Hester Graingeron her first solo show, ADHD Unmasked
WorkTaste
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Designed to nurture confidence, independence, and personal growth, Oakwood provides a welcoming space where individuals can learn, socialise, and reach their full potential in a supportive and inspiring environment.
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Through hands-on experience, skill-building, and workplace integration, participants gain confidence, develop new abilities, and make meaningful contributions to their community—paving the way for greater independence and future employment opportunities.
Discover how our services can support you or your loved one. Get in touch with us at hello@rossendaletrust.org or by visiting www.rossendaletrust.org
Spring 2025
NEWS
09 Newsbeat
In each issue of Disability Review Magazine, we tell you all about the all-new disability media - including books, television, shows, and more
13 Term Explainer: What Is The Social Model Of Disability?
DRM deconstructs the lexicon of disability, with a new term explained in each issue
EMPLOYMENT AND EDUCATION
14 “It’s just who you are!”
Cover star Hester Grainger talks to Disability Review Magazine about her landmark solo tour, ADHD Unmasked
20 The Resources List
A pull-out list of resources to save for when you have a new work project or wish to accomplish a particular goal
INDEPENDENT LIVING
22 What’s Your Model Of Disability?
A deep dive into the models of disability, what they mean, and why they matter
26 Inside The Primark Adaptive Launch
Primark has launched its new adaptive fashion line, designed by Victoria Jenkins. Disability Review Magazine investigates
30 The Shadow Path With Chelsey Pippin Mizzi
How can shadow work inform disabled people about their work?
TRAVEL & LEISURE
38 The Citadel Of Accomplishment by Carole Edrich
Travelling is a significant accomplishment when you’re disabled. DRM’s resident travel columnist tells us all about it
40 An Accessible Guide To The Hague by Carole Edrich
Carole Edrich takes us on a tour of The Hague, along with her accessible recommendations
NTS
SPORTS
Dr Amo Raju OBE DL takes a look
56 “But he was this very charming guy, famous for his moustache!”
Disability Review Magazine talks to sports presenter and reporter Andy Stevenson
FOOD & DRINK
62 How To Make Rhubarb & Lentil Dal and Rhubarb Puffs by Ian Taverner
Mr Cookfulness is back with a new dish for Disability Review Magazine, featuring the most accomplished ingredient - rhubarb!
If you heard the word accomplishment, what do you immediately think of?
For me, the first response would be about the world of employment, something that remains seemingly contested after all this time. Disability in the workplace is true to the cliche of ‘running the gauntlet’, in a world that remains inaccessible. It is exhausting, the mere act of having to explain yourself, your access needs, your own existence.
For all of my working life, I have been freelance. Despite how much I have accomplished - such as publishing a book, starting a newsletter, commissioning (and paying) people in the lockdown to create cartoon comic illustrations, and becoming an editor - this was seemingly not good enough. Ostensibly this is not work - despite having a bank balance - and I should have looked for ‘real work’. The implication was that ‘real work’ was in an office, a nine-tofive, chained to a desk without any kind of adjustment or aid. Years later, I do not need to feel accomplished in this respect - the bowing down to such an expectation based on an arbitrary understanding - but that was behind the inspiration for this issue. We need to, and must, do better for all disabled people when it comes to employment.
Our cover star, Hester Grainger, is an incredibly accomplished woman. Later this year she will be touring the UK with a show
about ADHD, and how life has been with a later-in-life diagnosis. There needs to be a reckoning when this happens. But how can we play to our strengths? This is an impressive feat - and we talked to her about the show in this issue. We also spoke about her consultancy company, Perfectly Autistic, and what more needs to be done for support reasons.
This current issue will also be released in line with Naidex, the UK’s biggest annual disability conference, on March 19th - 20th at Birmingham’s NEC. I will be there for a talk on how to get started with selfemployment; there seemingly is no resource in schools, such as from career advisors, as to how to navigate this space. To work for yourself is popular in the disability space; it only seemed right to bust a few myths and provide resources along the way. I have also written about this at length - again with employment resources, such as when it comes to navigating the benefits system - in case you can’t make it to the show.
We need to, and must, do better for all disabled people when it comes to employment.
And when it comes to accomplishment, let’s hear it for adaptive fashion! Primark has launched the first mainstream adaptive fashion range; headed up by Victoria Jenkins, known as the founder and CEO of Unhidden, this is another great story. We were there on launch day, for a behind-scenes look at the new range, in a myriad of colours and designs. It’s a game-changer - and there is only more to come. Adaptive fashion is a revolution that will change so much, for all of us.
We will be back with our next issue in the summeruntil then,
Credit: Debb Burrows
THE SENSES PROJECT
| THE SENSES PROJECT
HOW THIS INDEPENDENCE SUPPORT PROGRAMME IS THE DIFFERENCE NEURODIVERSE PEOPLE MAY NEED
We started The Senses Project as a new approach to mentor neurodiverse people to achieve independence. We specialise in Autism, Sensory Processing Needs, ADHD and SEMH supportive mentoring. The Independent Support Programme is completely person-centred and designed to meet the support needed within the individual’s own home and community. We offer therapeutic approaches, incorporating confidence building to support individuals dealing with challenges and processing trauma. The Independence Support model makes its difference by adapting our mentoring our client’s life and adapting around barriers together. We focus on what will help our clients to enjoy understanding themselves as they progress toward independence.
CK’S STORY
Jack, I’m 25, and when I joined The ect I was around 20. When I first joined s a very indoor person, I still had my ds and my family but I did not work and utside very often, because of this I feared ions with strangers and had anxiety that me when faced with new situations. I was also acked motivation for everyday tasks and felt hopeless ture When I met Senses they started different activities ackle my different struggles slowly. My sessions included de for walks and chats, providing cooking sessions, aiding me hing, financing, fitness, group outings, family chats and more. oing well in work and I’m planning to buy my first home.
goin in jo
BEAT NEWS
In each issue of Disability Review Magazine, we tell you about the new media that’s out now and coming soon - including shows, new
ADHD Unmasked
Our cover star Hester Grainger is one half of Perfectly Autistic, a neurodiversity consultancy firm; later this year she will be taking her show, ADHD Unmasked, on the road across the U.K. Keep on reading to find out more.
Naidex
By the time you’re reading this, it’ll be time for the biggest annual disability conference! Naidex is back at Birmingham’s NEC from 19th - 20th March. Packed with seminars, talks and more, get your free ticket now!
MOBILITY AIDS & ACCESSORIES
OTHER DEVELOPMENTS
Outrage: Why The Fight For Lgbtq+ Equality Is Not Yet Won And What We Can Do About It
The debut book by writer and activist Ellen Jones seeks to expose the discrimination faced by the LGBTQIA+ community, all the while setting out the practical actions that can be taken as a solution, in this highly readable book.
Primark Adaptive
Since our last issue, Primark has launched its adaptive fashion range!
Designed by Victoria Jenkins of Unhidden infamy, we were at the official launch; read on to find out more.
Perfectly Autistic x Red Bull Racing & Red Bull Technology
Our cover star Hester Grainger is one half of the Neurodiversity consultancy firm Perfectly Autistic. Joining forces with Red Bull Racing & Red Bull Technology, Perfectly Autistic will be supporting The Neurodiversity Umbrella Project. Watch this space!
Haystack Dating
In our last issue we talked to Lucy Rout, the founder of Tabuu. She has since gone on to launch Haystack Dating, a monthly series of events, and all venues are wheelchair accessible. Find out more at haystack-dating.com/events.
Navigating Life In Co-Op Mode
A book written by Victoria Ellen (also known as Actually Aspling) and Iñaki Girón Iturralde, this book looks at friendship and the world of SEN. The book is now available to buy on Amazon.
16/3 Disabled Access Day
Accessibility needs to be at the heart of any efforts of inclusion when it comes to disabled individuals; Disabled Access Day is the perfect reminder of this.
The Speedy Brain Society
A recently launched, vibrant membership community for fast thinkers who are ready to thrive, The Speedy Brain Society is a new resource for ADHD individuals. Please visit SpeedyBrainSociety.co.uk
Tasting Places By Carole Edrich
Our very own travel columnist, Carole Edrich, has launched a podcast. Titled Tasting Places, this is a podcast about travel, drink and remarkable times. Listen here: tinyurl.com/4hprznaw
UPCOMING:
Miriam Margolyes: From A To Z
Former DRM cover star Miriam Margolyes is back with another UK tour. Beginning in late August at Norwich’s Theatre Royal and finishing in October at De Montfort Hall, Leicester, this is an evening not to be missed. Visit Fane.co.uk
Ramping Up Rights By Rachel Charlton-Dailey
This year marks 3 decades of the DDA; isn’t it time that disability had its own history book? Journalist Rachel Charlton-Dailey has written a hundred year history of disability; pre-order now.
Dr Amo Raju Fundraiser
Our very own Dr Amo Raju is once again raising money to help tackle poverty in India. He’s written about his efforts for this very magazine previously; to find out more, please visit: tinyurl.com/5ehucsmt
Who Wants Normal?
By
Frances Ryan
A follow up to Ryan’s debut Crippled, Who Wants Normal? will be out in April. A powerful group of disabled women have assembled for the good of future generations - this is not to be missed.
AWARENESS DAYS
7/4 World Health Day Health is wealth, as the old saying goes - and this is a wonderful, annual day to celebrate and reflect on such a maxim.
We Might Regret This We Might Regret This, the groundbreaking BBC series, is set to return later this year - and then again for a third series - with its look at disability and the care system. The broadcast date is yet to be confirmed.
NeoWalk
NeoWalk, home of glittery snazzy canes and walking sticks, will be in attendance at the official Whitby Goth Weekend from 24th - 27th April. Get your favoured mobility aids now!
Everywoman Festival
Taking place on Saturday 7th June in Cardiff, this is a Festival dedicated to ‘offering education, empowerment and support for women’s health across generations!’ Book your tickets at everywomanfest.com.
A Follow Up By Katherine May
In an interview for our editor’s Substack newsletter, author Katherine May spoke about her next book - which will have the theme of celebration at its centre. Watch this space, we’ll keep you updated.
utism & ADHD... I feel unique, but is that me? I often run when told to walk
And I don't think when I must talk
When criticised I feel uneasy And in large groups I can feel queasy I see things through a different lens Missing social cues and abrubt ends
The lights, my clothes, assault my senses Eat food I hate on false pretences I have one dream I wish was real To truly understand the things I feel
We specialise in providing 'Gold Standard' diagnostic assessments for Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and Attention DeficitHyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) for children, adolescents, and adults who may have undiagnosed or suspected conditions across the UK and abroad.
Our reports are accepted by the NHS, legal, educational institutions, local authorities, and for vocational purposes.
In
each issue of Disability Review Magazine, we deconstruct a disabilityspecific term and its meaning.
What Is A Disability?
The Equality Act is an important piece of legislation that gives the definition of what is a disability in law. This is a condition that is long lasting, and it has to have a substantial impact on your daily functioning. Conditions under this definition can include Autism, MS, Spinal Injury and more. However, an individual would still have their own preferred language for themselves and within different communities.
What Is A Model Of Disability?
The way in which we view disability can be seen through different lenses, also known as models. There are multiple ways that this presents itself, as well as what some companies and organisations use as a standardised point of view.
