This is an article about my most incredible adventure to South Africa which took me to Johannesburg, the Kruger National Park and its surrounding highlands in the province of Mpumalanga.

On first glance it would be reasonable to think that more adventurous travel such as an African safari would be out of reach for a person with my level of disability. However, this was made possible thanks to an amazing tour operator called Endeavour Safaris (“Endeavour”) which specialises in disability travel.  I found Endeavour simply via Google, and took the plunge and booked a safari holiday with them to Johannesburg and the Kruger National Park.

Apart from being very long, the flight to Johannesburg went smoothly. On landing at the airport late in the night and waiting in the plane to be lifted out, I was greeted by the most cheerful airport passenger assistance staff, who were more than happy to lift me out of the plane and into my own wheelchair. However, my wheelchair did annoyingly have a small amount of damage to the armrest, which although had no effect on the utility of the wheelchair, was still rather irritating. There was no point making a big deal out of it in Johannesburg as the repairs would need to be done back home.

We were met by our guide at the airport, Andy from Endeavour who took us to our nearby hotel for the night. The next day we travelled by road in a wheelchair accessible van that we were to use for the entire tour, across spectacular countryside to a guest house near a town called Sabie that was about 40km from the entrance to the Kruger. The guest house was fantastic in terms of its beautifully stunning location and was run by the incredibly hospitable Zeederberg family. The family had adapted their guesthouse by placing ramps around the grounds and a further ramp in the bathroom to make it “roll-in”. The lodge was used for the next couple of days to explore the surrounding highlands, where we saw the Blyde River Canyon, God’s Window, Lisbon Falls and Bourke’s Luck Potholes. Each site a spectacular and awe-inspiring feature in what can only be described as an awe-inspiring part of the world.

After two nights in the highlands, we proceeded to the Kruger National Park. We were to stay in a camp within the Kruger, which had guest rooms that were wheelchair accessible and had in roll-in showers. In the Kruger, each day we would go on two driving tours lasting three hours each at 5am and 3pm. Yes, 5am in the morning! Andy, our guide, was really experienced, and seemed to intuitively know where to find the wildlife. No easy feat, considering the Kruger National Park is about the size of Belgium! Over the several days in the park, we saw lions, leopards, buffalo, elephants, rhino’s and a plethora of amazing creatures that roamed free across the vast and wild expanse. Seeing these animals in the flesh and sometimes within metres of our van was simply breathtaking. However, notwithstanding the brilliance of the wildlife and the experience of being there, it did require a level of physical endurance that was a little testing. The heat in the middle of the day was pulverising, where temperatures could easily reach 42 – 43^OC, which I found very tough to handle, given that air conditioning was not always available in all parts of the camp. Nonetheless, me and the rest of the tour group battled through the conditions and had a wonderful time in the park.

The final stage of the tour was to spend some time in Johannesburg, which included a tour of Soweto, an epicentre of the fight against apartheid. Our tour of Soweto covered the key sights such as the Apartheid Museum and the cultural district. Soweto was a moving place. Monuments to those who had lost their lives in the struggle against apartheid were numerous. Extreme poverty and wealth were side by side, but at the same time, the city was colourful , vibrant and home to a fantastic vibe and very hospitable people.  We finished the tour by driving past the stadium used for the football World Cup final and the Johannesburg commercial centre. Unfortunately, Johannesburg can be a little risky for the uninitiated due to some areas of the city having a high crime rate. Therefore, evenings were spent in the hotel! On the final day, I met up with a friend who I knew from university, before heading back to the airport for the long trip back.

My time in South Africa was incredible. Prior to travelling there, I would have thought that Africa was inaccessible for someone in a wheelchair. But Endeavour Safaris made this possible. Their guides were very helpful, the hotels were wheelchair accessible and their van was specially adapted for a wheelchair passenger. South Africa was a brilliant adventure and I cannot recommend enough anyone else taking up a similar challenge to explore a wonderful part of the world!

