The ripple effect
First, there was Stephen Hawking, the physicist. Then came Lee Ridley, comedian, also known as ‘Lost Voice Guy’. Now we have Rob Burrow, an ex-rugby league professional and an advocate for motor neurone disease (MND). It is heart-warming to see the mainstream media airtime around using augmentative and alternative communication...
Disability matters
We hear and read daily about how the government wants disabled people to work. This week we know they are not valuing nearly a quarter of the population. The move to replace the Minister of State for disabled people with a junior minister makes this clear. Long-term strategy? Downgrading the...
The AAC Connection
Back in September 2023 a friend, Joanna Holmes (aka MummyvsAAC) and I got together to speak at the annual Communication Matters conference in Leeds. We had met at the 2022 conference and immediately discovered we had a lot in common. We had shared views about AAC users, communication partners and...
Disability Power 100
I was chuffed to make it into the Disability Power 100. This is the annual list of the most influential disabled people in the UK. It was such an honour to discover that I'd been nominated as a top 10 finalist in the community advocate category for 2023. This surprise...
AACademic New Year
September in England marks the return to school, colleges and higher educational establishments for a new academic year. It might feel daunting to have an AAC user in your sessions. Here are my 9 top tips around access and communication that may support a Happy AACademic New Year when you...
More than just physical fatigue
I’ve read a few things recently about other people’s fatigue. At times I can see similarities to my own lack of energy, at other times I find little in common. We are all different, and so the solutions to dealing with our own fatigue will differ. More recently I’ve come...
Self-Advocacy
Speaking up for ourselves, so we can achieve what we want in life, is a skill everyone needs to learn, not just those of us with disabilities. At its simplest level self-advocacy is being able to communicate our needs, but we all know it isn’t always as easy as it...