What Does The Social Model Of Disability Look Like?
The Social Model, sometimes referred to as a direct opposite model of the Medical Model, is the view that society is disabling - such as in not providing a ramp for a wheelchair user to safely disembark from a train, the lack of a quiet room for an Autistic person at ‘inclusive’
TERMINOLOGY What Is The Social Model Of Disability?
events, and other such contexts. The body is not viewed as a problem, or something that is in need of a cure or a solution. (For example, a wheelchair is seen ostensibly as being an issue - and that you should somehow ‘overcome’ not being able to move your legs, such as through extensive medical intervention.)
The
way in which we view disability can be seen through different lenses, also
known as models.
The Social Model of Disability is becoming more and more popular, especially in the DEI space. This means being able to build an inclusive workspace for employees, say, so that they can be their most productive selves - while also taking care of themselves, too. It is also to suggest that disabled people are not a tragedy, we are not to be pitied.
Are There Other Models Of Disability?
There are multiple models of disability - and they change depending on the context that you may find yourself in.
Going into a medical appointment, vs going into a restaurant, are two completely different experiencesand how we respond to disability will be different in both. For instance, there is the Medical Model of Disability. The Medical Model of Disability generally is taken to mean that disability is something that needs to be cured, and that it is the fault of the body. This generally would take place through extensive testing, as well as being coupled with the semantics of ‘overcoming’ the adversity of the disability.
Credit: Scarlet Page
“It’s just who you are!”
AN
INTERVIEW WITH
Hester
Grainger
Hester Grainger is one half of the Neurodiversity consultancy firm Perfectly Autistic. Later this year she’ll be taking her first solo tour, ADHD Unmasked, across the U.K. Editor Lydia Wilkins caught up with her to learn more.
Q Tell me about your show. How did that start out?
A I was approached by a production company called Mapletree Entertainment who had come up with the concept of a show about ADHD. They didn’t know what they wanted [it] to look like. They are a fantastic production company. They do all the Neighbours tours. They do a lot of work with sort of football pundits and things like that. You know, an evening with... So I kind of, when they approached me about doing a show about ADHD, obviously I had a lot of questions, but kind of just wanted to know, what did they think, what ideas? And they said, well, no, we kind of want you to come up with the ideas. So I think a lot of people think I’ve come up with this concept of let me go on tour, I’m coming up with a show and it’s not, it’s not
What I teach a lot of my coaching clients is just [to] be kind to yourself. Look at yourself with that kindness lens.
[that] a production company [has] come up with the idea but then I get to run with it. I get to create the show from scratch, work with an amazing director and create this wonderful dopamine-filled evening that’s honest and safe and you can just be yourself! Where I talk about ADHD.
Q What can we expect? What does the actual content entail for the show?
ASo it’s going to be, it’s sort of almost a show of two halves. The first half is me talking about my diagnosis, my journey, working on The Right Stuff, working at ITV live on-air, on telly, every day, not knowing I had ADHD yet. When that on-air sign would light up, [it was] the most amazing feeling I would get and the excitement, like ‘showtime’ kind of thing.
So I’ll be talking about that. I’ll also be talking about relationships and friendships and ADHD at work.
And I want it to be where people leave feeling they understand more about themselves, more about their brain. Maybe they are diagnosed or they’re thinking I may have ADHD or it might be friends or family or loved ones that are just thinking, I want to come and learn more about ADHD. Or maybe it’s just people that just find the topic interesting, but I want people to go away and think [about] being kinder to themselves, understanding more about how they work, but having a better understanding of what ADHD looks like in relationships at workas a parent, you know, I’m mum to my two Autistic and ADHD teens. I’m [a] wife to my Autistic / ADHD husband.
I get to create the show from scratch, work with an amazing director and create this wonderful dopaminefilled evening that’s honest and safe and you can just be yourself!
And then the second half, there’ll be an interval, lots of time for fidgeting. It’s going to be really interactive, so there will be questions. People can put their hand up because you don’t want to have to wait to the end - because if that’s me, I feel like I’m going to burst! So if you feel the need to ask a question there and then, people can put their hand up, that’s not a problem.
I want it to be really interactive, people sharing their experiences and things. Then there’ll be an interval. [The] second half will be a really open and honest Q&A. So people can ask the questions, they can ask them beforehand, anonymously, if they don’t want to [put their hand up], they can write them on a bit of paper. So it’s really neurodivergent friendly, but just a no-holds-barred [session]within reason.
Q Would you mind telling us your diagnosis story, if that’s okay?
AYeah, sure. So the children were diagnosed [as] Autistic at first. And as I’m sure a lot of people that have Autistic
I often say this with my coaching clients and I have to do this myself a lot, is sit back for a minute and look at what you’ve achieved and accomplished.
children or children with ADHD quite often, then they sort of turn the spotlight on themselves.
So what happened was the children were diagnosed as Autistic when they were 7 and 9. During that process, my husband realised he was Autistic and sought an official diagnosis. Then during lockdown, the children were diagnosed with ADHD. I just noticed that there was some processing going on, sort of slightly slower processing. They’re both very bright, very intelligent, doing really well with their education, but just, I remember asking my son a question about a maths question and we asked him sort of four or five times and he sort of almost snapped back in and went, huh, what was that? And we were like, we’ve just asked you this four or five times. And he just didn’t. Wasn’t aware of the question that we were asking and sort of, you know, wasn’t listening. So they were officially diagnosed during lockdown.
And during their assessment, the psychologist said to me, so you’ve been officially diagnosed, have you? And I was like, no. At the age of 43, had genuinely had no idea. I’d kind of thought about it really briefly whilst thinking about the children, but up until probably [the] age of 42, had no idea why. I’d had 30
different full-time jobs. I had no idea. Never been fired from any of them, I have to always point that out. I had no idea why I get bored really quickly, I can’t finish a DIY project if it’s not done within the day, why I’ve had a thousand different hobbies, why I’ve done every evening class going from hairdressing to Reiki to aromatherapy. Looking back, it couldn’t have been more obvious. Very high word count, I gesticulate a lot, I fidget, the list goes on for me. I decided at 43, I want to know if I have got ADHD or not. And I was officially diagnosed, they call it severe combined ADHD. I hate the term severe. But I got 8 out of 9 for inattentive and 9 out of 9 for hyperactivity. So I feel that’s the best test I’ve ever passed. I nailed that one.
I don’t like the term severe at all. But I think his point, the psychiatrist actually said at the time to me when I was diagnosed, he said, I don’t know how you haven’t ended up homeless or in prison. And again, I didn’t know how to take that and I think he meant it from a place of [good will]. I’ve been fairly successful in my career - being a TV presenter, had a great job working [at] Radio Berkshire, BBC Berkshire as a radio presenter, I’ve been a freelance writer. I’ve got two amazing kids, got married, bought a nice house that we’re happy in, [this is] kind of for me and what I wanted to achieve in life.
Credit: Andrew Crowley
Credit: Berni Palumbo Photography
Credit: Berni Palumbo Photography
Credit: Berni Palumbo Photography
And I want it to be where people leave feeling they understand more about themselves, more about their brain.
I feel comfortable and confident with where I’m at and I think he was saying that I’ve kind of done that in spite of having ADHD.
But I think because I found the career of media and then moving into PR meant I worked on different shows - Loose Women, worked BBC Radio, I’ve worked in PR for years, so I got to work with different clients on different accounts. So actually I’ve inadvertently had a career where I’ve been able for it to give me that dopamine hit because it’s moved around. I’ve worked with different people, I’ve done different things. Whereas probably if I’ve had the same job for 10 years, working just for one company, I probably may have noticed I have ADHD much quicker.
QI would like to ask you about your relationship with the word accomplishment. Something that’s very notable when it comes to ADHD, there’s always kind of lots of caveats. So people and the perception of you’ve done this in spite of, or people like
you should or should not be doing that, it’s just also very notable and particularly when you said about the individual who made that comment, it’s very often intended with a kind of unhelpful kindness. The comment you made there, for example, that is supposed to be helpful, but that has a lot of weighted feelings to it.
AWhen I think of the word accomplishment, I think it’s quite hard for me to [reconcile.] Even when I was just talking then about the career, I said I’ve done fairly well. Does that make sense? I’m never like, oh my God, it’s been amazing. And even setting up Perfectly Autistic, [the] neurodiversity consultancy with my husband Kelly. It’s the two of us working at Perfectly Autistic full-time. It’s what we do for our main job and we work with amazing clients, we work with awesome, world-renowned brands and yet I’ll still be like, yeah, I’ve done fairly well. So I think the word accomplishment,
I think especially when you’ve got ADHD, it’s very quick to go, oh yeah, that, that went well. Didn’t we do well there? Thank you. Next! [We] kind of move on because we’re looking for the next exciting thing or the next. I often say this with my coaching clients and I have to do this myself a lot, is sit back for a minute and look at what you’ve achieved and accomplished. I’m going to start using that word, you know, and actually take stock and go, that’s amazing. I think the word accomplishment is something for myself that I feel should be really proud of, thinking about the things I’ve accomplished. But I think having the ADHD lens, it’s quite hard sometimes - when we have accomplished those things. Does that make sense? You know, I did my GCSEs, did fine, had to work really hard, did my A levels, had to work really hard, went to uni, had to work even harder. And I was told by my careers advisor, oh, don’t go to uni, you’re not clever enough. You should become a secretary. And there’s nothing wrong with being a secretary. My mum’s been a medical secretary for many years. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. But I wanted to go to uni and they just said, I wouldn’t bother, you’re not clever enough.
Credit: Andrew Crowley
And so I was like, right, well, I’ll prove you wrong, because that’s kind of how [my] brain works. But I had to work so hard to get through uni like it was. I’m not academic, I always say, so I, you know, didn’t know I’d got ADHD, but I made sure I chose a course that was all modules, so I didn’t have any exams. And I kind of feel like throughout my life I found ways to cope with having ADHD, not knowing that that’s what I was doing.
QIt’s a lot, isn’t it?
There needs to be a significant nuance with this rather than just the kind of very polarised, opposing views, bad thing versus good thing. So for your show, where will you be going and what dates will you be going across the UK on?
ASo there’s about 33 dates. Okay, so across the UK and it starts in May. And I am going all over the place from Inverness in Scotland, down to Dorset. I’m over in Wales, I’m in Essex, you name it, pretty much out there.
Q And as a last thing for individuals who are considering a diagnosis, do you have any words of wisdom that you could perhaps offer?
Adiagnosis is very much a blessing. And not everybody is able to have a diagnosis for whatever reason. So I would say, firstly, don’t feel that you need an official diagnosis to put things in place to start being kinder to yourself.
I think that’s really important. And what I teach a lot of my coaching clients is just [to] be kind to yourself. Look at yourself with that kindness lens. Don’t talk to yourself [unkindly]. We have this inner monologue of how we talk to ourselves and we’d never let someone else talk to us like that.
But I also think as well is, that if you do go down the diagnosis route and you get assessment routes or you get diagnosed, take time to process that, because especially a diagnosis later in life, there’s a lot of looking back and thinking what if? And I wonder what would have happened if I’d have had support there or if I’d have known I had ADHD. Would my work be different or my education or my relationships be different or friendships? So I think there’s that.