Wow! What a week. Firstly, since my BBC breakfast appearance and more importantly the blog on the DLA consultation. General feedback from the ‘one month before heartbreak’ blogswarm has been positive. It received coverage on the following links, as only a starter and taster:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/jan/18/disabled-protesters-one-month-before-heartbreak
http://www.goodaccessguide.co.uk/news/info.php?refnum=544
http://www.benefitsandwork.co.uk/news/latest-news/1285-protests-against-benefits-cuts
http://www.communitycare.co.uk/blogs/service-user-voice/2011/01/disabled-people-and-service-users-will-be-heard-we-will-be-listened-to-ombh.html#more
http://liberalconspiracy.org/2011/01/17/does-the-broken-of-britain-campaign-need-celebrity-support/

Thanks to Emma (TweetHandle: @funkyfairy22) for providing this information. Also Kaliya (TweetHandle: @Bendygirl) was on Talk Radio Europe speaking about Broken of Britain and the great campaign http://thebrokenofbritain.blogspot.com/2011/01/benefit-claimants-fight-back.html. Lets hope the government have taken note of this and reconsider their policy decisions around DLA next month, and indeed on disability issues generally!

In light of the recent cuts to government spending, we (Martyn Sibley of London and Richard Currie of Manchester) are writing to convey our deep concern at the affects they will have on the disabled people of the UK. We are only 2 of 10 million disabled people in Britain, but our views are by no means unique. This letter forms our contribution to a large online campaign – 1 month before heartbreak. Many people are blogging today to urge your good selves to consider aspects of the Disability Living Allowance and general disability reforms, and how they will truly work in the ‘real world’.

The DLA provides vital financial assistance for the extra costs incurred as a result of being disabled. The consultation is looking at tougher assessment criteria (to reduce the number of claimants) and even withdrawing the vital transport component of the allowance. It ends on 14^th February 2011. Furthermore there are discussions to disband the Independent Living Fund, assisting disabled people to live full, self directed lives. Please don’t break anyone’s heart on Valentines day. Or for that matter, ever!

We would like to start by acknowledging  the social, legal, economic, political and technological improvements of the past 50 years . With the social model of disability being enforced through laws and motions such as the Disability Discrimination Act and the UN convention , disabled people have seen vast improvements in societal inclusion. We both have had happy childhoods, met good friends, accessed our education system to Masters level and have ambitions the same as anyone. We personally strive for full independence using our electric wheelchairs, accessing social care provisions and using DLA for the extra costs we incur as disabled people.

As a positive recognition of the coalition government, we are glad you see the merits of Personalisation. The key here is that it may not be for everyone. With such a varying scale of impairments in the disability world, person centred plans are vital. Where possible, people should direct their own provision of services, giving them the flexibility, choice and control they deserve. When certain tasks and responsibilities are simply too much, this must be recognised and solved innovatively with brokerages and other support services. Really the crux of Personalisation is to improve disabled people’s lives, not to cut costs and corners. Please ensure there is enough money in the coffers. It is difficult to employ a PA to carry out care-work 24/7 under the minimum wage. Furthermore without the foundations of care in our lives how can we work, be financially sustainable, socially engage and be happy and healthy?

Unfortunately, even in 2011, this all has not resulted in full inclusion. Physically there are many buildings, transport links and leisure activities that are not accessible. Attitudinally many people still have cautious and incorrect views on disability. It is widely known bus and taxi drivers get agitated because a wheelchair user requires a ramp. Employers often feel concerned of disabled peoples’ ability to carry out a job, instead of assessing them on actual merit. We already need to improve a lot of things despite the progress made. So why make such regressive policy decisions?

With disabled people finding access to qualifications more difficult, trying to change attitudes and access to jobs in an already very difficult labour market, and having less disposable income because of the many extra costs incurred (more expensive travel methods, purchasing and repairs to necessary equipment, central heating costs, extra rent to provide space for PAs…), why slash DLA?

We know there are people claiming it who should not. We totally agree this should be stopped too. However is it the core reason our country is in debt? No. Is it fair that while stopping the fraudsters, people who really do need DLA are worried if they will keep it, worried how they will be assessed (we for one are not attempting to run on any machine to fall over and prove our disability), and others may not even bother applying when they ought to? No.

Furthermore, if you are to disband the Independent Living Fund, supporting 21,000 disabled people with their care needs, consider this. If local councils struggle to financially support 50% of our care now, how will they fill the void left from the ILF, when their overall budgets are being slashed as we write this?

