Diversity in dance: Fusion at Sadlers Wells
TweetEveryone can dance, says Step Change Studios founder Rashmi Becker. After seeing the dance company’s showcase at Sadlers Wells last night, I’d add that everyone should see its artists perform. The...
View ArticleSocial Issue opinion piece: learning disabled people should have equal access...
TweetIsn’t it about time that learning disabled people enjoyed the same access to cultural lives and work as everyone else? This is one question that Venture Arts (VA) and our speakers will be asking...
View ArticleHow a national scandal goes unnoticed
TweetTomorrow is the seventh anniversary of an event that reflects an enduring national scandal. A long-running scandal that doesn’t trigger public or political outrage. I’ve written an opinion piece...
View ArticleThe Social Issue – on a summer break
Tweet As the Twitter screenshot above says, I’m on a break from blogging and tweeting so I can progress the book, Made Possible, a collection of essays on success by high achieving people with learning...
View ArticleChanging perceptions of learning disability: an update on my book, Made Possible
TweetSo I’ve spent the last few months working with some incredible essayists for my crowdfunded book Made Possible. The book is a collection of essays on success by (note: ‘by” and not “about”) high...
View ArticleSnooker, skiing and smuggling in cider – lessons from a long-stay hospital
TweetA new heritage project aims to dispel misconceptions about learning disability and the lives of people who lived in long-stay institutions. The charity CASBA (Citizen Advocacy South Birmingham...
View ArticleNews on my book, Made Possible
TweetJust over a year ago I launched the crowdfunding campaign for Made Possible – and now I’m delighted to say that I’ve just delivered the manuscript to the publisher, Unbound. And I know I’ve...
View ArticleHappy Christmas 2018
TweetSeason’s greetings to everyone – this is me with my sister Raana, thanking everyone who’s collaborated on stories, projects and posts this past year – here’s to more of the same in 2019. Big...
View ArticleInstitutions – in all but name
Tweet I love the photo, above, of Jamie Newcombe, taken by Martin Godwin for an article in the Guardian today. Jamie, who has a learning disability, was once in a series of restrictive inpatient care...
View Article‘It’s like the light’s come back on’: connecting people in care homes with...
Tweet Paul Williams has a learning disability and was once an athlete. Years in institutional care meant he didn’t mention his talent. With the Time to Connect project, which I wrote about in the...
View Articlemy ordinary life, A film by Raana salman
TweetA five-minute film by Raana Salman My sister Raana made this film on the theme of community – helped by her brilliant support worker Indra – for sharing at this week’s (Un)Ordinary Conference in...
View ArticleMy sister has Fragile X syndrome. The barriers to an ordinary life are...
TweetWhat makes an “ordinary life” for the UK’s 1.5 million learning disabled people? Having relationships, choosing where to live or when to go out? Things that most of us take for granted are often...
View ArticleReports and reviews on repeat
TweetThe government’s care watchdog the Care Quality Commission, published an interim report today into the treatment of people wiht learning disabilities and/or autism. The report calls for a review...
View ArticleMy sister’s ordinary life
TweetI write a lot about failures in care for learning disabled people, but I just wrote something that reflects the complete opposite – it’s about my sister Raana’s very good support, and her hopes...
View Article‘People with learning disabilities must be put at the centre of their care’
TweetI just did a Guardian interview with Sheila Hollins. The crossbench peer is one of the UK’s foremost authorities on learning disability and mental health but the says her greatest achievement is...
View Articlecollaborative cast breaks barriers to dance
TweetI’ve written before about the innovative work of Step Change Studios – an inclusiveLatin and ballroom-inspired company for disabled and non-disabled dancers. Now, as these photos show, the company...
View Articleerica is alive today thanks to a specialist learning disability doctor
TweetIt’s not all about Boris Johnson – the UK’s first doctor specialising in profound and multiple learning disabilities will start work in a groundbreaking pilot later this year, as I report in...
View ArticleBOOK Cover reveal!
TweetI’m thrilled to reveal the cover for my forthcoming book, Made Possible: Thanks to the thoughtful and endlessly creative minds at Unbound for enabling me to be fully involved in the design process...
View ArticleAs a disabled Asian woman, I’ve had to fight for my independence
TweetGazala Iqbal, now 46, was overprotected at home and her sense of dependency was reinforced by patronising attitudes from health and social care professionals. One district nurse told Bradford born...
View Articlesimon baron-cohen interview
Tweet I recently interviewed Simon Baron-Cohen, a world-leading expert on autism, for the Guardian. His latest research reflects the huge gulf between advancements in awareness and research and real,...
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