When I think of the word accomplishment, I think it’s quite hard for me to [reconcile.]
Even when I was just talking then about the career, I said I’ve done fairly well.
Yeah, I think firstly, don’t feel you need to wait for a diagnosis to put things into place to support yourself. So if you’re working, you can apply for Access To Work. There are lots of ways that you can get support and be supported yourself and be your own sort of champion without having a diagnosis. Because obviously a diagnosis for some people is really, really important and that’s what they want and need for themselves. For other people that awareness is enough. But obviously in some areas of the country it’s 10 years [waiting time]. The cost can often be prohibitive for people. So I’m aware that for some a
Taking that time to be, again, kind to yourself. But understand that, actually, it’s okay to have ADHD. It’s a condition. It’s not a disorder, it’s not an illness. It’s just who you are. But by understanding those nuances and why you tick and what makes you tick, 100% can make life a lot easier.
Hester Grainger will be touring the U.K. this year from May with ADHD Unmasked. Tickets are available at https://tinyurl.com/y5vf6nz4
THE ACCOMPLISHMENT RESOURCES LIST RESOURCES
In each issue of Disability Review Magazine, we provide readers with a pull-out list of resources.
When we think about the word ‘accomplishment’, we may think about that in terms of productivity, especially when it comes to a to-do list, or having done well at work. However, what’s not often talked about is the cost and the extra time needed when it comes to the concept of ‘disability admin’ - having to stay on top of appointments, chase referrals, the arduous process of applying for any kind of benefit support, having documentation to hand, prescriptions… The list is seemingly endless.
Disabled individuals have just as much right to socialize - and in an inaccessible world, occasionally there are resources to organise specific celebrations.
At Disability Review Magazine, we think that you should be congratulated for even ‘doing battle’, in the respect that this is a lot for any person to contend with. Meanwhile, we have put together our best list of resources to try and stay on top of all the niggly
‘extras’. While we can’t account for every possible access need, this is a ‘pick and mix’ type list - and it’s always worth trying out what you see here.
Setting Time Boundaries
If we have an energy limiting condition such as ME or Long Covid, or are recovering from surgery, sometimes we need to set boundaries on what we can and cannot do, as well as blocking out time to not respond to notifications. There’s an app for that!
Google Calendar - this syncs up with Gmail accounts, and you can also colour code your appointments and tasks with a bird’s eye view, too. Gmail also has a function where you can schedule emails ahead of time, which can be useful to save energy.
Calendly - if you deal with multiple calls with remote software as part of your work, it may be useful to set the times that you are available, and when you cannot go outside of that. Calendly is a great option for this, which is useful for managing your energy.
Tiimo - need help if you’re a neurodivergent person and not sure how to execute tasks as well as everyday basics such as eating, washing, conducting laundry, etc? Then this is the ideal app for you! Designed with Neurodivergent individuals in mind, this app is great if you struggle with executive functioning.
The Websites For Varied Support
Sometimes it is always worth asking questionsespecially when it comes to what we may be entitled to when it comes to financial help. In this issue we also look at selfemployment, and how we set rates for freelance work, too.
Turn 2 Us - at the time of going to press, there has been a lot in the news about benefits, incoming changes, cuts, and more. While we lack definitives at the time of writing, Turn 2 Us offers an online calculator as to which benefits you may be entitled to. It’s always worth asking questions.
Journo Resources - if you need help setting your rates if you’re a self-employed individual, Journo Resources offers a large database of freelance rates from a range of companies. Whether it’s copywriting work, social media work, shifts, or writing for a newspaper, this is a good starting place for working out what you should charge for your work.
If you need help setting your rates if you’re a self-employed individual, Journo Resources offers a large database of freelance rates from a range of companies.
Take Note!
Sometimes when it comes to admin, we need to take notes - and that can be difficult at times. Here are three methods for those who prefer analogue methods:
The Bullet Journal Method - a viral method that the internet was obsessed with around 2017 - 2018, this was founded by a man who has ADHD. The idea is very simple - that a series of bullet points can organise your tasks, future goals, and other pieces of information. The book of the same name tells you how to start up, and there are tutorials online - all you need is a notebook, ruler, and a pen.
Junk Journaling - a new method of journaling that has just appeared on Instagram which has seen surging popularity, the idea is to get artsy while you journal. Think - stickers,
colouring pencils, all the surplus pieces of paper that seem to always be floating around. Now there’s a home for all of that!
Standardised Diary - sometimes stationery brands have pre-printed notebooks that are available for specific functions, such as when it comes to travel, cooking, reading, and more. Papier is a brand that also personalises the cover of their notebooks on offer, and are available to purchase online. A standardised diary offers up a structure that’s preset, which may also be something to consider.
Access All Areas
Disabled individuals have just as much right to socialize - and in an inaccessible world, occasionally there are resources to organise specific celebrations. Sometimes booking ahead can also help, too, just to negate the lack of access we may have to deal with.
AccessAble - the detailed access guides set out, for free, the accessibility arrangements for a large number of venues. Go online to AccessAble.co.uk to have a look at places such as BrewDog, a range of locations in Soho, and more across the UK - and even some places in the US, too.
Google Booking - Google Booking is sometimes utilised by restaurants for bookings - and there are also sections where you can add detail about your access needs. Need gluten-free food? Or to sit in a quiet area? Add it all into the box!
Disability has an extra cost to it; the organisation Scope regularly quantifies just how much this can be on a month-by-month basis. Disability also comes with a lot of extra admin, too, which has an extra cost to it - arguably cognitively, and emotionally. Sometimes making use of resources can help us along the way; after all, what is the point of living a life on ‘hard mode’? There’s no shame in asking for or taking help when we need it.
WHAT ARE THE MODELS OF Disability?
We all know that disability can be seen with varying points of view. But what are the models of disability? Why do they matter? And how can this be used to support disabled individuals?
When it comes to disability, we have all experienced different points of view, and how that interacts with our lived experience on a day-byday basis. There is the doctor who asks invasive questions about disability, the favoured restaurant where we feel safe because access is two-fold, or the friend’s house where we are seemingly freer than elsewhere.
Accomplishment is the defining theme of this issue, headed up by our cover star Hester Grainger. What we need to consider, however, is how the varying models of disability interact with the day-to-day. Organisations that employ disabled people need to be aware of the models of disability, as it will enable them to best support the disabled community, too.
What Is A Model Of Disability?
Everybody has a particular point of view when it comes to how we look at disability; this may be informed by how you were brought up, previous experience in coming into contact with disability, education, and a whole range of other factors. All the usual parts of what makes our own point of view inform how we interact with the disabled community. The models of disability are different ways of categorising the different points of view, where they come from, as well as how they change over time and between settings.
Why Do They Matter?
When we go about our day, our environment changes - as well as the people who we interact with. Disability access needs are a constant, but these changes mean those needs being met may not always happen. This is important for organisations and brands to take into consideration, such as when it comes to planning events, hiring disabled people, or enacting a DEI policy. In the UK, Equality Act obligations mean having to take into account “reasonable adjustments” for someone who is disabled - be it designated parking spaces, adaptations at a desk, or written materials being supplied in different formats. The models of disability will help you to achieve this - more on that in a moment.
What Are The Models Of Disability?
There are multiple models of disability, and they can of course overlap with each other. However, here are five of the most wellknown models to get started:
1The Medical Model
Typically seen in a medical setting such as if you have an appointment with a consultant or a GP, the medical model of disability works on the assumption that any ‘extra’ condition is to be cured or fixed. To use a mobility aid such as a wheelchair is seen as a failure to ‘overcome’ the disability, alongside the idea of being prevented from enjoying life. Under this model, a disabled person is seen as dependent, a
burden on other, ‘healthy’ people. This model can be criticised for forcing a reductive role on disabled people, as well as leading to intrusive questions when trying to access medical care. (If you have ever been asked ‘What’s wrong with you?’, or a health complaint has been blamed on a disability that already exists, then you’ll know what we mean.)
All the usual parts of what makes our own point of view inform how we interact with the disabled community.
2
The Charity Model
When it comes to media depiction, such as when it comes to running fundraising campaigns, the charity model of disability assumes that disabled people are a tragedy. We are deemed pitiful, and reliant on the goodwill of non-disabled people, while shown in a ‘passive suffering’ scenario. Under this model, the non-disabled are the saviours, the heroes, of the disabled community. We need to ask ourselves whether this point of view is at all appropriate for 2025.
3
The Economic Model
At the time of going to press, a lot has been circulating in the news about a ‘shake up’ of the UK’s benefits system; this model seemed appropriate for this list. Disability is defined as an inability to work, and as a result, lacks productivity. Under this model, work is a traditional set up - think 9 - 5 in an office - and is arguably flawed for this positioning.
4
The Moral Model
Often found in particularly religious communities and in groups that hold superstitious beliefs, disability is seen as being the result of a moral failing, as well as a lack of responsibility by the individual.
5
The Social Model
In opposition to the medical model of disability, the social model of disability suggests that the lack of access afforded by society is the disabling factor. If you use a wheelchair, and a restaurant has failed to provide a ramp for you to access the building, this is disabling. The fault is not with the body, but with the society that has failed to provide the inclusive steps for all. The systematic access barriers are at fault.
Organisations that employ disabled people need to be aware of the models of disability, as it will enable them to best support this community, too.
How Can I Use The Models Of Disability?
While taking into consideration that the models of disability change when your environment changes throughout the day, this also needs to be up for a challenge. The Economic Model, for instance, relies on the notion that work is valid if only performed from an office, with a commute, with a set 9 - 5. What if a disabled person cannot work to the arbitrary set up? To be freelance is still as valid, as is self-employment. The Social Model of Disability is generally preferred in DEI spaces, and should be used as the standard across the board. Take a pan-disability approach when planning events, employ disabled consultants with lived experience, and always be open to hearing honest feedback.
HOUSING SHOULD BE INCLUSIVE FOR ALL
Currently, only 7% of homes in England have the most basic accessibility features – and a wheelchair user joining a local authority waiting list may have to wait up to 47 years for a new build wheelchair-accessible home.1
With 1.8 million people requiring accessible or adaptable housing2, there’s a disparaging gap in the housing market, where the need for accessibility is not being tended to; a gap that leading developer Barratt London is actively striving to close.
At Barratt London’s Bermondsey Heights development in SE15, 20 accessible homes have been launched that meet both M4(2) and M4(3) standards. These apartments comprise two- and three-bedroom homes and have all been designed to be adaptable for wheelchair users. Barratt London carefully incorporated feedback and insights from its accessible homes partner AccessAble into the homes at Bermondsey Heights.
Inclusive design features available as standard include increased door widths and hallways, additional space provision in key rooms, lowered light switches and easy access storage including for wheelchairs. Additionally, certain aspects of each home can be adapted according to the needs of individual purchasers, such as customising kitchens to include features such as rise and fall kitchen counters, which allow the height of a counter to be manually adjusted, and the provision of a wet room.
Bermondsey Heights is an exciting new development south of the River Thames in SE15, in the heart of Bermondsey’s dynamic regeneration area. Its landmark tower, with views over the city, houses 195 high-quality one, two and three-bedroom apartments, with landscaped courtyard gardens, a roof terrace, play area, concierge, residents’ lounge, cycle parking and a 24-hour community shop, Pantree, in the lobby.
