disability
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Shooting my mouth off
I learned a valuable lesson today. I think. Don’t agree to be interviewed whilst pregnant and highly hormonal/grumpy. I was asked by the Al Jazeera news team if they could come over to interview me for a piece they were doing about disability. My knee-jerk was a definite ‘no’, which I assumed on reflection, was…
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Romania: not just a country of communist blocks
As Daily-Mail readers froth at the mouth about the mythical ‘influx’ of Romanians and Bulgarians expected to descend upon the UK (they might eat your babies!), I for one am hoping that soon, Brits (disabled and otherwise) will soon be descending upon Romania. Contrary to mainstream opinion – Romania is very different to what is…
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DWP: “Workfare does not exist”
As part of an article I am writing for a disability magazine, I contacted the DWP press office to get their take on the various work programmes which are floating about. I didn’t want to present an article that could be accused of ‘reporter bias’, so speaking to them to directly was important. (Although I…
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My story: the rocky road to a diagnosis
I am 28. I am 4ft11, and I am disabled. It’s time to tell my story. I’m not a celebrity, I’m not a high profile journalist, so I doubt that people will be remotely interested in what I have to say, but I’m telling it anyway. Why? Because it has to be told. For me.…
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Give up yer seat!
I confess to being an angry person. I always have been. My mother reckons it stems from my frustration as a tot when I couldn’t do things other kiddies my age could do. Y’know, like walk or run or climb trees or whatever. Not that there was much tree climbing in Croydon where I grew…
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State-endorsed fascism in Britain – this time they are after the disabled
In some ways, I feel I’ve become a bit too sensitive of late when it comes to “disablist” gags, but maybe I’m just hyper vigilant these days. The smear campaign the DWP and the media are carrying out on disabled people has made me and thousands of other disabled people distinctly uneasy. Why is it…
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Five-year-old Rania Must Stay
I’m a big fan of petitions. Not just because I like adding my name to a (hopefully) long list along with others who feel the same way as I do, but because it’s a measure of democracy. If enough signatures are obtained, maybe, just maybe, those in authority may take the desired action. It’s no…