIR OF pETROL blue shoes with white soles on a wooden floor.

I wandered around and I saw the shoes I was looking at online. The lady asked if we were ok and needed anything. I mentioned looking at this particular pair online and that I was considering buying them, but that I wanted to try them on.


She brought me over the size I would need and asked if I had owned Red Wings before. After explaining I hadn’t and that my brother and some friends owned them she told me how sturdy they are and long lasting. She also mentioned the women’s shoes are made from the leather of a cow because the female leather is a lot softer. Then she explained the insoles had a soft cushion.

I laced them up which was easy, my Dyspraxic fingers were ok with the laces. They felt really comfortable as I wandered around the shop. My toes didn’t touch the ends I felt really comfy. Taking them off I decided to buy them. They were the last pair in the shop and Red Wings were not making anymore of them. That was the universe telling me to buy them.

The shoes are placed in individual bags and then placed into their big box. The lady had to get more bags sent from the mens shop. Someone came round and we placed them in the bag. My brother carried the box as we wandered off to get some tea.

The shoes were amazing and I really enjoyed the customer service. She was not pushy, she chatted to us about the brand and made it feel like a great experience. This is what I want when I go shopping. Especially when I am spending that much on shoes.

I am also in no way being endorsed by Red Wings for this blog.

Enjoy the Sunshine Responsibly

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Hello all,

The past few day have been rather hot. When the weather is like this it can be quite nice for a short period of time. However because we are not used to it in the UK the temperatures can be very uncomfortable.

Our houses are not designed for keeping cool. They are designed to stay warm. Which is not ideal when the thermometer is saying 45 degrees C outside.

During the hotter months of the year it is important that we stay cool and look after ourselves in the heat.
It is nice to be outside but we need to enjoy the hear responsibly.

If you have a heart condition it is especially important to take care of yourself. The British Heart Foundation has some amazing resources on their website. Remember to stay hydrated, drinking plenty of water. You should also wear a hat and spend time in the shade.

If you keep your curtains pulled closed during the day you will stop the heat from warming your house. This is probably why in warmer countries they have small windows and shutters. To keep the heat out.

Anyway that’s it from me, I am far too warm and I have just had some lunch meaning I am now rather tired.

Enjoy the sun, but be sensible.

Philippa B.

A thermometer outside in the sun showing 41 degree C.

Busses and Cycle Lanes

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Hello All,

I hope you are well.

The topic for todays blog is around street layouts.
Normally I get the train to work, however the other week I had to get the bus.

When getting off I was unaware that I was getting off onto a small area of pavement which divided the main road and a new cycle lane. This meant that when I stepped off there was only enough room for single file people to walk on. If you use a guide cane and do not know that there is a cycle lane a few feet in front of you, you are not safe.

The reason you are not safe is that the pavement you have to walk across does not have adequate tactile paving.

Tactile paving exists to tell a Blind or Visually Impaired Person that there is a a curb, a step, or any change in their surroundings coming up which they should be aware of. 

Given that there is only tactile paving on the zebra crossing between the island of pavement and normal pavement, divided by a cycle lane, this is not safe at all.

See photo below of a crossing with a tactile paving then a cycle lane, then a small strip of pavement to get onto a bus. Notice in the photo the bus does not need to stop near the tactile paving.

Cycle lane


Blind and Visually Impaired People have tried to raise concerns about these issues in the past and I wanted to write about my experience with this.

Whilst I understand cyclists need somewhere safe to access the roads this should not be at the expense of Disabled Peoples safety. I cannot begin to image how wheelchair users navigate this issue.

I love that we have more green alternative to travel by making cycling more accessible. It will allow more people to maybe feel like cycling is an alternative option for them. Meaning less cars on the road, meaning less pollution and greener city spaces.

It would be good to hear if you are Disabled and have had similar issues to the ones I have described above.

Thank you,
Philippa.

Please take a look at the following article which addresses concerns from RNIB regarding New Street designs to encourage more cycling and walking https://www.rnib.org.uk/more-cycling-and-walking-good-as-long-as-streets-are-accessible

Please take a look at Street Design Guidance from Guide Dogs https://www.guidedogs.org.uk/about-us/what-we-do/research/policy-and-guidance-for-businesses/street-design-guidance-for-local-authorities/