At the end of last year I wrote about being laughed at and mimicked while in a hospital waiting room. Today at the same hospital I had a completely different and very lovely experience chatting to two women who were also waiting.…

This morning my support worker Ellie and I were in the waiting room at the specialist neurological hospital I go to. I was there to have a nerve conduction test, which turned out to be a pretty intense experience where bursts of electricity are applied to your hands and legs to check that the nerves are working.…

A couple of days ago I was waiting to pick up some medication in a busy hospital pharmacy. There was a boy aged about nine also waiting. I pulled up in my wheelchair and waited nearby.

The boy couldn’t take his eyes off me.…

A few days ago I had a visit from my occupational therapist (OT) and a surveyor from my local Council. They’d come to discuss making my bathroom safer and more accessible.

The surveyor was late and while we waited I quizzed my OT about how other disabled people had made their kitchens more accessible.…

Lily’s doing my overnight support this evening – we’ve finished brushing our teeth and we’re getting ready for bed.

After doing my teeth she helped me transfer out of my wheelchair and onto the toilet. While I coaxed my wee out Lily brushed her own teeth.…

Our last morning in Portland was a bright one. We enjoyed a relaxed start, packing slowly and getting ready for the long trip back to the UK. By mid-afternoon we were on the first leg of our journey, a short flight from Portland to Phoenix, before the longer flight home.…

I’m not very well today, but acknowledging that, and saying I’m ill, is something I find hard to do.

I’m used to identifying as ‘disabled’ within the context of the Social Model. To me, saying I’m a Disabled Person makes me feel proud and strong.…

I’ve been in Milton Keynes today for a meeting: Leftwing Idiot, Will, Lily and I travelled there by train. Even though it’s only a short journey I transferred out of my wheelchair and onto a seat to be a bit more comfortable.…

For over a decade Mencap have run Changing Places, an amazing campaign to improve toilet provision for disabled people across the UK.

Changing Places toilets are loos that meet a specific set of criteria – they are much bigger than regular accessible toilets, have a height-adjustable changing bed, a tracking hoist, and a centrally placed toilet so that you can transfer onto it from either side.…

My body was heavy with tiredness when I woke this morning after an intense week in Edinburgh for the Fringe. It was nice to wake up in my own bed though, and to see Joyce, who helped me get washed and ready for the day.…