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Living with the less obvious
Student Abigail Stafford reflects on being a young person living with a condition which is not evident on the surface and wishes that people would challenge their own assumptions sometimes
Letter from the front line
The violent protests of earlier this year have been superseded by a quieter form of action. From her tent at the St Paul’s camp, Lesley Swann tells us why, as a disabled person, she has chosen to occupy
Vic Finkelstein: campaigner who redefined terms
Recent news of the passing of Vic Finkelstein, disability activist and academic, symbolises the end of a crucial period in the development of disabled people's struggle for an enabling society. Professor Alan Roulstone pays this tribute
Whose love is it anyway?
Who has the power to decide what a disabled person can do with their life? Of course the answer should be the disabled person decides. But what if we need others to assist us in carrying out our wishes? Simon Parritt asks who chooses then, whose rights and interests are paramount?
Not content with victimhood
As a victim of serious sexual assault, Annie Makoff says she was not also prepared to be the victim of her own silence
Give the world a lift
Recent stairlift convert Cilla Shiels says there’s still a stigma attached to having one, but she believes that familiarity may breed less contempt
Best behaviour in the ranks
Sound artist, Amie Slavin, is developing a major installation for the Royal Armouries Museum, Leeds. She’s collecting sounds and voices, focusing on the lives of British soldiers. Following a visit to Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, she shares musings on political correctness
Hitting back at Pratchett
“My death is my affair” wrote Suzanne Moore in The Guardian. Whereas activist and playwright Paddy Masefield believes that the sanctioning of assisted suicide in the UK would have a massively negative effect on how we would all come to see disabled people and the natural process of ageing
Ironing out the rough spots
Disability activist Nasa Begum, who died in her sleep on 24 May at her home in East London aged 47, was a role model for and inspiration to thousands of disabled people and their friends and families. Ju Gosling knew her and pays this tribute
Moving out of Little League
Aspiring American children’s author Tony Evangelista writes about how frustrations over coaching his son Joey at baseball led him to write a book exploring issues of play and relationships
Being judged by appearance
For many, it’s an all-too-familiar accusation: “You’re not as disabled as you let on”. Anoushka Alexander reflects on other people’s judgements and assumptions
Sir George Shearing: goodbye and farewell
George Albert Shearing was born in Battersea south-west London, on 19 August, 1919. Without music, he might have ended his days in Battersea, as Stevie Wonder might have ended his days in Detroit.
Pulling off positive parenting
Embarking on parenthood, as a disabled person, raises for some, questions of feasibility, even morality. We may lack the constant reassurance most new parents get, that parenting is possible, if tough. As her daughters reach the venerable ages of nearly-three, and five, Amie Slavin finds herself wondering if society has got such matters inside out
Facing fears for the future
Louise Bretland-Treharne finds herself dealing with a condition which many healthcare professionals don’t even recognise. And she’s now also facing a future made frightening to her by Government welfare reforms
Big boys don't cry
The traditional masculine image of the self-sufficient, tough, resilient man is deeply ingrained in society. This, says John Hendy, can have a deleterious effect on the way those with mental health issues are viewed and treated
"Bionic carrot" with a big heart
Chair of RADAR and long-time disability activist Phil Friend pays tribute to sportsman, photographer and friend Graham Bool
People say the strangest things
Fed up of the odd, personal, random, annoying or just plain rude questions total strangers feel able to ask her, Emma Crees has decided to take retaliatory action
Keeping life on track
12-year-old Danielle Bradshaw explains the choices she's made in order to chase her lifelong dream of becoming a professional athlete
Facing out the elephant
Disabled counsellor Libby Webber looks at her own and other people's reactions to her in her work as a therapist
Choosing to sit tight
Having created a strong identity and personality as a wheelchair-user, Mik Scarlet woke up one day to find he could go back to walking
Friend who gave food for thought
Champion of independent living and creator of the concept of accessible food, David Morris died in early May. His friend Katherine Araniello pays this personal tribute