Attzaz Rashid, Head of Design at Barratt London, comments: “Building accessible homes is not merely about designing the residence; it’s about ensuring that individuals with disabilities can navigate an entire development with the same dignity as anyone else living there. At Barratt London, we consider the complete
Bermondsey Heights is an exciting new development south of the River Thames in SE15, in the heart of Bermondsey’s dynamic regeneration area.
customer journey, and accessibility is a cornerstone of our commitment to building inclusive and sustainable communities.”
“Housing should be inclusive, and our vision is to use Bermondsey Heights as a blueprint for delivering wheelchair accessible homes across the capital that go beyond the basics and truly work for Londoners.”
Prices for the wheelchair adaptable homes at Bermondsey Heights start from £576,000. Visit barrattlondon. com for more information or to arrange a viewing of their adapted threebedroom Show Home.
Maybe it’s time for something new, something that is just a little bit different in terms of a standard offering on the High Street.
Victoria Jenkins (top row, middle)
designed the Primark Adpative range
INSIDE THE PRIMARK
Adaptive Launch
Adaptive fashion has gone mainstream with Primark’s January launch of 49 pieces of adaptive fashion. DRM investigates.
Imagine it - just the simple idea of having access to clothing that works with your body, rather than against it. The fashion world has long operated on the premise of training a body to fit the dress, with the inverse not even contemplated. Maybe it’s time for something new, something that is just a little bit different in terms of a standard offering on the High Street.
Adaptive fashion - clothing and accessories designed to be disability inclusive by way of their design - has shown its durability and relevance in recent years. Labels such as Liberare and BraEasy alongside Unhidden, which last held a runway show in September 2023, have taken the fashion world by storm. Others, such as Dewey, are now available
in retailers such as Selfridges.
According to the U.K government’s last census, almost a quarter of the UK’s population is disabled. Furthermore, one in seven women in their twenties is disabled, according to a 2023 report. However, the number of people who are disabled is also on the rise - such as with the ongoing impact of Covid 19, as well as an ageing population. The Purple Pound also estimates almost £2 billion is lost each month by the High Street, owing to the lack of basic access measures in retail settings and beyond. Can we afford to be ignoring emerging areas such as adaptive fashion a moment longer? Owing to the intersection of race and gender, disability is also recognised as the world’s largest minority group.
Primark Adaptive
Victoria Jenkins, 39, is the founder and CEO of Unhidden, one of the main players in the adaptive fashion scene. A garment technologist by trade, she has previously worked at places such as Victoria Beckham. Unhidden has also staged multiple runway shows, while offering up clothing collections and collaborations which are available to purchase online at unhiddenclothing. com
I’ve spent years campaigning for this, so it’s fantastic it’s been taken on in such a big way by such a big brand.
incorporated across the collectionsuch as when it comes to including accessible openings, pockets with tube access, no labels in favour of printed information on the inside of the garments, and more. This is Primark’s second adaptive fashion collection, which dramatically expands their offering of adaptive fashion products.
On the day of the official launch, Jenkins said: “It feels pretty incredible, and it does very much feel co-designed”, in noting how accommodating the Primark team had been.
“I’ve spent years campaigning for this, so it’s fantastic it’s been taken on in such a big way by such a big brand.” She added that this is a long term
Victoria Jenkins
commitment, while calling for other businesses to utilise the expertise of disabled people.
The Lowdown On The New Primark Adaptive Range:
49 pieces across menswear and womenswear
This is the second adaptive fashion range by the company
Multiple access features such as no labels, accessible openings, pockets with tube access, and more.
Launch Day
inclusion. Disabled models are used throughout the campaign literature and the moving and still images; there’s also a mix of conditions, ethnicities and genders. Any speeches that are given begin with a visual description for anyone who may have a vision-related disability, while the collection itself is also hosted in a space big enough for wheelchair transfers. Wheelchair users were able to access the collection independently. Resplendent in the range’s little black dress, matching boots and a glittery cane, Jenkins noted that: “This was always the brand our community needed.” Dropping into more than thirty stores in the U.K. from January 28th and now available via Click & Collect, this collection will also be
Tucked away in a small building surrounded by street art in Shoreditch, press, influencers and disability royalty such as Samantha Renke and Ellie Goldstein were invited to preview the new adaptive fashion range prior to its official launch a week later. Lunch was on hand, as well as members of the Primark team who were more than willing to answer questions about the new range on offer. Four scenes were set up to showcase the look of particular products in each corner, while a wardrobe-like structure in the centre of the room allowed attendees to look furthermore at each item.
A Primark representative made a simple declaration during their speech: “We’re far from finished, there’s so much more work to do.” The brand also expressed how they would love fashion mainstream companies to “come with us on this journey.”
What’s immediately notable is the use of even tiny accessibility measures - nothing seemingly too big or too small in creating an environment of
PRIMARK, £14
Adaptive Rib Leg,
PRIMARK, £40
Adaptive Uni Trench Coat,
PRIMARK, £24
Adaptive S Knit Jumper,
PRIMARK, £30
Adaptive Trench Coat,
PRIMARK, £18
Adaptive Uni Poplin Shirt,
PRIMARK, £16
Adaptive Uni Straight Leg,
Adaptive Fashion Features Included In The New Primark Collection:
Opening for ports such as when you need to go to a hospital Zips on the black dress - meaning you don’t need to pull it over your head when undressing
Printed label information instead of sewn-in fabric labels
Minimal seams
Easy-to-use tie options
AccessAble, the UK’s largest provider of accessibility information in the disability space, were also in attendance. Having partnered with Primark, the company have created Detailed Access Guides for all stores across the UK and Ireland - meaning that accessibility information, such as if there is a step-free entrance and other access arrangements, will be available to view for free online. To date,
AccessAble has surveyed over 8,000 shopping centres and other shopping settings across the UK, along with other household name venues. David Livermore, director of business development at AccessAble who also attended the launch, said: “It’s really exciting to see it, an organisation really putting accessibility at the forefront of their business proposition. This is something that runs right the way across our relationship with them [Primark], here in the UK and Ireland. And we’re excited to be one of a number of different partners that Primark have in their disability space, which just shows how genuine they are about making [an] impact.”
Founded in 2000 owing to his experiences of inaccessibility as a student, Dr Gregory Burke had come across the internet in its infancy - and combined this with making access information freely available, in one place. Information on the accessibility set up of multiple venues - including hotels, restaurants, bars, shopping centres, others - is available at and is free to view at AccessAble. co.uk.
This is Primark’s second adaptive fashion collection, which dramatically expands their offering of adaptive fashion products.
What Our Editor Thought:
“I was more than just delighted to be a part of the audience for this launch, especially because it now means that A. I am a part of the mainstream, and B. I could actually go shopping if I wanted to! That should not be a revelation in 2025, but it is. I was more than just a bit excited to see this range on Oxford Street, in the window ready to meet the world, featuring people who look and feel like me. That is true allyship to disabled people everywhere.”
Primark Adaptive is now available to purchase in-store at 31 stores across the UK, as well as through 113 stores that utilise Click and Collect. For more information, please visit primark.com/ en-gb/a/inspiration/fashion-trends/ouradaptive-range
THE SHADOW PATH WITH CHELSEY PIPPIN MIZZI
Tarot has experienced a new popularity in the disability community. DRM talked to Chelsey Pippin Mizzi about her new book, & how it can guide us to accomplish our goals.
QTell me about your new book. How did it start and what was the idea?
ASo my newest book, The Shadow Path, came out in January. It’s an exploration of Jungian shadow work for creatives, which draws as well on the tarot, which I’ve written two previous books about. And the centre of all of my work is allowing creatives to access spiritual practices and psychological practices that offer them a mirror to see themselves and their experience. So in my previous book, Tarot For Creativity, the source of that, the mirror was the tarot. And in The Shadow Path, it builds on some of the elements of my previous book, Tarot For Creativity, and draws on the work of Freud and Jung to explore through the creative lens what it means to look underneath the hood of ourselves, identify the parts of ourselves that maybe somebody in our lives, maybe society at large, maybe even some part of ourselves told us wasn’t valid or lovable or good enough or socially acceptable. And
really drawing those out of the woodwork and saying, but what are the gifts here? What is the unique point of view here?
And I think that both self reflection through shadow work and through the tarot, which is really my first love as a spiritual medium, does that really well because it allows us to look at ourselves from a different angle and look at our work from a different angle. And I love it.
The centre of all of my work is allowing creatives to access spiritual practices and psychological practices that offer them a mirror to see themselves and their experience.
QTarot is also very notable in its resurgence recently, particularly among Gen Z individuals. Even in the disability community, it has had quite a significant rise, particularly if you’re on Instagram. I was wondering if you could comment on tarot being used in terms of accomplishment and how people would go about that.
AYeah, that’s a really, a really thoughtful question. Thank you.
I find that the tarot is really good at showing us things that we’re not giving ourselves enough credit for.
So I like to think of the tarot, and I use this language already, as a mirror and a map. The way that I think about the cards isn’t so much about predicting our futures as it is about reflecting on our experiences, on maybe what we want for the future, and on where we’ve been and where we feel we are. And when it comes to the tarot and accomplishment, I find that the tarot is really good at showing us things that we’re not giving ourselves enough credit for. The way that the tarot works is you shuffle your deck, you ask it a question, or you set an intention about something that you want to reflect on. And you pull a card and you allow that card to guide your line of thinking. It may be something quite literal. You know, you may
draw the death card and go, where am I grieving right now? This card is speaking to me about grief. How do I want to think about grief? But it may be something really abstract. There’s a flag on the death card. Maybe you’re thinking about times that you’ve surrendered, things that you’ve given up or something that you want to wave the flag for. What? You want to march with your flag held high up? Where do you want to identify yourself? You can work with the cards in whatever way feels good for you on any given day. And so when it comes to using the tarot to reflect on accomplishment, you can straight up shuffle your deck and ask the cards, what am I achieving right now? What’s going well? How can I celebrate myself right now? And as somebody who’s quite hard on themselves, as a writer, and just as an individual living in the world, I was diagnosed with ADHD at a very young age and yet had to get rediagnosed as an adult because I couldn’t believe that I actually had it.
QFor somebody who wants to get started with tarot, what would be the first step?
AAh! Get a tarot deck in your hands. There is a rumour that you have to be gifted a tarot deck in order to use it. This is, like, very unhelpful gatekeeping. It’s lovely to be gifted a tarot deck, but you can gift yourself a tarot deck. The deck is a gift, whether you give it to yourself or someone else gives it to you, it is not something that you have to wait to receive. And one of the most empowering things I ever did was buy myself a tarot deck.
There is a rumour that you have to be gifted a tarot deck in order to use it. This is, like, very unhelpful gatekeeping. It’s lovely to be gifted a tarot deck, but you can gift yourself a tarot deck.
Credit: instagram@lifeofpippa
And then you just get to know it. You get to spend time with the images. Before I started reading tarot guidebooks or watching tarot videos online, or learning from other creators, I spent about a month just, like, hanging out with there’s 78 cards in a tarot deck. It’s like you have your own private museum. And so I encourage you to spend time in it, however [it] feels right for you. I went through days where I would pull all 78 out and look at them together. And I went through periods where I would draw a card every day and just kind of get to know it on a basis. Sometimes I draw three or four throughout the day. You can tell that I crave novelty, which I think the tarot delivers in spades. So get a deck in your hands and start to figure out how you want to use it. You may want to take notes on the cards that you look at. You may want to draw cards at random.