The point is with so much positivity to celebrate, but with so much more to improve, why make decisions that will entrench disabled people back into poverty and exclusion? We say:

• Invest in disabled people with Personalisation social care, but for the right reasons. Listen to the challenges disabled people face, work with us to find solutions and be willing to fund this properly. In the long run, the spending and investment will lead to disabled people with better education, better skills for the workplace, better chance of being given employment (encourage remote working to become the norm when appropriate) and the means to live happy and fulfilled lives
• Acknowledge that DLA assists with the huge additional costs of being disabled – care and mobility. Stop anyone from claiming falsely, but in a way that doesn’t scare monger disabled people and doesn’t portray an image of lazy, slacking scroungers. Work with disabled people on the assessment methods and don’t break our hearts!
• Keep the ILF. Or at least find a plan to fill its void. One that will be effective. Do not cause unnecessary stress to those who rightly use it and will always require social care funding

Feel free to send any responses, thoughts or questions to martynsibley@hotmail.com and lets work together. The deficit can be cut and disabled people can be supported to live inclusively. They are not mutually exclusive occurrences.

Kindest regards.

Martyn and Richard

http://martynsibley.com/

http://thebrokenofbritain.blogspot.com/2011/01/more-one-month-before-heartbreak.html

And the BBC article……….

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-12176854

I went to University of Derby and achieved a 2:1 in a Marketing Management degree and got Distinction in an Advanced GNVQ in Business after school.

I moved to London to pursue my career aspirations, own my own apartment in Fulham and have a team of live in Personal Care Assistants (PA) 24/7.

I’ve always strived to be a high achiever and leave a legacy.  March 2010 was no exception – focused on my BBC career, building my coaching portfolio, chairing a national disability charity (JTSMA), producing a pilot for a new business entertainment TV show and more.   Christmas 2009 was ‘planning time’, to decide what I wanted to achieve in 2010.  So I produced a Mind Map outlining my goals.  I lived by Stephen Covey’s principal of Begin with the End in Mind.

Whilst proceeding with vigour I developed a chest infection, which is common during winter.  However, after my second course of antibiotics I became dehydrated from vomiting and stupefied.  I go to A&E, had X-Rays and blood tests and the doctor admits me with a severe chest infection.  One morning I’m found having a seizure and fighting for air.  The doctors and nurses rushed to my bed and brought me around again.  My chest infection got worse and I was suffocating and couldn’t breathe.   I went into a coma and was put on life support to keep me alive – I lay in intensive care unconscious for two months.

I developed multiple organ failure – my kidneys, liver and stomach stopped working and I was on dialysis.    An MRI scan revealed a bleed on my brain.  A nasal gastric (NG) tube fed me nutrients and I had a tracheotomy in my neck.  I had thirty tubes, bags and bottles connected to my body in all.

My Mum who had practically moved to London to be at my bedside went away a weekend break, however, soon after, the doctor summoned her, as they didn’t think I’d make it through the night.

In spite of this, I stabilised and two months passed before I woke from my coma.  As I opened my eyes I was really confused.  I thought I was 100 years old, that the BBC had fired me and the physios were out to kill me.  At first I couldn’t talk.  I used my eyebrows to say Yes (raising them) or No (a frown).

I asked the doctor whether I almost died and he honestly replied “yes, you almost did and you’re lucky to be alive”.

My whole world had shattered.  Not a lot made sense.  I didn’t care that my hair was falling out from the medication.

As I was just out of my coma one of my PAs handed in her notice and I was angry at her ‘bad timing’.  I began poaching the nurses and one them introduced me to her niece who I interviewed in ICU and offered her the job.

When I first sat in my wheelchair my arms were so weak I just drove in circles.  My first time outside ICU was to the tropical fish tank with a tranche of nurses, tubes and equipment.  I stared mesmerised at the fish.  I realised at this moment that what I appreciated in life had shifted if fish spellbound me.

