I employ a team of personal assistants who support me 24 hours a day and 7 days a week.  Each team member works with me on a 1-1 basis, and at times I need 2 assistants particularly for travel and sport. The relationship between me and each assistant is a...

For me ‘the time it takes is the time it takes’.  What I mean by this is that I cannot dress any more quickly and I cannot eat any more quickly. This means I use a concept called reverse engineering life. Short cuts are out Most people can take shortcuts...

Boccia is a Paralympic sport, and like all sports governed by strict rules.  It is a target game played indoors by individuals and pairs or teams, accuracy and tactics matter when there is a match to be won. Athletes are classified into groups to ensure there is a level playing...

Do you ever get asked a question and like me feel put on the spot and react like the ‘rabbit in the headlights’?  I always thought this was something to do with the way my brain works.  But talking to others maybe it is a more common phenomenon than I...

Due to the pandemic I have been doing a lot of video conferencing with people I normally see in person. In face to face conversations some people understand my speech, and for spontaneity and speed my personal assistant often repeats what I’ve said verbatim. When I use my communication aid...

Like so many people I’ve found the last few weeks have been different to anything I have ever experienced.  It’s been a time full of highs and lows, with a lot in the middle.  At the beginning of the pandemic I don’t think anyone thought we would still be at...

My disability does not define me, however, it definitely defines how some people see me. Just like others I am successfully navigating my life, striving to achieve the best I can. Others may see me as having cerebral palsy, using a power chair, needing an electronic communication aid, wearing hearing...