You may want to work through the cards kind of in their numerical order to start to get to know them. But the beautiful thing about the tarot is there are actually no hard and fast rules. You can do whatever you want with them and just having them there in your hands to come back to accomplishment. All you have to do is do whatever feels right with the cards and you’re accomplishing the act of tarot reading.
QAnd as a last question to put to you, was there anything that surprised you when writing the book or something that you perhaps learned?
AMany things. Tarot For Creativity, which is my second book, that took a really long
time to write and a really long time to come into the world. The Shadow Path, which is my latest book that just came out, I wrote [it] in nine weeks and it was on shelves. It was on shelves eight months later.
So the processes of those two projects were so different and it’s been really cool. They came out within three months of each other because of the release schedules. One was written longer ago than the other, but they’re kind of weirdly twins and I’ve loved and hated [it] because it’s been hard to compare them and watch the two processes go side by side.
But as somebody who makes a business, as a writing mentor and coach alongside my writing work, it’s been so cool to watch two very different projects with very different levels of kind of publisher investment and reader interest and territories.
Tarot For Creativity was with a US publisher. The Shadow Path is with a UK publisher. I’m aware that I’m like, going on and on, but I think it’s been really interesting to compare the two and go, ah, there is no one road to success, there’s no one road to creative fulfillment.
Both of those things look very different, project to project, idea to idea. And that’s been the coolest and also biggest headache of my life, because I have to take each one at its own value rather than think about them as bricks in my career. I have to appreciate both on their own merits, which are very different.
The Shadow Path is out now.
THE NATION’S FORESTS: ACCESSIBLE ADVENTURES FOR EVERYONE
The nation’s forests are becoming more accessible than ever before. With 3,000 km of recreation trails across the country, Forestry England is transforming how people of all abilities can enjoy our woodlands.
In the past two years alone, we’ve launched new accessible walking trails, inclusive cycling routes, Changing Places toilets, and all-terrain mobility scooters at locations nationwide. Whether you’re looking to wheel through ancient woodlands, explore sensory play areas with family, or simply enjoy nature from accessible viewing points, the nation’s forests are ready to welcome you. And with most people in England living within an hour’s drive of a Forestry England site, adventure is closer than you think.
Breaking new ground in accessible cycling
Forestry England is committed to making cycling accessible to everyone. Leading this charge is the Forest of Dean’s latest addition - Old Bob’s Trail. This pioneering 2 km route has been specially designed to welcome
riders using adaptive bikes, while also catering for beginners and families with bike trailers or balance bikes. What makes this green-graded trail special is its thoughtful design. Three distinct skills areas allow riders to progress at their own pace, featuring gentle banked corners (berms), manageable rock gardens, and rolling terrain. These features help build confidence and cycling skills in a safe, controlled environment.
Dan Weston, Forestry England Recreation Manager at the Forest of Dean says:
We wanted to create something truly inclusive. Old Bob’s Trail is as exciting as it is accessible. Whether you’re using an adaptive cycle or any other bike, the trail offers real mountain biking experiences for all abilities.
Explore further with allterrain mobility scooters
Freedom to explore the forest shouldn’t be limited by mobility. That’s why we’ve expanded our fleet of all-terrain mobility scooters, adding nine new vehicles across five forest centres to the 15 already available, across the nation’s forests.
These robust scooters are specifically designed for outdoor adventure, capable of handling varied terrain, moderate gradients, and the great British weather with ease. They open up miles of forest trails to everyone - and anyone can hire one.
The scooters are remarkably easy to use, giving confidence to first-time users and experienced riders alike. Before setting off, we will give full training and guidance, ensuring you’re comfortable before you start exploring the forest.
Want to plan your visit? Our website features a searchable map of all locations offering all-terrain mobility scooter hire,
plus helpful videos showing what to expect from your forest adventure.
Play in the forest
The nation’s forests are being transformed with our most inclusive play spaces yet. We believe every child should be able to play their way, which is why our new areas are thoughtfully designed to welcome and integrate all abilities and needs.
Natural materials blend with innovative features throughout these spaces. Sensory experiences come alive through carefully chosen colours, lighting, and musical elements, while interactive features at different heights ensure everyone can join in the fun. Quiet corners and cosy dens provide peaceful retreats, sitting alongside traditional play equipment for climbing, swinging, and active adventure.
Accessibility has been considered at every step, with smooth, wheelchairfriendly surfaces creating well designed routes throughout the play areas. Whether you’re using a wheelchair, pushing a pram, or finding your feet, these paths connect all areas of play, ensuring everyone can explore with confidence.
The result? Play spaces where every family belongs, and every child’s way of playing is celebrated.
A parent at Hicks Lodge says:
Being at the forefront of understanding inclusive play means so much. Families like ours finally feel truly included when visiting.
Making days out possible: Changing Places
Understanding that great days out need great facilities, we’re expanding our network of Changing Places toilets across the nation’s forests. These specially equipped spaces are
transforming how families can enjoy the forest together.
Scarlett who visits Thetford Forest with her family, explained through British Sign Language why these facilities matter so much:
I love adventures and coming to the woods is an adventure... With Changing Places, we don’t have to go home early, and I don’t have to be changed on a cold toilet floor. We can meet our friends with disabilities in the forest as they can also use the space.
The impact of these facilities reaches far beyond convenience. As another visitor explains:
All members of the family can now come for a day, not just a few hours. Children and adults alike who cannot transfer can be changed safely with dignity.
Building community in the forest
The nation’s forests are natural gathering places, bringing people together through shared experiences. Forestry England’s Feel Good in the Forest programme is a fantastic example of this spirit: offering weekly activities across four locations - Chopwell Woods, Guisborough Forest, the National Forest and Thames Chase Community Forest
Designed for people with mild to moderate health conditions, the programme combines outdoor activities with social connection. From archery to Tai Chi, nature journalling to alpaca walking, each session ends with the simple joy of sharing tea and conversation.
These social connections extend to
our volunteer community too. New welfare facilities in forests without permanent buildings mean more people can now join in, making the nation’s forests truly inclusive spaces for everyone to gather, connect, and belong.
The group is what I look forward to every week. The time spent together really lifts my spirits.
Finding peace in the forest
Beyond adventure and play, the nation’s forests offer something equally valuable: a space to simply be. Time among trees brings proven health benefits, from lower blood pressure to improved immunity, making forests natural sanctuaries for wellbeing. Our specially-designed wellbeing trails are available in 19 forests, inviting visitors to reconnect with nature at their own pace. Ranging from one km to five km, these accessible paths feature gentle guidance for mindful moments in nature.
Can’t visit in person? Our virtual forest hub brings the calming power of nature to you, offering forest bathing videos, podcasts, and a downloadable wellbeing journal.
Ellen Devine, Forestry England’s wellbeing project manager encourages visitors to the wellbeing trail to notice the small movements in green spaces:
There are those gentle, soft sensory stimulations. The sound of wind through leaves, or a nearby streamjust enough to capture our attention, never intrusive.
forestryengland.uk
Peter, who sings with the Woodland Warblers choir at Chopwell Woods says:
Enable Holidays is delighted to bring you some truly amazing wheelchair-friendly Dutch breaks including Beekse Bergen and Efteling Theme Park in North Brabant, the Netherlands.
Beekse Bergen
There’s also the option of adding a stay in the historical cities of Eindhoven or Breda to your itinerary. As the accessible holiday specialists, we can tailor-make your Dutch break to suit you – including guaranteed adapted rooms, airport assistance and adapted transfers.
Embark on an adventurous safari where you will encounter 150+ different animal species
Explore by car, boat, bus, or guided tour
• Stay on-park in an accessible lodge at Safari Resort or a luxury Safari Hotel room, surrounded by giraffes and zebras in the savannah.
Efteling Theme Park
The biggest in the Netherlands
• Exciting rollercoasters, enchanting attractions, fairytale characters and spectacular park shows
Europe’s biggest water show –Aquanara
• On-site accessible accommodation
The Citadel of
Accomplishment
Travelling can feel like a significant accomplishment, especially when you’re disabled. DRM’s resident travel columnist Carole Edrich tells us all about it.
As a freelance writer, comedian, and podcaster I work with my inner ADHDiva, not against her.
Asking an ADHDiva to include achievements in a travel column is like turning off the traffic lights to remove gridlock. (After the inevitable shutdown, you might get surprising results.)
Where on earth do I start, or end? Getting up is a major achievement, as is sorting out my make-up, hair, and teeth. Opening post is often an insurmountable task. Putting out my rubbish for the bin man’s a biggie. Dealing with my cancer recovery, undiagnosed bits and pieces, teeth, and of course my ME - they’re all big achievements. Vitally, strength-sappingly, quotidien. And if they bore me witless, why should I dare to impose them on you?
Getting this column feels like a much better achievement
(although I still don’t know how I got it). Cycling to every winery in Argentina solo, caving in Slovenia, cycling from Madrid to Lisbon, and from London to Ireland’s Trim, moving to and living in The Hague, Brussels, Seville, and Seattle? They were all achievements. And so was moving back!
Sometimes it’s not the doing but the sharing that gets things into my personal list of achievements. Swimming with beluga whales in Hudson Bay, aurora hunting, and waiting for wolverines in Finland are like that. Learning new languages, discovering new cultures, making – and keeping - friends, and meeting new people are high up on my list of achievements. Winning the Empire Bodybuilding Cup while living in the Netherlands was a huge and (quite) surprising achievement. Captaining the World Men’s Bodybuilding Championships in France, then Malaysia, less so. Getting selected to be a Trustee of Unlimited (the largest funder of the arts in the world) was an enormous achievement, and a gift that keeps on giving, because through them I’m learning so much.
Winning prizes for my photography and my first cover images in Real Travel, Dance Today and Traveller were - for me - significant achievements. Making the 2024 TMA Travel Writer of the Year (accessible travel) finals blew my mind!
I once took a travel-related
Credit: Carole Edrich
Turning my travel troubles, trials and tribulations into a solo comedy act and podcast has been an achievement.
organisation to court for discrimination. I didn’t want to, but I didn’t feel I had a choice. (The settlement felt dirty so I gave all the money away.) I don’t think it caused any changes, and I lost people I had thought to be friends (but weren’t or they’d have asked for my side of the story). Was that an achievement? I really truly don’t know.
Turning my travel troubles, trials and tribulations into a solo comedy act and podcast has been an achievement, as well as the books I’ve written alongside. Making a lifestyle that fits my intersectionality is a huge achievement. (Also the only thing I could do.) As a freelance writer, comedian, and podcaster I work with my inner ADHDiva, not against her. That this has enabled me to cover 128 countries is but a by-product. Not an achievement in itself. I love leaning into my hyper-focus, I am ADHDriven, often ADHDistracted, neurocurious and I struggle to be MEritricious, but my biggest achievement – the one that really matters – is in accepting that I’m doing OK.
And Another Thing...
Disabled people in the UK spend £75 per night more on their holidays. In 2020, The Purple Pound estimated that our collective spending power is worth £274 billion, while businesses on The High Street lose £2 billion a month by ignoring our basic access needs - such as by having a ramp at their entrance, a door that is wide enough, accessible websites. PRs seem to ignore this, which I find frustrating, annoying, and amazing.