An OT visited daily to exercise my arms and hands to get them working again.  I couldn’t hold a pen or operate my iPhone.   To this day I still can’t feed myself or drive my adapted vehicle.  As soon as I had a Fluoroscopy to see whether I had the strength to swallow food my Speech Therapist and Dietician put me onto a puree diet.  The first food I eat in over two months was pureed salmon and broccoli and mashed potato.  I chuckled that the chef had shaped the pureed salmon into the shape of a fish.

No matter how much physio and suctioning I had I just couldn’t clear my chest.  I was exhausted, depressed and desperate to go home.  When I eventually left hospital I recuperated in Somerset.

I wanted to get back to ‘normal’ rather too quickly and so I arranged a phased return to work.  I installed speech recognition software on my laptop and Access to Work funding for transport.  Returning to work gave me structure and some purpose again.  However, I struggled physically and emotionally.  But I stuck at it.

Although I’m missing three months of 2010, this whole experience has had a profound impact on my life.  Inspired by coaching, I’m writing a seminar and book to help others learn from my insights.  Here’s a sample:

Fear

I faced the ultimate fear – Death!  Things I once feared feel less significant.  My mantra is “well, [this or that] isn’t as bad as being on life support!”  We’re born with just two fears: fear of falling and fear of loud noises.  Every other fear is something we’ve learnt.  Do these fears have a right to impede us?  We created them!

• Brainstorm all your fears.  Write a list as long as you can.  Write some more.
• Read through your fears aloud.  Listen intuitively to your body.  Do you become tense? Does your heart rate increase?  This is a good indicator of fear as discussed by Charles Darwin in his book The Expression of Emotion.
• Score each fear 0-10.  Where 0 fears have little impact on you, to 10 where you’re taken a long way outside your comfort zone.
• Categorise your fears into ‘comfort zones’.  For example, fears scored 6 or less you can cope reasonably well with.  Scores 7-8 are uncomfortable.  Fears scored 9 or 10 panic you.  You decide your thresholds.
• What do your high scoring fears tell you?  What patterns can you see?
• Tackle your highest scoring fears first.   As Brian Tracy says begin by eating the ugliest frog first.
• What’s the worst that can happen?  If this fear comes true, what could you do to make the situation better?  Are you really not in control of the situation?  How can you regain control?

Priorities – what’s important?

Before the coma I was a busy man!  Lying in hospital with no responsibilities I asked myself: “What is it that’s really important to me?”  I was spending time on some things that demanded more of me than I got in return.  What’s your return on investment in the things you do?

• Write down everything you’re doing in your life – for yourself, work, spouse and family – everything.
• Cross through everything you do because you feel you ‘should’ be doing it or someone might be disappointed if you didn’t do it.  How much have you crossed out?
• Put a star next to the things you want to do and enjoy doing.  If you aren’t doing the things you crossed out, what would you do more of or start doing?

According to Stephen Covey’s Time Management Matrix we should spend our time working at the things that are Important but Not Urgent – the quadrant of quality and personal leadership.  But most of us spend our time working at things that are Important but Urgent in nature – the quadrant of necessity.

How can you avoid activities in Quadrants III and IV?  How can you do more of Quadrant II?  How can you reduce efforts in Quadrant I so you have more time for Quadrant II?

Family and Friends

I’m fortunate to have a loving family and great circle of friends.  Families are important:

• They are our first school after entering the world – we learn of love and shared experiences;
• Family shape our personality and life as an individual;
• Family is somewhere where we’re accepted without demanding much;

Think of the relationships you hold dear.  How can you nurture these relationships?  What one small gesture could you do right now to let someone know that you care about them?  Actions speak louder than words.  Do you hold any grudges?  How helpful are these grudges?

Despite having a pretty horrific illness I’ve gained a lot of positive insights from my experience, which I’m glad to share with you.  Confucius once said “the gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials” and one should “Never, never, never give up” – Winston Churchill.

