Protests & Campaigns

What Do Children Need?

A digital drawing of a bright yellow bear, wearing an eye patch with colourful spots on it. The bears expression is neutral and they are wearing a t-shirt with the disability rights slogan Piss on Pity on it.

Yesterday was BBC Children in Need day. Schools and workplaces held collections in the lead up to an evening extravaganza of celebrity-led TV fundraising. The money raised will fund life-changing work across the UK.

Children in Need has been around since 1980 – just like me – headed up by Pudsey, the eye-patch-wearing-bear, who I recently learnt was only allowed to smile in 2007 – that’s almost thirty years of non-stop frowning.…

A Decade of Fear and A Moment For Hope

Over the last decade, just existing as a Disabled Person has felt like a political act. Everything I do is directly affected by the political decisions of people who’ve never met me. There’s the social care support that means I can get washed and dressed in the morning, the Access to Work – support that’s enabled me to continue doing the job I love, the NHS-prescribed wheelchair that means I can move freely, and the medication and catheters that help me manage my pain and sleep at night.…