My dancer friend Laura Dajao and I went to the ice rink at Somerset House with the aim to create a podcast that addressed those concerns about general accessibility for disabled people. We had fun and – in the end –Laura had a good time with her wheelchair on the ice! It took us four hours to unpick the experience and we’re still working on the results.
I’ve also booked a press tour at Bradford’s media gateway. They’re City of Culture this year. The press form was quite standard and there was a place to notify the organisers about my ME (also standard). The tour is in July. I have high hopes and will share how it goes.
AUTHOR: Carole Edrich, photographer, journalist and board member for Unlimited and is also a resident travel columnist for Disability Review Magazine.
SUBSTACK: caroleinnit.substack.com
Credit: Carole Edrich
Credit: Carole Edrich
Credit: Carole Edrich
THE HAGUE AN ACCESSIBLE GUIDE TO
By Carole Edrich
Where in Europe makes for a great and accessible destination? Carole Edrich takes us on tour with her to The Hague.
Ilived in The Hague for years, first working for Shell and then as a freelance individual. Compared to other places of similar size and complexity it’s amazingly accessible. It feels big and bustling but is small enough to get around easily, and it buzzes with arts, activities, natural and engineered experiences, parks and cultural festivals. There’s even a beach!
It was all gorgeous and clever, fascinating and fun, but that’s no surprise.
I went back last year to cover Blow Up Art, The Hague hoping that I’d learn something new and surprising. It’s not a series of Dutch demolitions or a vivid explosion of tulips, but an outdoor arts festival that takes place every May. It comprised a lush, environmentally sensitive pontoongallery of inflated sculptures by great Dutch designers, then afterwards in a guided walking ‘arts tour’ of the city we visited fine art galleries, met leading photographers, and went to a huge factory that had been repurposed by an artists’ collective. It was all gorgeous and clever, fascinating and fun, but that’s no surprise.
On our walk, we sampled Haagse hopjes (pronounced Haah-g-se
They won’t volunteer help in the way you might expect because they respect your agency. To fit in, either ask for help bluntly or arrange everything yourself.
hop-yers), delicious hard fusions of history and tradition created in the 18th century when Baron Hendrick Hop accidentally left his coffee on the fire overnight. He loved the resulting hard mass of solid sugary coffee so much that, when his doctor told him to refrain from drinking coffee he asked a neighbour to make them. ‘Baron Hop’s chunks’ became a favourite of the royal European houses, spread to the commoners, and have been popular ever since. They’re hard to get in London, sadly.
We popped in for a quick tipple at Van Kleef en Zoon (Zoon pronounced son, which it means). Tucked away in the city’s historic Old Quarter, Van Kleef (museumvankleef.nl) is half shop, half bar, half museum, and half performance venue. Those halves add up to more than one, and that’s exactly how it feels. A product of the Low Countries, Jenever (Pronounced jin-ay-ver) is a distilled spirit containing Juniper and the drink from which gin was developed. Van Kleef is the city’s only
remaining original gin and liqueur house. It was the city’s last remaining Jenever distillery, too, until people realised that storing over 37,000 litres of inflammable alcohol in the city was not a great idea. Despite our very rushed visit, proprietor Fleur Kuyt (pronounced ca-eet) was informative, amusing and lovely. I enjoyed it so much that I went back for a tasting, where I sat in their sunny green gardens, laughed a lot, and learned more about jenever in an experience that was half tasting, half performance art and surprisingly, totally unique.
Those halves add up to more than one, and that’s exactly how it feels.
Most of The Hague’s streets are flat paving, flagstone, tarmac or concrete, and while some squares and roads are still cobbled, they usually have a wheelchair accessible bit as well. The city is well served with trams and buses. All the ones I’ve been on have annoyingly loud announcements and working digital screens.
Dutch people are very direct and so is their signage. Building works will not apologise for any inconvenience caused, but the resulting signs will
read something like: ‘We are doing this work for your convenience and expect you to understand’. This is a reflection of their culture. They won’t volunteer help in the way you might expect because they respect your agency. To fit in, either ask for help bluntly or arrange everything yourself.
Despite this, the Dutch have a great reputation for accessibility. DenHaag. com and Accessibletravel.nl tell visitors where to go for a wide variety of assistive devices, where to look for lists of accessible loos, find rentable wheelchair accessible vehicles, and even where to go to find the best ways to plan your travel. A few of the available apps aren’t multilingual, but they have an equivalent Englishlanguage website. Even the beaches have accessible entry points but you are expected to find them yourself.
Almost everyone speaks English and most other languages (I discovered Ikea cashiers must speak at least 3). Some museums have touchtours, quiet rooms, and headsets, and denhaag.com explicitly mentions visual disabilities. I hope to return to this wonderful city, have a few more hopjes, discover the extent to which the city provides facilities for nonwheelchair using disabilities and - of course - have more of Fleur’s gin.
AUTHOR: Carole Edrich, photographer, journalist and board member for Unlimited and is also a resident travel columnist for Disability Review Magazine. SUBSTACK: caroleinnit.substack.com
Credit: Carole Edrich
HOW IMPORTANT IS TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR DISABLED TRAVELLERS?
Travel insurance for disabled individuals can prove daunting. We examined the importance of the right policy.
Travel insurance is an essential consideration for all travellers, but for disabled people navigating the complexities of insurance coverage, it can present unique challenges. Understanding the specific needs and requirements of disabled travellers is crucial in selecting the right insurance policy that provides adequate support and protection.
Travel insurance for disabled individuals is crucial for providing financial protection and peace of mind while travelling. It ensures that disabled travellers have access to necessary support and medical assistance in case of emergencies during their trips.
What Does Travel Insurance Cover?
Travel insurance provides coverage for medical expenses, trip cancellations, and other unforeseen events. It offers assurance that individuals will receive appropriate care and assistance while travelling, giving them the confidence to explore new destinations.
Understanding The Needs of Disabled Travellers
To cater to the unique requirements of disabled travellers, it is essential to understand their specific needs and challenges while travelling. This knowledge enables travel insurance providers to offer tailored solutions that address any possible concern. Disabled people may require assistance with mobility, medical care, and accessibility accommodations during their trips. Travel insurance should cover these specialised needs, including provisions for specialised equipment, caregiver support, and emergency medical evacuation services.
Various factors such as the type of disability and destination accessibility can impact the coverage and cost
of travel insurance for disabled individuals. Understanding these factors is crucial in selecting the most suitable insurance policy.
Options and Coverage Offered by Travel Insurance Providers
Travel insurance providers offer a range of options and coverage tailored to the needs of disabled travellers. These policies include provisions for medical emergencies, trip cancellations, and other contingencies to ensure a secure and hassle-free travel experience. Each type of
Travel insurance is an essential consideration for all travellers, but for disabled people navigating the complexities of insurance coverage, it can present unique challenges.
policy offers different levels of protection and benefits tailored to the unique requirements of disabled travellers.
Comparison of Different Insurance Providers
Comparing insurance providers based on coverage options, pricing, customer reviews, and claim assistance can help disabled travellers make informed decisions when choosing travel insurance. It is important to select a reputable provider that offers reliable support and tailored solutions for disabled individuals.
Accessible Travel Services and Accommodations
Many hotels, airlines, and tour operators offer specialised services to accommodate disabled travellers. From accessible rooms with accessible showers to ground transportation with wheelchair lifts, these accommodations aim to provide a comfortable and enjoyable travel experience for all. It’s essential to communicate your specific needs and preferences in advance to ensure a seamless travel experience.
Organisations Providing Assistance to Disabled Travellers
Several organisations in the UK focus on supporting disabled individuals in their travel endeavours. Whether it’s offering travel advice, arranging accessible transportation, or advocating for inclusive travel policies, these organisations play a vital role in promoting accessibility and inclusivity in the travel industry. By seeking assistance from these organisations, disabled travellers can navigate the complexities of travel with confidence and peace of mind.
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HOW TO GET STARTED IN
SELF-EMPLOYMENT
More people than ever before are becoming selfemployed. How do you get started when you’re disabled, however? DRM investigates.
We have heard the same playbook deployed again and again - enough so that the record is getting boring.
“Getting disabled people back to work” is talked about a lot, such as in government policy - but without cohesive ideas or reasonable adjustments for disabled individuals in place. Yet, self-employment is not talked about at all; there are such lacking resources in favour of so-called ‘proper work’, which usually means working 9 - 5 at an office, going home late every night, and being in pain for most of or all day. Can we change the record yet? Self-employment was on the rise prior to the inception of the Covid 19 pandemic.
Now with the introduction of the right to work from home (also referred to as WFH), to work for yourself is looking more appealing than ever before. You can meet your access needs, not do more harm to yourself - all from the comfort of your own home, no less. What’s not to love? While there are some drawbacks, the question we should all be asking is - very simply - how do we get started?
1Have An Idea
When we grow up, very often there are conversations about what job that we’d like to do as an adult. That starts to look a little bit different when you’re self-employed as a freelancer; you are the one who is responsible for taxes, overheads, making enough money, budgeting, etc. Notably, there is definitely an idea of having to be a jack of all trades - which may not always be easy.
Have an idea about what you would like to do as a freelance person - and think expansively about it. Could you be a DEI consultant? How would that look?
So, have an idea about what you would like to do as a freelance person - and think expansively about it. Could you be a DEI consultant? How would that look - and could you offer up bundled packages of your services? Webinars are still very popular online - could you host your own, with tickets? Or what about designing a download to sell? Could you even use a website such as Etsy or
RedBubble to sell your product?
An idea is a way to make money, whereas a subject - “I wanna write about fashion!”isn’t. The more specific you can make your vision, the better.
2
Think About Methods Of Income
We live in an internet age, meaning that there are more avenues to make money than there have been in a long time. Passive income is the ‘bread and butter’ money of what it means to be freelance - in having a product that makes money without you having to actively engage with it. Think about the way you can use the internet to make use of this.
For example, there is Substack - where you can write a newsletter, with a paywall attached. Other people pay to read your writing, as well as access to webinar recordings you can conduct. Patreon is also another platform that you could use, such as if you are an illustrator, or if you work in the audio space. Acast is also another service if you’d like to create a podcast.
The Multi-Hyphen Method by Emma Gannon is a brilliant guide on how to use the internet to support yourself.
3
Be Tax Aware!
To be self-employed means that you are the one who is responsible for filing your tax return each year. Once you have earned £1000, you need to declare your employment status to HMRC. Keep good accounts, receipts, and spreadsheets - it will save you a giant headache in the long run.
4 And Ask For Help
To be disabled may mean that there is some state support available in the form of Benefits. At the time of writing, the current government has announced plans for changes to the Benefits system, which are all of an unclear nature. However, there is Personal Independence Payment (which has nothing to do with work, just your access needs), Access To Work (to help you stay in work), and others.
Credit: Debb Burrows.
It may be worth exploring what you can claim. Remember that only half of what the UK government sets aside each year is actually claimed - it’s always worthwhile asking questions.