We had managed to book the Vegas rooms before leaving the UK too. We went for the MGM Grand on the strip. With so many rooms, 2 theatres, casinos, shops, swimming pool and many restaurants, ‘grand’ doesn’t begin to describe it. We hit our first disability related hitch on arrival. The valet parking wasn’t totally geared up for side ramps, but we sorted them out. Then the showers in the ‘accessible’ room had steps. I learnt some valuable tips from Srin on this trip. I have always had such a positive attitude, but sometimes to my detriment. I have never complained about anything, but realised sometimes it is a principal thing when you are treated incorrectly, especially due to disability. As Srin had lugged his shower chair all the way there, a roll in shower made sense. So we went to reception and explained. They were great. They placed Srin in the fully accessible room and due to a shortage, Tina and I were bumped into the ‘Celebrity Spa’ room. Most luxurious! Ironically it also had a roll in shower. Due to lack of head support, I used 2 MGM grand plastic bags over a pillow, innovation in disability hey… Then the transformer that allows UK wheelchair chargers to work in the USA broke down. Srins wouldn’t work, but before we headed to spend $200 on a new one, we managed to use mine. This meant doubling up on charging, but we made it work. The A-Team of disability collaboration J

Having settled in, we just wandered around the hotel and marvelled. It is honestly something I have never seen in my life. So many lights, machines, noises and atmospheric touches, all arranged to encourage gambling and money making. Cynical I know, but it is true and spectacularly clever how it is carried out. Having slept well after the journey we used the following day to explore the strip and hotels. With so many sights within one road, that one day wasn’t enough, but we ticked off the main places. We used the very accessible monorail, due to the freezing temperatures. We were unlucky with the weather in San Fran and Vegas, apparently we brought the UK climate with us. Highlights of the day were the sight from the top of the Stratosphere hotel, Hugh doing a Base Jump from the bloody building (twice), seeing the Gondolas at the Venetian (Venice replicated inside a hotel) and enjoying a good drink with the guys.

Our second (and last day) in Vegas we crammed a lot in. We took the car out to Arizona, so we actually hit 3 states in a week. This was to see the Hoover dam and Lake Meade. I gave a little spiel on the video about how it was man-made to tame the Colorado river in the early 20^th century. The view was spectacular. Then we made it back to our hotel to watch Cirque du Soleil. I lost myself for this hour and a half. A magnificent show of mystery, dance, acrobatics and escapism. So cool! We then used the last few hours for a couple more drinks and some GAMBLING. To be honest I am not a big gambler nor rich to squander my $$$ but “what happens in Vegas…”. Srin hit the roulette table, we all tried the slot machines and I did some Texas hold ‘em Poker. Having won my first hand I got a little cocky and then lost it again in a blink. Think I will stick to Poker with a £10 in each, winner takes all. Less financial risk this way

With the bags packed and ready to head to LA, there was one final drama in Vegas. The MGM grand is known for famous boxing matches. Hugh is also a keen boxing fan. Having gone off for a wind down drink after helping Srin to bed. He returned 4 hours later a little sheepish. Srin had been worried about the time he was gone and the story transpired that a random drunk guy ended up taking a swing at Hugh. He grazed his face but Hugh dived away. In an act of self defence Hugh planted a swing of his own on the guy too. Security swooped and asked Hugh to explain the events in front of CCTV footage in a quiet room, hence the delayed return to Srin. Pretty crazy stuff but all is well that ends well. Tina did a good share of the driving to let Hugh recover from the trauma and we headed to my ‘West-side’ pilgrimage the following morning. Pictures of Vegas and the rest of the trip are on http://www.flickr.com/photos/martyn_sibley/sets/72157625513550662/

With warmer climates and the promise of stardom, tune back in next time for Los Angeles, my meeting with Jack Black and a cold/snowy return home!

At 12.30 the chancellor took to the floor and began. The next feeling I felt was confusion. The onslaught of self justifying comments and numbers almost made my head implode. I managed to stick with it and draw out some of the main points. It seemed from my need for broader decisions that local councils will see large cuts, employment is preferable over people on benefits, a green Britain is a hot agenda item, social care and personal budgets are not being cut, childrens tax credits are being withdrawn from higher income families and many other points were made.

To home in and analyse some areas close to me would be around social care. The announcement of not cutting any budgets and backing the personalisation agenda is good. The problem is this issue is not just on money but strategy. While the money is vital the government still need to look at where and how they spend it. Furthermore the right support is needed to maximise the benefits of the personalisation agenda. I hope this is seen through as a policy as much as a budget decision.

