When I received an email from the Life Management Science Labs, part of the KPI Institute, based in Melbourne asking me to join their podcast to talk about life as a wheelchair user, it seemed like a great opportunity to talk about the benefits of wheelchair skills. Their original idea was a bit different from mine. They wanted to talk about what the physical set up of home life looks like for a wheelchair user and how this can be made more accessible. Don’t get me wrong, accessibility is really important and not enough is being done in my opinion to ensure that people can fully enjoy and util ..read more

When I was asked by the Global Disability Innovation Hub to join a panel for their INPACT project exploring the importance of ICT (information communication technology) for disabled people it gave me a chance to reflect on how much I use technology and why I think it is really important for the disabled community. Let’s start by talking about what ICT is. In this blog we’ll be thinking about it in the broadest possible terms, including the equipment people are using, those adaptions that make it accessible and the software that is used to access information. Check out the complex map below of ..read more

For as long as I can remember, I have always had a need for speed. My earliest memory of writing about a career, probably around six years old, was a stunt driver. I remember seeing incredible feats being performed on TV and being starry eyed thinking about how much fun it would be to do them. Thirty years later and nothing much has changed. My go to sport through the summer is waterskiing and having recently made the change from slalom skiing to trick skiing. Making this change has given me that rush back and become more fun again. I’ve tried loads of adrenaline activities over the years and ..read more

Every month in this blog I like to reflect on something that has happened with work that reflects on using a wheelchair and wheelchair lifestyle. Sometimes these posts will be about what’s been happening with my social enterprise work and sometimes they will be more personal and what I’ve been up to personally. This month is very personal. For those reading this that don’t know me. I live in London, on the second floor of a four storey block. I’ve been living here in Battersea for the last eight years and I love it. It’s a comfortable space inside the flat which is age proof, wider doorways an ..read more

Understanding how to look after your wheelchair and make necessary changes can be essential in enabling your wheelchair to do its job in getting you around. When I first started using a wheelchair, I relied heavily on wheelchair services to take care of all of the repairs. While that’s what they’re there for, it’s not always ideal. Don’t get me wrong, the guy used to come out to do home visits and was very friendly. Most if not all the time (if memory serves) he had the parts to fix my chair. It is inconvenient to be waiting around at home for someone to make the repair so I would often go to ..read more

Every month in this blog I like to reflect on something that has happened with work that reflects on using a wheelchair and wheelchair lifestyle. Sometimes these posts will be about what’s been happening with my social enterprise work and sometimes they will be more personal and what I’ve been up to personally. This month is very personal. For those reading this that don’t know me. I live in London, on the second floor of a four storey block. I’ve been living here in Battersea for the last eight years and I love it. It’s a comfortable space inside the flat which is age proof, wider doorways an ..read more

Language is a powerful tool. It can empower people and it can disempower them. In the world of disability, there are so many pieces of language that we could look at and argue both for and against use of words and terminology. That discussion is for another blog. In this blog, I’m going to talk a bit about innovation. My understanding of the word, what I see the word mean to others and an exciting opportunity that has come up for me to explore that word a bit more. Since I set up my social enterprise, a lot of the terminology that I used to use has changed. This is a result of needing to conne ..read more

Understanding how to look after your wheelchair and make necessary changes can be essential in enabling your wheelchair to do its job in getting you around. When I first started using a wheelchair, I relied heavily on wheelchair services to take care of all of the repairs. While that’s what they’re there for, it’s not always ideal. Don’t get me wrong, the guy used to come out to do home visits and was very friendly. Most if not all the time (if memory serves) he had the parts to fix my chair. It is inconvenient to be waiting around at home for someone to make the repair so I would often go to ..read more

Planning a trip to get out and about using your wheelchair can feel daunting. In this blog we will look at a simple tool you can use to help plan your trip and hopefully reduce anxiety. There is an extensive list of wheelchair skills that we’re able to use to get around different inaccessible environments when we’re out and about. I remember the sense of being overwhelmed when I first saw them all written down. I felt the same way more recently when I wrote out the list of the wheelchair skills videos that I wanted to make! In time and with practise, wheelchair skills will become second nature ..read more

As a society, it's important to ensure that all children, regardless of their abilities, have equal access to education. For students who use wheelchairs, it's crucial to provide them with the necessary skills to navigate their school environment with confidence and independence. Wheelchair skills in schools not only empower students with physical disabilities, but also promote inclusivity, diversity, and a positive school culture. Learning wheelchair skills can provide children with the tools they need to navigate their environment, engage in activities, and participate in their communities w ..read more