We approach, not only the end of the year, but the end of yet another decade. I always like to take time to reflect on where I have been in the year with My Way Access and what the future might hold for the coming year ahead. In 2019, I thought I would start the […]
My Way Access: My Review of 2019
The NHS: My Story
in December 1979 I was born in the Tyrone County Hospital in Omagh. Immediately there was a problem with my breathing and I was rushed to the Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast. They were able to keep me on the straight and narrow. Thus began my 40 year journey with the NHS. After medical check […]
Thursday Truths and Fundraiser: Nat’s New Wheelchair - Help Increase Their Independence
You know what is really messed up? The NHS will not provide lightweight active wheelchairs unless you are in accessible housing. It doesn’t matter if you have a condition like Ehlers Danlos Syndrome (or are on the hypermobility spectrum at all), and subluxate and dislocate your joints regularly. They will not budge. Nor will they […]
Thursday Truths: What Can Disabled People Do On A Ryanair Flight?
On Saturday 31st August, Colm Creamer was catching a Ryanair flight from Dublin to Budapest. His girlfriend was assigned seat 1B, which she didn’t want to sit at, so Colm swapped with her. When he went to take seat 1b, he was asked to swap with another passenger (who was an inebriated 20-something year old […]
Thursday Truths: Booking Disabled Space Online With Translink
After trying to book an accessible bus from Omagh to Dublin last week on the newly revamped Translink NI website and discovering it wasn’t possible, I found this to be an glaring oversight by the company at best. I spoke to Aaron McKane of Transport For All about this. With us both being new members […]
Lyra McKee
I am still wiping away the tears and begging for it not to be true. My friend Lyra McKee was murdered in the streets of Derry on Thursday night. She was reporting on the riots in the city, when she was shot. Lyra and I go back 5 years. She first came to my attention […]
Thursday Truths: Disability Awareness Needs To Be Proactive
On Tuesday 26th February, there was Disability Awareness in the South West morning at Strule Arts Centre in Omagh. This event was organized by My Way Access and Omagh Access Forum’s Chairperson Dermot Devlin and Omagh Chamber of Commerce’s Bronagh Gormley. The event began by speaks from: Joanne McDonald from Mencap NI Bronagh Gormley from […]
My Way Access - A 2018 Reflection
The New Year makes you look back at the year that’s been. It was a busy year for My Way Access, as I usually had something in the pipelines. I started off by delivering a talk for Little Penny Thoughts as part of their Wellness From Within awareness drive. I worked closely with Omniplex Cinemas […]
Thursday Truth: PIPs - My Day Of Reckoning Has Come
This morning, I had my visitor from Capita, to access me for Personal Independent Payment (PIP) as part of Welfare Reform. The wait over the years, has been terrible and then the filling in of what felt like a 1000 questions recently, was a draining experience. I look at myself as a positive person, […]
Thursday Truths: Not Easy To Jet Off When You Have A Disability
Traveling at the best of times is difficult enough, but when you have a disability, it takes extra time to plan and everything has to be in place before you do. On Saturday 11th August, Magherafelt man, Francis Stewart had planned to travel from Belfast to Liverpool for a Liverpool FC soccer match. He was […]