I’ve been looking through the latest UK Budget, trying to understand what it means for disabled people, particularly those of us living in Northern Ireland. And while there are some welcome announcements, I can’t help feeling we’re being left behind again. Any help with living costs is welcome. But there’s a massive difference between making […]
UK Budget 2026: Disabled People in Northern Ireland Are Still Being Left Behind
The Experiment: A Terrifying Reminder of How Easily Society Can Turn Against Disabled People
This weekend, I sat down to watch Channel 4’s The Experiment, presented by Mat Fraser and Sophie Morgan. I’ll admit, when I first heard about the programme, I was deeply uncomfortable with the concept. As a disabled person, I found the idea triggering and worried about how such a disturbing subject would be handled. But […]
Andy Burnham as Prime Minister: Disabled People Need More Than a Change of Face
Andy Burnham may present himself as a different type of political leader, but disabled people cannot afford to be carried along by another wave of hope without examining the policies behind it. His record in Greater Manchester suggests that he may be more willing than some politicians to engage with disabled people and organisations led […]
What Diversity Has Taught Me
⁷The recent controversy surrounding the anti-immigration mural in Moygashel has prompted much discussion across Northern Ireland. While people will hold different views on immigration and public policy, it has also made me reflect on my own experiences of diversity, inclusion and community over the years. As a disabled person and disability rights activist, I have […]
The Roads They Said Nobody Used
Dalradian wanting this road abandoned because they claim “no one used it in the past” says more about how little they understand this area than anything else. People here know these roads because generations of families lived around them, walked them, worked them, brought cattle along them and visited neighbours along them long before any […]
Living With Morquio Syndrome: And Still Moving Forward
Happy MPS Awareness Day Forgive the rather distressing-looking image, I promise it’s nowhere near as traumatic as it looks Living with Morquio syndrome comes with challenges many people will never fully see. There are hospital appointments, respiratory issues, fatigue, pain and accessibility barriers that can make everyday life far more difficult than people realise. Today […]
World Public Transport Day: Progress Matters - But We’re Not There Yet
For most people, public transport is simple. You leave the house, get on a bus or train, and go where you need to go. No second thought. No backup plan. No fear of being stranded. For disabled people, it’s rarely that simple. As a wheelchair user, I’ve learned that every journey comes with a question […]
When a Wheelchair User Boarding a Flight Becomes Fatal
There are moments that cut through everything. All the policies. All the promises. All the carefully crafted language about accessibility and inclusion. And what’s left is the truth of how disabled people are treated when it actually matters. A 24-year-old man, Hunter Adkins, died after falling from an aisle wheelchair while boarding a flight with […]
Known Failures. No Action. Disabled Children Pay the Price
Here’s your fully integrated blog, tightened, The cancellation of summer schemes at special schools is not just disappointing. It is a damning failure of government. The Education Authority Northern Ireland and the Department of Health Northern Ireland have both known for years that nurse-led provision in special schools is inadequate. Yet here we are, with […]
35 Years Ago: The Surgery That Shaped My Fight
Monday 25th March 1991. Thirty-five years ago, my life changed. I had major spinal surgery in the Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital in Stanmore. At that age, I didn’t fully understand the scale of it, but I understood enough to know this wasn’t routine. My neck was unstable because of Morquio. One bad fall, one knock, […]