Tag Archives: Disabled

United Kingdom and United Nations

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Hello all, 

Today is a momentous day for the Disabled Community in the United Kingdom. Our Government is having to answer to the United Nations on its treatment of Disabled People. 

Here are a few of the statistics from the Shadow Report to the UN:

  • ‘Three-quarters of Disabled workers are paid less than £15 an hour
  • 2,030 autistic people and people with learning difficulties incarcerate as inpatients
  • 1,500 crimes against patients over just 6 months caught on CCTV at Muckamore Abbey
  • 2000 deaths of patients in Essex mental health hospitals’

These are only a few of the points. Please follow this link to read more. Go to the bottom of the page and see the attachment Statistics from the UK DDPO’s Shadow Report to the UN. 

As a Disabled person I am very angry and very upset by the statistics in this report. The fact that our government does not seem to care about us is appalling. 

There are so many Disabled people in our society who are crying out for change and they are not being heard. The government keeps imposing sanctions on our community, they keep saying some Disabled People are fit to work when Doctors say otherwise. The government keeps reassessing Disabled people for benefits such as PIP and ignoring what their Doctors are saying about their health conditions. 

Disabled People are being driven to brink with some even taking their own lives because they are not getting the help they are entitled to. The media can portray us as lazy and liars. There are councils in the UK which are going broke and the services which are under threat are social care. These benefits assist Disabled People and their families in accessing the support they need to live their best lives. 

The way I see the portal of us in some of the Media is: Disabled people are taking up too much funding. We need to find a way to save money, lets cut back on services for Disabled people.

On the second page of the report you will see quotes talking about how the lack of council funding is having a detrimental impact on Disabled people. 

We have a right to live our best lives just like any other community, yet we seem to be shunned and blamed for society’s problems. This report has not received much attention the news at all. Which leads to Disabled people feeling like we are not worth thinking about. 

But we are. 

If you wish to know more about this, as it will probably not end up on the Six o’clock news then please follow Disability Rights UK. They are fighting for what Disabled People have a right to- basic human decency. 

Thank you, 

Philippa B. 

Lunch out

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Hello all,

Last week I went out with a friend for a nice catch up over some brunch.

I had a full English breakfast with hash browns which was delicious.

Afterwards we went to Lush. I did not buy anything because I have a lot of bath stuff already.

It is always nice to have something to look forward to and something to remember during your week which could cheer you up.

I’m trying to focus on positive thoughts and the positive things happening around me.

It can feel like there is a lot of negativity in the world and we need to focus on the good things around us. In the hope that more positive things will come.

Going out with friend’s is one of the positives I can focus on. Especially if we are going somewhere which will be nice and quiet. I struggle with sensory overload and always try planning with this in mind.

When I go out I make sure to carry my AirPods as they are noise cancelling and they help to reduce the volume of everything going on around me on the train.

If– the place we went to for brunch was nice and quiet. So sensory overload was not an issue. Except when someone was making a smoothie, but that’s it.

I enjoyed the food, I gave my freind the mushroom because I do not like them. The hash browns were amazing.

If you have not tried If then give them a go. The menu is pretty big and we are going to go back to try the pancakes.

What kind of things do you have to look forward to to cheer you up?

Thanks for reading,

Philippa.

Street Clutter

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Hello all,  

I know it has been a while. I have been thinking about what to write. I have decided to write about street clutter. 

As a visually impaired person street clutter is a major hazard. My white cain does allow me to feel for obstacles in my path which I do not see. However this doesn’t mean I can instantly find my way safely.  This image above is showing an example of barricades which have been set up to stop people using a crossing. One of the barriers was a grey colour, this did not contrast well with the grey paving behind it. This meant that I couldn’t really tell it was there and had to stand and look at it for a few minutes before moving forwards.

Barriers and cones blocking a crossing. One of the barriers is stuck out into the pathway.


The next day I went back as it is on a usual route and the barricade was in a much more suitable position. 

Another example of street clutter which is not safe is when road signs are left on tactile paving. Such as the one below. Tactile paving needs to be left clear because it allows those using a cain to navigate crossings safely by telling us what kind of crossing we are at. 

Street clutter for anyone is tricky and when there are road works I understand it is a lot more difficult to try accommodate everyone. However just street clutter in general should be to a minimum to make sure everyone has the chance to feel safe. 

When there is a lot going on it creates a lot more visual stress. Also as visually impaired people if we come across items in our path it is difficult to navigate safely when we are on our own. This would be if we needed to step out onto the road and a car is coming. 