The general points of getting people into work also concerned me. How a person is assessed is a landmine, especially with individuals who have fluctuations in their impairment. Furthermore even if a disabled person is attempting to find work, they along with many employers only see barriers in the way. It is fine to aim for those well enough to work to do so, but it comes back to education and awareness to the public on facilitating disabled peoples inclusion. Lastly, how about those who really cannot work, despite the fact they may want to, but their disability prevents them. How must they feel about their government today insinuating many negative connotations on them?

The decision around anyone on benefits receiving no more than the average household. This sounds ‘fair’ but what about the fact that being disabled costs more. I need to buy expensive electric wheelchairs every 5 years, if I go on holiday I require an accessible vehicle which costs more and I have to buy more antibiotics in the winter with my chest infections. So if I did not work, earned the ‘average households’ income in benefits, but needed the above – is this fair?

A last fleeting thought was around transport changes and a greener Britain. I couldn’t see any real initiatives to improve the infrastructure for wheelchair users, more details may be needed. However with this green agenda, which I fully support, there is a flaw. Disabled people often cannot access public transport. I can only use 1 in 3 tube stops in my home city of London. So in not using public transport I have a carbon footprint (wheelprint if you like) higher than the average person. So all in all being a disabled person could make me feel a drain on public funds and like a polluting maniac.

Fortunately I know I am none of the above. I am also aware I am looking at the examples to highlight where the decisions today were wrong. The fact is the deficit does need reducing eventually and the decisions could have been worse. A governments worse constraint is that of being in power as they cannot please everyone. The reason I have sensationalised some of the above is  because it is easy to agree with their comments on stopping benefit cheats. The problem is how to stop them without mistakes and adding stress to those who genuinely do need support. There is 2 sides to every coin and I am trying to communicate the other side to Mr O.

I believe with a little investment in myself and other disabled people the future is less expensive and better for the economy. As a supported, happy and understood person I thrive. As an unsupported, unhappy and misunderstood person I am less healthy in body and mind. This costs more to the public purse. When governments realise investment in disabled people, job creation and infrastructure pays off in their own arenas, the deficit will be a problem solved in the longer run anyway, but with less pain on those who least deserve it.

For me, travelling can be a concoction of challenging adventure and painful ordeal. I have many things to take with me such as my wheelchair, portable hoist, foldable shower chair numerous cables and chargers associated with such gadgets, as well as many things to organise such as airport assistance and accessible airport transfer. Additionally thrown into the mix is fear of baggage handlers damaging my wheelchair (which has happened several times previously!) and a nagging worry that quite possibly the accessible hotel room that I booked is not as “accessible” as claimed on the hotel website. Suffice to say, I have to be well organised!

Nonetheless, the trips were great! Everything went pretty much to plan. Nothing broke down, all the equipment I took remained intact and all hotel rooms were fantastically accessible (and had the all important roll-in shower). But even more importantly, it was great to catch up with friends that I met up with in all three cities!

But for this blog article, instead of droning on about how much of a good time I had, I thought I would share some interesting observations and discoveries.

1.       Brussels has dreadful wheelchair access!

Although a beautiful city with many friendly and helpful people, getting around can be really difficult. Much of the city centre is cobbled, which for me wasn’t too much of a nuisance. But what did annoy me was the fact many curbs do not have proper drop downs, most bars and cafe’s have steps to enter and local amenities such as banks and shops were routinely inaccessible.

Now…. I accept it is unfair to request that a historic section of the city be dug up and re-laid in smooth tarmac or small independent cafe’s invest a fortune re-building their premises. But it did seem strange, especially in the “modern” part of the city that is home to many prominent EU institutions, that wheelchair access could be so under par. Crossing a road en route to the EU Parliament should simply not be something that causes a problem!

2.       Warsaw has surprisingly good access…

This was a real surprise to me. While not as accessible as a city in the UK or US, getting around Warsaw city centre was much easier than I thought it would be. My friend also found an excellent taxi service with a fleet of London cabs called WaWa (http://www.wawataxi.pl/ – the site is in Polish, and also note that drivers and the person taking bookings may not speak much English). Additionally, Warsaw International Airport is very new and spacious.