When the joke's on me
Comedian Frankie Boyle was recently in the news for making cruel jokes about people with Down’s syndrome. He’d been challenged at one of his shows by a mum of a young daughter with the condition, angry and upset by his remarks. Victoria Wright knows the feeling
Holding on to family ties
For many young disabled people, going off to college brings the first real taste of independence from family. But for Anuya Pai, things were slightly different as she adopted a different approach to meeting her care and support needs
DNR - clear and present danger
“Do not resuscitate”, DNR is what medical staff write on the notes of those people whose quality of life they judge to be so poor as to be not worth striving to save. It’s also a judgement which can cause disabled people like Anne Pridmore to be genuinely afraid of going into hospital
You can hurry love
Man on a mission Jonathan Steel has three minutes to discover whether the person he’s with is the partner of his dreams or the stuff of nightmares
Love stories
Writer Penelope Friday talks about mixing sex and disability in the pages of her erotic fiction
PTSD - A soldier's tale
Recent estimates put the number of ex-servicemen in prison at around 8,500. One of them, Jimmy Johnson, talks candidly about Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, the hidden factor that helped put him there
Beating the bullies
Bullying is an all too regular thing in schools, with disabled children more likely to be targeted than others. Henal Ganatra, 16, shares his experience and tells how he’s got to a position where he’s able to help victims
Mother's pride
As same-sex couples demand equal rights, for Helen*, a disabled lesbian, parenthood has brought fulfilment for all
Boy to man with ADHD
It’s not so much his condition as the lack of support, understanding and access to treatment that troubles Ryan Guest about his Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Loving care, caring love
The phrase “disabled carer” risks eliciting gushing and inappropriate responses. But for Alan Sutherland and his partner, care in every sense is just part of life
Adopting a position
With more than 40 years in the adoption business and having been brought up in care herself, Carol Howard is well placed to see how the system can let down disabled children
Happy in the parent trap
Parent of two Amie Slavin thinks she might get feisty when people draw the wrong conclusions about who’s looking after whom
Choices in the hear and now
Blogger and disability trainer Maria Zedda objected to the idea of medicine doing all it could to eliminate disability, until she found out that she could stay true to herself while still respecting other people’s quite different life choices
Discomfort station
Harrassment in the toilet is no longer something that only happens to children at school. It can also be a worry for people throughout their adult lives
A long stay in Clichéland
TV’s latest drama and Julie Walters vehicle on assisted suicide means that this time it’s personal for Penny Pepper
Stepping up to parenting
Libby Webber ponders the life-enhancing side of becoming a disabled step-parent
Parent power
Sabina Iqbal has won awards for empowering Deaf parents. She says every barrier can be overcome
Danny, champion of a new world
Manchester United winger Danny Wallace had his football career curtailed by multiple sclerosis. Now, says Sunil Peck, he is campaigning to make football grounds more accessible to other disabled fans
Hard as hell
He ‘ranted and bitched’ about his condition to his Big Brother housemates. But, Darnell Swallow tells Kelly Mullan, he still feels he’s made a difference
When Ray met Roz
Planning an accessible wedding wasn’t nearly as difficult as finding a hotel with a wet room, says Ray Lang
Sophie's new model army
Although she only came runner-up, the real star of the reality TV show Britain’s Missing Top Model was surely Sophie Morgan.
Stop assuming, start listening
Author Shanta Everington has had a hidden impairment since she was a teenager. But she’s still waiting for a little understanding
Sisters in arms
In May, disability activist Sue Maynard Campbell died. Her sister and fellow campaigner, Alice Maynard, reflects on a relationship that went beyond family ties to tackle the barriers they both faced in an unreceptive world
Coming to terms
Disability language has always been a quagmire. Betsy Valnes asks if there’s a way out
Words of love and sex
Just because I am disabled, does not mean I cannot enjoy sex and write about it, says Penelope Fleming-Fido
A marriage made in Devon
Lee and Jessica Hodgson were married in a same-sex ceremony in Devon in April, with the help of their guide dogs. Lee describes how they tied the most accessible of knots