How To Ace SelfEmployment:
Our editor, Lydia Wilkins, will be giving a talk on the first day of Naidex on these important issues; she will be launching webinars later this year through her newsletter, The Disabled Feminist, for people wishing to learn more. Subscribe at lydiawilkins.substack. com to find out more.
5
What Is ‘Brand Me’?
To be self-employed means being your own brand - it’s how people find you online, as well as how to hustle for more work.
As a starting step, think of yourself in two sentences and your occupation. Are you a journalist? Great - so what is your specialism? If you are a consultant, what is your area of expertise? If you have won any awards, it is always worth shouting about them. But this is the start of you as a brand - a way to introduce yourself, to ensure that people remember you and who you are. Is there any particular colour that you like? Think about it - and how striking it could be - such as when setting up a website or a business card.
All of these things are tiny steps into creating a version of you that is memorable, which will eventually assist when it comes to pitching for work.
6 Pitch It!
If you are self-employed, you are going to need to pitch for work. Your inbox does
not just magically light up with work requests - so you’re going to need to ‘put yourself out there’ in pursuit of work.
Start with the contact name; try and find a person, and not an info@ email address. Make sure that the subject line is super specific, and not just ‘Pitch query’. Be specific, highlight your expertise, and keep going.
7
Know How To Network
Networking is hard - but again, it is the bread and butter of what it means to be selfemployed, sometimes. You never quite know what type of a connection you may make, or when the person in front of you may be useful to contact.
Social media platforms are valid places to network, with the caveat of appropriate boundaries in place. LinkedIn often has discussion posts, with a lively comment section, which is always worth the while to look at; Substack also has some great community hubs, too.
In-person, networking events can also have a great impact. If you work in DEI, it’s an opportunity to go along to any event - Naidex being one of them - while taking business cards along with you. There may be launches, book celebrations, and more. Saying ‘yes’ to an invite can be very useful.
5 Free Resources To Tap Into As A Freelance
Individual:
Linktree is a site that bundles all your necessary links together, such as your social media, website, email, & more.
Twitter, sometimes referred to as X, still has some editors for magazines who post callouts for writers.
Substack is a newsletter service that hosts a range of people who share resources about self-employment.
Naidex! The NEC hosts the biggest annual disability conference each March, with ample opportunities for networking.
Journo Resources has a database of rates for a lot of different writing worksuch as copywriting, shift work, social media, spreads in newspapers, and more.
8 Set Rates Fairly
A recent survey documented how every disabled person interviewed had been asked to work for free - often on the basis of ‘it’s all for a good cause’.
Disability costs extra. Scope regularly takes an account of how much disability costs in the UK - and currently, that figure stands at an extra four-figure sum each month. That is an immense amount of money, just as a starting basis - and ‘for a good cause’ can often be patronizing or tokenistic. Set your rates fairly. The minimum wage is a good place to start; think of what you need to make bank and the extra expertise you have to offer. Price accordingly. And if you need assistance, Journo Resources is a website that also compiles hundreds of freelance rates - such as if you are asked to hand in a piece of copywriting.
And remember to add a little bit extra each year - you’d be given a pay rise in the traditional world of work, after all.
9
Be Social When Needed
To be self-employed can be a lonely business. There is a lot of time spent tethered to a laptop, as well as having to make calls, chase people up, and file the relevant admin. The hustle culture of needing to make more can also mean that we forget the basic functions of.. well, being a person, too.
Consider setting strict boundaries, such as only working set hours, and using an out-of-office to enforce this. Schedule in time to socialise, such as through local support groups or coffee meetings. To be freelance has so many advantages to it, all worthy and valid, but there is a balance to be struck from the outset.
Credit: Debb Burrows
DR AMO RAJU
Our columnist Dr Amo Raju OBE DL on how society views disability & the relationship to accomplishment.
Sometimes I feel like there’s a secret manual floating around, written by someone who’s never met a disabled person, dictating how society should view us. And trust me, it’s not necessarily an entertaining read.
There’s the classic assumption that disabled people can’t or don’t want to work. That one never fails to amuse me. Apparently, whether from birth or later in life, the moment you acquire a disability a magical employment barrier appears and stops you from ever contributing to society. Forget degrees, experience, or sheer talent; your wheelchair, hearing aid, or cane is obviously a disqualification. And if you do work, some feel compelled to call you “inspiring.” As if getting through a nine-to-five job is like climbing Everest on a unicycle. Spoiler alert: it isn’t.
Here’s a radical idea: disabled people can be… wait for it… ordinary. Mind-blowing, right?
There’s the infuriating presumption that we don’t work at all and spend our days watching daytime TV - while the rest of the world hustles. This perception paints disabled people as either lazy, pitiable, sometimes both, because why not? Apparently, if we’re not collecting awards for being resilient, we’re sponging off society. Ah, but the pièce de résistance is the “you have to be inspiring or pitiable to matter” argument. Either you’re a hero or you’re a tragedy that must be “fixed” or “saved.” Somewhere in this binary, there’s a glaring lack of humanity. Here’s a radical idea: disabled people can be… wait for it… ordinary. Mindblowing, right? We can be extremely good at some things, rubbish at others and just as flawed and fabulous as everyone else. We’re not symbols of perseverance, nor are we waiting
for charity to rescue us. Sometimes, we’re just trying to figure out what’s for dinner.
We can be extremely good at some things, rubbish at others and just as flawed and fabulous as everyone else.
How do we find peace with who we are when society insists on viewing us through such a biased lens? For starters, by flipping that lens around and focusing on our own perspective. It’s not about living up to or rebelling against societal expectations; it’s about defining our own value. Accomplishment isn’t measured by medals or applause but by the quiet satisfaction of knowing you’re doing life on your terms. For me, that’s enough.
The journey to selfacceptance isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. There are days when such nonsense gets under your skin; that’s ok. Indeed, if it wasn’t, I’d be worried. The trick is to remember that those presumptions say more about the people making them than they do about you. They’re clinging to outdated narratives, while you’re busy writing your own story which will be a much better read. Rip up the script. Be messy, be extraordinary, be ordinary, be whatever you please. The only presumption that really matters is the one you have about yourself. And hopefully, it’s that like me, you’re absolutely brilliant.
Dr Amo Raju is the author of ‘Walk Like A Man’, now available on Amazon.
AUTHOR: Dr. Amo Raju
TWITTER: @AmoSinghRaju
INSTAGRAM: @amorajuofficial
TIKTOK: @amorajuofficial
Are you looking for new or better work?
Evenbreak is a global specialist job board run by for people who are deaf, disabled, neurodivergent living with long-term health conditions.
“BUT HE WAS THIS VERY CHARMING GUY, FAMOUS FOR HIS MOUSTACHE!”
Andy Stevenson is a sports presenter and reporter. We talked to him about how he does it.
AQHow did you get into journalism?
So from quite a young age, I’ve always loved sport. That’s the first thing to say. And I watched a lot of sport. I did play some sport, but, you know, I think probably earlier than most - there’s always that moment where you realise, I think anyone who likes sport gets this moment, where you realise “I’m not going to be a Premier League footballer” or an Olympic swimmer or Paralympic swimmer in my case.
I was good at writing and good in English and all of that at school.
came onto my radar. And I’m not one of these people who is silly enough to think, oh, you know, I’m a disabled person who can swim, I’m going to be a Paralympian. It doesn’t work like that. But the Paralympics never really came on my radar as a target to be an athlete anyway.
And so journalism then became like an obvious thing for me to target.
And I guess being honest, you know, I wear a prosthetic leg, so I would play football in the playground and I might make the odd school team, but never, like, [the] first team or anything like that. And I guess because of that, the realisation that I wasn’t going to be a sports person, probably came to me sooner than for most.
And, I’m very old and so we’re talking about, you know, pre-2012 situation here. So the Paralympics Olympics never really
Alongside that, I’d always been quite good with words. I was good at writing and good in English and all of that at school. And so journalism then became like an obvious thing for me to target. And in my school
days, I wanted to be a newspaper journalist, sports journalist, or magazine sports writer. And then the key moment came when I went to university. I went to the University of Warwick and I studied English there. But I got involved in the
Credit: Niall Gray
student radio and that put me on a completely different path. Then I thought, hold on a minute. This is so much fun and you don’t have the same kind of deadlines, if you like, as a newspaper writer. And it set me down a path of wanting to be a radio sports reporter.
And so, yeah, the combination of I suppose not feeling that as though I was able to be a sports person myself and also really enjoying kind of speaking and writing about sport, led me to journalism in the first place.
This is so much fun and you don’t have the same kind of deadlines, if you like, as a newspaper writer. And it set me down a path of wanting to be a radio sports reporter.
Credit: Sandy Batho
When I meet new people, even in a work situation, I feel as though I kind of, the attitude I give off is I’m just getting on with my job here. I just want to do my job.
QWhat was it that prompted your love of sports?
AIt’s an interesting question, that. I think, you know, my dad liked football. We would occasionally watch it on the TV together. He liked golf, he occasionally played golf, but he certainly wasn’t a playing every week kind of person. But I suppose in some ways that was the start of it.
Somebody my mum worked with was a huge Liverpool football fan and that person would pass on things like scarves and programs and, you know, probably cuddly Toys of Liverpool Football Club to me as a toddler. And that’s why I’m a Liverpool fan, even to this day. But you know, maybe that kind of also helped.
And then when I started school, I think particularly for boys - I’m talking about like the late 80s hereI’m hoping girls play football in the playground these days but back in the 80s it was the boys play football in the playground and I played football in the playground and I would play
and I would fall over occasionally and I banged my head a few times and I ripped school trousers a couple of times.
But I played football and I guess the combination of those facts has just made me like sport and I was always - as I got a bit older now into my teenage years - the other key thing was I became quite nerdy about watching and listening to sport and watching and listening to how the presenters were doing their job, what the commentators were doing, what I liked about certain commentators and presenters. I do remember very vividly from, you know, maybe, I don’t know, 14 onwards, I was almost watching sporting events as much for the presentation and the coverage as the actual event itself.
My hero - this is funny now - to anyone under the age of I think probably 30, 35, this person means very little. But to me, my absolute hero was Des Lyneham. Who was the BBC sports presenter of his day. He was known as the Housewives’ favourite - which again was probably quite an 80s phrase that wouldn’t be used now.
But he was this very charming guy, famous for his moustache. He had a very easygoing style on the screen. He had quite a humorous, light-hearted way of presenting sport. And him and one or two others, I just sort of, probably quite literally just fell in love with them. And I thought that’s what I want to be doing one day.
Q As somebody who is limb different, do you mind me asking about the reasonable adjustments you need when covering events, as well as how non-disabled people interact?
ASo yeah, no, I mean there’s a lot to say about this. I think the first, the most important thing to say, is I was born with my limb difference and I do think that is a very significant thing in terms of my attitude towards it. And I also think it’s quite significant in terms of how then people respond to me and the way I go about things.
So from my point of view, I have learned to do things just as I’ve got older, clearly in a work environment. So for example, now,
Credit: Richard Usher
talking to you, I’m at home and I don’t wear my prosthetic leg at home. And I use my feet for a lot of things. I can type with my feet, I can write with my feet. If [in] a work environment, maybe because of an element of self-consciousness, but I think an understandable element of selfconsciousness, I would never have wanted to be sat on the floor in an office typing with my feet or even, you know, having typing with my feet up on a desk somehow. I would certainly not want to be reporting on a football match and having to use my feet, it just wouldn’t be practical and it would draw a lot of attention to each other. How’s that person doing that?
