A couple of days ago I got an unexpected call from my Local Authority’s Adult Social Care Community Review Team (what a mouthful!) The woman I spoke to was very friendly and explained that she needed to visit me to review my personal budget, which is the funding I get that covers my support at home.…

Because of the chronic pain I’m experiencing, which I’ve written about a lot recently, I’m under the care of my local pain clinic and my GP, and I’ve got a range of medications to help me manage the pain.

There are regular medications that I take every day and others that I only take when the pain’s really intense.…

I’m quite surprised to find myself at the last day of 2017. There are a million clichés about time passing quickly, and I’m loath to mention any of them, but this year really does feel as if it’s gone by extra-fast.…

Earlier today Leftwing Idiot sent me a photo of a poster for an event taking place near the castle. He’d noticed it because it used language commonly associated with disability, ‘Complex Needs’, and had the tagline ‘A Christmas party for those in need.’…

Back in September we teamed up with artist and researcher Will Renel from the Helen Hamlyn Centre for Design to run a weekend of creative collaboration called Remixing the Globe. The workshop was for young adults with Tourettes and explored the different ways that sound can make people feel either included or excluded in public places like theatres.…

For the last year-and-a-half I’ve been experiencing chronic pain in my back and hips which often keeps me awake at night. Despite having written about it a lot, I still haven’t worked out how to describe it effectively to other people.…

Touretteshero’s had a birthday party in the past, and has delivered lots of events, but we’ve never had a team party before, and that’s because until recently we were mainly just a team of two, Leftwing Idiot and me.

Not anymore though.…

I delivered a training session today for a media company who are making a documentary about Tourettes.

Often when I’m training people on issues relating to inclusion and equality I talk about the need to reduce ‘faff’ around disability. My experience today has been a vivid example of exactly what I mean.…

While my tics might not be part of my conscious thought processes, they definitely reflect the time and cultural references of my childhood, and this means that the stars of 1980’s children’s TV get a strong showing.

Of all these 80’s celebrities, the one who’s been a consistent and longstanding feature of my tics is Keith Chegwin.…

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.…