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Cat Culture
When Monkey the cat first moved in he was understandably a bit nervous of my wheelchair, so much so that I teased Chopin about having an ableist cat. Since then he’s got used to the chair and in fact...
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Intervention Round-Up Reloaded
I’ve tried to manage my tics a number of different ways over the years and one of the most effective for me has been through practical solutions and interventions that make life easier and safer....
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A Care Less Business
I’ve been working in Belgium this week. When I got back to the hotel this evening after a busy day I glanced at my personal emails, and I saw one that totally threw me. It was from the care agency I...
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Power Cat
As a child growing up in 80s London, I remember power cuts being a fairly regular occurrence. There was something scary but exciting about them, and I always knew where the candles were, just in case....
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A Decade On
We’re on the eve of a big anniversary, but for me the end of this decade has special significance. Ten years ago, Touretteshero was born, since then everything’s changed, and I’ve become a radically...
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Disability in a Time of Pandemic
The world’s in the midst of a global pandemic and everyone is rightly being encouraged to practice good hygiene and to socially-distance themselves from others, limiting day-to-day physical contact to...
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Visual Schedules - For Pandemics And Beyond
I’ve been indoors for a week now due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and from tomorrow children across the country will also be at home as most of the schools have closed. One of the first things I did for...
View ArticleVideo Meetings - My Top Tips
Like many people, I’ve been having lots of video meetings for work recently. I experience chronic pain and fatigue which makes it hard to take part in these calls if there aren’t clear agreed...
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Go STOP!
My challenging behaviours and oppositional tics, which I’ve written about before, are still very much part of my life. Confusingly, I’m usually able to manage major feelings or emotionally complex...
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Balancing Realities
After an extraordinary five months, many aspects of life are spinning back into some sort of normality. For most people there might be some minor changes to how they live, work or socialise, but I get...
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Not NICE At All
Since 2016 I’ve experienced chronic pain in my lower back and hips. The quality and intensity of this pain changes, but I’m very rarely pain-free. Left unmanaged, this pain has a profound effect on my...
View ArticleF***ing Captions
I did a stand-up comedy gig this afternoon, the first since lockdown. It was online of course, but it was still great to be performing again. The show was with Abnormally Funny People, a collective of...
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Serena Bhandari - Disabled Students, Know Your Rights
It’s the beginning of a new academic year and for students starting back or returning to university or college, COVID-19 makes this a start like no other. In this guest post, regular contributor and...
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Keyworker Kids - A Revised Story
Almost exactly six months ago I created a story for my three-year-old niece Bean about her mum’s job as a doctor, to explain the coronavirus pandemic and what it would mean for our family. As infection...
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Lifted
I’ve been living at the castle for almost ten years! But, surprisingly, moving home was a lot less dramatic than some of the other changes that were going on in my life back then. My tics had been...
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Profiling My Beautiful Bed
Two years ago I reluctantly accepted my Occupational Therapist’s suggestion that I should start using a profiling (hospital-style) bed in order to help manage my pain. I was resistant to the idea...
View ArticleBathroom Beginnings
I’ve lived at the castle for nine years. It’s on the ground floor and is accessible in most ways. The only area that hasn’t worked very well is the bathroom, but at long last this is about to change!...
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Sliding Into A New Era
On Monday work began on converting my bathroom into a fully accessible wet room with a height-adjustable sink, roll-in shower and fancy wash and dry toilet. The work’s involved knocking through into...
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Sticky Swine
As we enter the second week of work on my bathroom, I’m really excited about all the development. But there’s one change that I was less prepared for – saying goodbye to the bathroom pigs! Regular...
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It’s the Matrix
Last week the Government announced another national lockdown that will be in place into early December. In what is starting to feel like a brief intermission between lockdowns, we did some company...
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