By Denise Watson When we hear that someone is disabled, we automatically think that he or she has a health problem, is in a wheelchair, or cannot look after themselves. Yet ‘disabled’ simply means unable to do something because of one reason or another. Let’s take the example of someone with restricted growth: a man [...]

By Denise Watson When eyesight goes wrong, it leaves you with a myriad of changes and, though it is impossible to generalise, you are almost always left with a need to re-assess your lifestyle. Doing so may also affect the lives of those close to you, as shared responsibilities become less accessible or you find [...]

1st. October 2011. Dear Diary, I’m trying to get my head round the terms ‘disabled’ and ‘old age’. I know that one can come on well before the other, that there is a sort of ‘set time’ for old age but I’m wondering ‘does old age make you disabled?’ It’s 10 o’clock. Goodnight. 3rd. October [...]

A recent study published in the American Academy of Sleep Medicine shows that patients suffering from rheumatoid arthritis experienced greater pain and discomfort when they do not get enough sleep. “The primary finding of our study is that poor sleep quality is associated with greater functional disability among patients with RA and this relationship may [...]

By Steff Green I suspect everyone in the world has a story about kitchen mishaps. My husband has made his fair share of charcoal biscuit batches, and my best friend once burnt a pot of water. But somehow, kitchen mishaps are always more extreme when you’re blind. From the time I sliced my finger open [...]

by Gareth Tidbury The Burnham Bends The cosy bungalow that my granddad shares with his wife of sixty-two years could in truth, hold a more pleasant view.  Their lounge looks out on a road that makes up part of what motorcycling enthusiasts often refer to as ‘the Burnham bends’.  My granddad often mentions this term [...]

By Melanie Wakefield That is a question the majority of people with disabilities or long term health conditions at some point ask.  Is the answer not simple?  “If you need a gadget to provide assistance, buy it.”  Oh, if only it were as straightforward as that! Issues A few years ago I worked with an [...]

By Lorraine Wylie See no evil, Hear no evil, Speak no evil! Known as, ‘the three wise monkeys’ the little trio of primates is a pictorial maxim familiar to many.  In ancient Japanese culture, the ape like antics of covering eyes, ears and mouth, was considered a sensory barricade against evil influences.  But in contemporary [...]

By Jordan Webber Disability at University Having been living primarily at the campus of my University for over two years, my view of what people are like has become slightly biased. Students as a group are a whole different sort of person than the rest of the population: they drink more, they have more sex, [...]

by Cloda Hyman Do you have Osteoarthritis? Do you find that when you tell some people that you are disabled because of it; they look at you as if to say “yeah right, pull the other one”? They then fail to hide their suspicions as they scrutinise you from head to foot and give you [...]