Street clutter can affect anyone, but it is more dangerous for those of us who are disabled. Imagine if you are a wheelchair user and you have to go out into the road because there is something on the pavement blocking your path. There might not be a dropped curb for you to use. This makes it impossible to get around. 

If street clutter is managed more affectively, such as A boards for advertising, and are tucked in so we can get have enough space then that makes it easier. If there are road works happening then it is important to update a website, such as the council so that people can check before they travel. But this then leads us onto other problems such as websites are not always accessible. But this is a blog for another time. 

All we ask is that business, councils just be more considerate around how they ensure the safety of all path and road users. We want to be able to travel as independently as possible and we can’t if there barriers in our way. 

Thank you for reading, 

Philippa. 

Disney Expo

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A few months ago I wrote about going down to London to see my Brother. Here is what I thought of the Disney Expo we went to. 

An advert for 100 Years of Disney popped up on my instagram and I really wanted to go. I messaged my brother and he got us some tickets. We went on the first weekend it was open. I had never been to the Excel and wasn’t sure what to expect. When we got there there were a lot of people queueing outside. We were glad we go there early as we could tell it was going to be packed. 

When you first go in you watch a video of Walt Disney  Welcoming you to the magic of Disney and there are three screens either side playing various images from content throughout the years. Finally Micky appears and invites you into explore. 

A hand drawn image of the Beast from Beauty and the Beast holding a rose.

The event is set up in a time line. First you are shown how Disney started out with a tiny rabbit. But then you see the introduction of Micky Mouse and friends.

As you wander around you see some really amazing drawings from films like Fantasia. There are also videos playing to match up with the art work meaning you can listen to character creation. There are also some props of characters such as Winnie the Pooh and from live action films like Beauty and the Beast. I particularly enjoyed the sketches from the films in the late 80s and 90s as they were some of my favourite films. 

As you wandered around and walked through the history of Disney you could see how the character style changed over time with the development of technology. But there are still physical items to see such as a huge case full of 3D models of characters such as Jafar and Elsa. 

It was interesting to see how Disney is heavily influenced by folk tales. When you look at something like Frozen and how it is created using influences from Nordic Countries such as Denmark where the Snow Queen first appeared. The Snow Queen being the story which Frozen is loosely based upon. 

As well as the films and the story of Disney you also see the creation of the parks and how the castles differ depending on which Disney Park you are in. The  castle in Tokyo Disney reflects the style of Architecture for that region. 

There is an amazing map of what Disney envisioned Disney World to look like and this is what they used to convince the banks to give them the money to build it. 

I really enjoyed going to the expo and for the price of it, around £30 each it was definitely worth it. I would say it is worth going. We were in there for about 3 hours in total. Which was really great. 

If you are Visually Impaired I would recommend having someone with you to help you read the information as it is all on small piece of card. 

It is absolutely worth the visit.  
Disney Expo tickets

Thank you for reading,
Philippa B.

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

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Hello all,

First of all I would like to say I am a Disabled person. That is how I describe myself. My disability is a part of me and I chose how to describe myself. 

If you, as a Disabled person chose to say person with a disability that is your choice. 

I tend to have issues with non disabled people telling me I can’t say Disabled. ‘But you are not your Disability’ I know I am not. I never said I was. What I mean is that my disabilities make up who I am and I therefore chose to use Disabled person. 

It is not for a non disabled person to tell me what terminology to use. If you have a problem with the word Disabled I suggest you really think about what it is you have a problem with. 

Anyway, it’s been Disability History Month and International Day of persons with Disabilities. 

We are often left out and marginalised by society, which leaves us excluded. We can be seen to be a burden or something that can be treated as an after thought. This should never be the case. 

We are here. We have rights and we deserve to live life. However, we cannot live life if places do not make themselves inclusive to us. 

Looking down at my feet as I'm stood in the crisp auburn autumn leaves. I have my guide cane at the side of me. I took out all the colour from my shoes and jeans. So they are black and grey. Shot on iPhone.


We need accessibility to be at the start of a conversation not just an add on. We need to feel like we are at the table having the conversation. We need to have all areas of Disability included. You cannot say you are inclusive because you have a ramp and then have doors which are not accessible. You can’t use alt text in your advertising to do a funny little joke. 

Access needs are important and we need to have them in place so that we can fully participate in society and not feel excluded. 

If you are wondering how you can make things more accessible then look up Disability charities like RNIB or Scope. They have a ton of resources which are available. 

I hope you have a great day and thank you for reading my thoughts on Disability. 

Thank you,
Phili

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. 

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.