3.       Travelling can be expensive, especially when a PA is needed to travel with you

I guess this is stating the obvious, but interestingly though, the UK hotels in the Holiday Inn chain do not charge for a spare room for a PA. I am yet to find a major chain outside of the UK that operate a similar policy.

4.       Edinburgh and the Scottish Highlands are amazing!

Having good weather during my time there (which I hear is rare that far up north!) helped considerably as well! Despite parts of Edinburgh being really hilly and some areas (especially near the castle) having quite a few cobbled streets and inaccessible buildings, it was relatively easy to get around.  All buses seemed wheelchair accessible and all taxis were “black cab style” and this is further assisted by the fact that Edinburgh is quite a compact city.

The Highlands are simply awesome, but naturally, the degree to which you can venture of the beaten track is limited by an individual’s level of mobility. However, many fantastic towns and villages are spread across the Highlands and the places we visited were really convenient locations for venturing around.

I finish writing this entry just after coming back from Florida, but I guess, I shall leave any thoughts on Florida for next time.

The afternoon was spent with Srin and the Vikster on the Southbank. The Thames festival was in full swing, the sun was out and we managed to chill out while catching up. It came to me how interesting the dynamics of being disabled is, the friends you have (disabled and not) as well as the bigger picture of the disabled community. For me personally I did not have so many disabled friends until I was around 11. I believe I have mentioned already I benefited from seeing I was not the only person in the world the way I was. Then at uni I lived with other disabled people and met one of my best mates in the world – Grimsby Rich. We get on in so many ways and part of it undoubtedly is having an empathy some of my other mates just could not. Rich and I are also great mates without our disabilities, as we just click.

Kicking it with Srin and Vik opened up some thoughts around disability, how we approach this and some of our personality traits. Us 3 all have SMA and so in theory are very similar. Sure, physically there are similarities but we have different personalities, jobs, sense of humour and even views on our SMA. The following part of the blog is not of our conversation but some thoughts and observations I have had since. Really our chat was quite brief and mainly how we approach care. We then moved onto eating our Nandos, but it planted the seed of thought that has grown into this blog.

Its actually obvious to say disabled people will have different occupations, interests, personalities etc. Another point that is obvious (but fair to mention alongside this) is how different impairments make disability a very varied thing. Someone in a wheelchair to being deaf, dyslexic, having ME and so forth will have massive differences in the effects to them as a person. The point of where all this grabbed my thoughts is around solutions to disability or indeed government decisions around social care and benefits. Clearly generalisations have to be made, but when people have ‘normal’ but varied traits (loud, quiet, shy, outgoing, thoughtful, practical, etc)  - a one size fits all approach is hard. Support for a wheelchair user being a builder is a different matter to a dyslexic teacher, yet both should be possible. Furthermore someone who is blind needs a totally different care package and financial support to someone with ME.

Clearly my area of experience and ‘strength’ is from a wheelchair users perspective. Having ‘generalised’ in some of my blogs I was right to learn of other impairments and know my blogging limitations on disability. However I do feel sometimes the disabled community can accidentally knock the points a person makes on a specific impairment, to enhance the profile of another part of the community. For me, to enable the government and other key decision makers to make the right solutions, the disabled community has to find its own common ground.

In acknowledging different impairments, acknowledging different perspectives, observations, viewpoints, opinions, approaches and other human traits would be a good start. Then to find the overarching objectives and similarities is the next step. There would be no need for shouting to represent a particular impairment, no need to push the agenda of a shy disabled person over an extravert, or indeed advocating for a ‘poorer’ fraction of the community over a ‘wealthier’ part (to generalise). This answer would allow for all impairments, all personalities, incomes and types of lifestyles to live fully. Only then will the government be hearing one loud, inescapable lobbying power. Until then I worry the smaller voices representing different parts of a massively disparate group of people will counter act itself rather than achieve the overall point – the right policies for each and every disabled individual!

I do not know of this overarching solution and stress these are just my personal thoughts over the past months. I would love to hear if you as a reader think this approach is flawed, could be tweaked more or you agree with its sentiments. The gold at the end of the rainbow is not coming tomorrow, but I believe to consider the disabled community in this way enables a more holistic way of reaching it sooner.

Thats enough heavy stuff for Monday night! Off to watch the Inbetweeners now