Able and Disabled

Hey! Hope you are well. I've been pretty overwhelmed recently but today I wanted to discuss the access to BSL (British Sign Language) within our community. I've personally wanted to start learning BSL for sometime now, but along with being busy it's difficult to know my place within this particular space. BSL isn't just for the severely deaf but is used by many within the hard of hearing community who may struggle with clarity or understanding. Furthermore, sign language can be used by many without hearing problems but who struggle with communication for any reason, such as those living on the autistic spectrum. My hearing loss is mild. In 1:1 conversations or when I'm watching something on my own I can cope without my hearing aids. However, in loud or heightened social situations I can definitely struggle to gain clarity and fully know what is going on around me. In these kinds of circumstances knowing some basic BSL and being able to share that knowledge with ...

Hey! I hope you are well and having a fantastic 2019 so far! I can't believe that we are already halfway through the first month of the year! Today I wanted to talk about cerebral palsy, a topic I haven't focused very much recently. Even though cerebral palsy affects me in many ways every single day, I no longer receive regular medical attention for this particular facet of my disability and not a lot changes in my condition. For this reason I perhaps talk about cerebral palsy a little less; it's the diagnosis I've lived with the longest and is the most stagnant. However, I recently made the decision to purchase myself a walking stick and thought this may be a good experience to share. As I have already mentioned, I don't really see any doctors or other medical professionals on the basis of cerebral palsy anymore, meaning that the decision to get a stick was entirely my own. I don't think that this fact makes my decision or use of a walking stick any less va...

Hey! Hope you are well! Sorry for the slight break in posts over Christmas, I just felt that following some of my difficulties at the end of last term I needed that time to take care of myself and relieve some of the pressure I felt under. Now I am back and I'm looking forward to a whole new year of content and conversation, especially since there will be so much to talk about, such as my year abroad and turning 21! It looks as though there will lots of new, exciting things happening on this blog in 2019! Mental health and the new year is what I wanted to talk about today. New Year's Resolutions are always an interesting topic; some people make them and some people don't, some people stick to them and some people abandon them. My New Year's Resolutions last year were very focused upon work and productivity. My focus was mostly upon getting a job, saving money and specific grade goals, and while all these goals were incredibly important at the time and I still want t...