When I meet new people, even in a work situation, I feel as though I kind of, the attitude I give off is I’m just getting on with my job here. I just want to do my job. I don’t want to get bogged down in, you know, disability stuff, if I can give it that general kind of term.
I just want, I think, actually I’ll sum it up for you - I would want to give that person the impression that I know what I’m doing and I’m able to do my job, and with a little bit of help, I’ll be able to do it fine. You know, trust me, it will be fine. I know what I can do and I know what I can’t do. And I also hope my attitude then sort of shapes other people’s responses to me as well.
My parents, who are sadly no longer around, they did an incredible job instilling confidence in me. And, you know, the attitude of, like, if you want to do something, like, let’s try and make that happen, let’s try and make it work, even if you need help, we’ll try to make something work for you. My wife and my sister and my friends now also play that kind of role.
I do remember very vividly from, you know, maybe, I don’t know, 14 onwards, I was almost watching sporting events as much for the presentation and the coverage as the actual event itself.
For my first 10 football matches for the BBC, I [went] by myself. I didn’t ask for any help. I stubbornly, interestingly, I don’t think I would have seen it as stubborn actually at the time. But now looking back, I could kick myself, I see it as really stupidly stubborn. I went by myself and I was relying on the help of just people around me and we’re talking about, you know, we’re carrying quite a heavy bag. I tend to get very hot anyway, you know, because of my disability, I’ve got less surface area in my body. The doctors have explained that that makes me hotter than the average person. So I was sweating and turning up, carrying a heavy bag, expecting to plug in lots of different equipment.
And now when I fast forward to 2025, thanks to Access To Work funding, it has to be said I can take an assistant with me to all the reporting jobs I do. I don’t think I would have progressed in my career because actually the frustrations of me getting to a match and having to ask people on spec, if you like, it just would have got to me and I’m not sure I would have been able to carry on. And also it would have affected my job crucially as well. It would have affected being a sports reporter. And being on air is - you’re judged for that time you’re on air, how you look, how you’re speaking, what you’re saying, and anything, any stress or anything that kind of comes into that would be detected on air.
QI feel that you want me to ask how do you do it?
AI realised I didn’t really answer the part of the previous question about attitudes, other people’s attitudes towards me or responses to me. And this feeds into the question you’ve now asked is that in the beginning part of my
career, so let me just say I spent a lot of time working in production, you know, behind, behind the scenes, not seen, not heard.
But in the beginning part of my broadcasting career, for example, I started out in local radio. The early part of my career, the broadcasting I did was heard and not seen. And I think it was my agent, actually, [who] sort of made me realise that that might not have been an accident. That might have actually been a sort of subconscious decision I was making to kind of keep [to] myself doing radio, where I could just be judged on what does this guy sound like, is he asking the right questions? Does he know what he’s talking about? And it’s not coloured at all by what, you know, people wouldn’t have known I was disabled. And it was an interesting point my agent raised because I’d not really considered that to a great degree.
In more recent years, I’ve tried to push myself into TV a little bit more. One, because it’s kind of what I’ve always wanted to do. Two, because it’s incredibly exciting.
Three, because actually, I do feel as though for younger disabled
In more recent years, I’ve tried to push myself into TV a little bit more. One, because it’s kind of what I’ve always wanted to do. Two, because it’s incredibly exciting.
people thinking about being a sports reporter, they need to be seeing people like myself and J.J. Chalmers and Sally Hurst and one or two other people who have obvious visible disabilities on screen. I think that is important and I do now feel a bit of a responsibility in that area in terms of people’s attitudes to them seeing me on screen.
So I had a very interesting experience during the Olympics. Last summer was a big, big kind of break for me, if you like. I did the Olympics for BBC TV and I did the Paralympics for NBC TV in America, and both roles were on camera.
And on one particular day, I mean, I don’t know quite why it was that particular day, but a few sort of trolls had spotted me. I was doing boxing and you know, one or two people in a relatively humorous way, which I could have probably accepted were like, oh look, you know, BBC have hired a boxing reporter with no hands. Hahaha, you know, blah, blah, blah. I could have probably let that pass. But then one or two other people, and let’s face it, they could have been bots. They might not be real people but one or two of the messages were much nastier in tone.
And I was like, right, okay, I’m mature enough to know that I am not to respond individually to these people. But I thought, I want to say something here. And so it kind of came to me very quickly. It wasn’t something that I spent hours and hours thinking about what I was going to say.
Credit: Emma McLavey
And in broad terms I said, all of these people appalled and outraged that the BBC would hire a boxing reporter with no hands, will fall off their sofas when they hear that I also do golf and snooker and tennis, blah, blah, blah. Oh, and by the way, I’m a football reporter for the BBC and I have a prosthetic leg.
My message was like, deal with it, this is happening whether you like it or not, and I put this tweet out there and by that point, of course, even last summer, Twitter or X was sort of dying a bit and, and I just thought maybe 20 people might see it. But I just felt I wanted to say something and it went bonkers. It was the weirdest 24 hours of my life because it, in the parlance, it went viral, and I never experienced this. Even now, if you look at it, it’s up to nearly a million views, and people were replying, sharing, commenting, etc.
I don’t want disability to become the story here because I am a sports reporter and I want to be known as a sports reporter and I just don’t want to be sat on a sofa, you know, I know there’s an irony in me saying this because I’m talking to you about it, but what I mean is I didn’t want it to become all like, oh, you know, disabled reporter, woe is me, you know, getting slated by trolls, et cetera, et cetera, etc, that.
That’s not why I made my stand. I made my stand because I just wanted to.
I think that is important and I do now feel a bit of a responsibility in that area in terms of people’s attitudes to them seeing me on screen.
Credit: Emma McLavey
Credit: Nathanael Hutchinson
How To Make Rhubarb & Lentil Dal and Rhubarb Puffs
Known as Mr Cookfulness for leading his revolution on making cooking accessible and adaptable, Ian Taverner is back for this issue with a colourful feast for the senses.
With the theme of this issue being accomplishment and doing it ourselves, I thought long and hard about what food, ingredients, and recipes might be able to reflect this best, and came up with the humble rhubarb! Why? Well, there are many reasons! Firstly, it is called ‘forced rhubarb’ when grown in the UK because it is given conditions that aren’t ‘real’, but it still manages to flourish and grow. Secondly, if you gave some rhubarb to someone and asked them to cook something or describe a dish with rhubarb in it, 99% of the time they would say rhubarb crumble. We all do it! So I want to show just how versatile and accomplished rhubarb is, how many different ways you can prepare it, both sweet and savoury.
| Total time you need to give yourself, start to finish: 40 minutes
EQUIPMENT:
You Will Need:
1 knife | 1 chopping board |
2 medium mixing bowls | A set of weighing scales |
1 mixing spoon | 1 teaspoon |
1 tablespoon | 1 baking tray | 1 zester
INGREDIENTS:
Any ingredients marked with a * are a ‘straight swap’ for gluten-free and/ or vegan alternatives which can be found in a local supermarket or other providers.
320 grams ready rolled puff pastry*
GROUP A:
300 grams of fresh rhubarb (topped, tailed & roughly cut into 1 inch chunks)
1 tsp of cinnamon
1 tbsp of plain flour*
2 tbsp of light brown sugar
GROUP B:
70 grams of porridge oats*
1 tsp of ginger paste
2 tbsp of plain flour*
35 grams of butter (having been warmed to room temperature)*
3 tbsp of soft brown sugar
The zest of 1 orange
METHOD:
1 Set your oven to 180c.
2 In one bowl add all of the ingredients from Group A and mix well.
3 On your baking tray, roll out the pastry while keeping it on the greaseproof paper. Cut the pastry into 6 equal squares.
4 Divide the rhubarb mix across each square, leaving a 1-2 cm border of pastry clear.
5 Pinch a corner of pastry firmly together and lift the corresponding sides. Pinch consecutive corners, lifting the sides until you have created a side rim of pastry all around that holds itself up.
6 In the other bowl add all of the ingredients from Group B.
7 Using your fingertips, mix and rub everything together to make rough breadcrumbs. Divide equally on top of each pile of rhubarb, stacking it up.
8 Put the food into the oven for 20 minutes until puffed up and golden brown. Carefully remove and serve hot, warm, or cold.
Hints & Tips
Rinsing the lentils at the preparation stage really does make a difference! You can take a peeler to the rhubarb to remove some stringiness but this is not necessary. Use the puff pastry greaseproof paper that comes in the packet and put it straight on to the baking tray. Squeeze the pastry corners to make sure they stay stuck together. And both of these freeze really well!
Give yourself time – take a step back, breathe, and re-cookfulness yourself. The key steps are marked for when something really important is needed, alongside hints & tips to help you throughout and after.
iHow To Change These Recipes In The Future
Five minutes before the end and just before serving, consider adding chopped fresh coriander to the dahl - for an extra flavor. And for the puffs, consider using lime instead of the orange zest. Flavours are always worth experimenting with.
Ian Taverner, also known as Mr Cookfulness, is available for bespoke cooking shows, workshops, talk & programmes. The Cookfulness Cookbook is available in hard copy & e-book on Amazon, BookshopUk, and Waterstones. To enquire:
WEB: cookfulness.co.uk
EMAIL: cookfulness@gmail.com
INSTAGRAM: @cookfulness
TWITTER: @cookfulness
FABEBOOK: @cookfulness
YOUTUBE: @cookfulness
Credit: Ian Taverner
Credit: Ian Taverner
Care
Skin deserves the best care
From Stoma Surgery to Show Time!
My journey into IBD and Ostomy life went from 0-100 very quickly. I was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease during an emergency hospital admission after years of feeling too embarrassed to talk about my symptoms. Three days later, I was being told I’d need stoma surgery to save my life. I took to stoma life very quickly. It saved my life and I had to embrace that.
Minack. This year, I will be performing Kinky Boots with RAOST, back at our home theatre in Redruth, Cornwall. This show is all about being who you want to be, believing in who you are, and celebrating differences. As someone who is living with IBD
Almost six years down the line, I have gone from being an extremely unwell 20-yearold to a 26-year-old who uses that pain as a reminder to make each day count. One of the questions I had asked before my ostomy surgery is if I’d be able to dance again. Amateur Theatre has been part of my life for 20 years and I didn’t want this to stop that passion. The good news is that I was back on-stage dancing almost a year later and haven’t stopped since.
and a stoma, I want to make a difference and show that life isn’t over by believing in myself and celebrating being different!
I am so grateful that I have safe spaces to celebrate still being here. Living life to the fullest is my biggest goal as I could have missed all of this if it wasn’t for my ostomy surgery. I am here proving that life isn’t over when you have a stoma.
One thing I had on my post-surgery bucket list was to be in another show at the Minack Theatre. I had been in four productions at this venue prior to surgery and I sadly missed out on what would have been my fthfi show there due to the timing of my diagnosis and surgery. I am so proud to say that I got to go back there last year with Redruth Amateur Operatic Society Trust performing Carousel. A Minack week has its challenges, but I listened to my body when I needed to and took time out when I needed to which meant I had the most amazing week with everyone. I’d love to know if any other ostomates have performed at the
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