Welcoming the New Year
Happy New Year! It’s 2024 now, and you know what that means – a mix of opportunities and challenges awaits us. Life has a funny way of throwing curveb…
Happy New Year! It’s 2024 now, and you know what that means – a mix of opportunities and challenges awaits us. Life has a funny way of throwing curveb…
I’m not going to lie, 2023 was a bit of a rollercoaster for me. Personal tragedies have combined with professional changes - moving from one team to a…
Now, more than ever, we are very self-conscious as a society. Growing up in the digital era as a disabled person, my self-image has evolved lots over …
I have been incredibly lucky that my cookbook and cooking courses have allowed me a new career following my serious health changes. However, that has …
To be autistic is to feel alone. Or at least that is what it has felt like for much of my life. I did not know that I was on the spectrum during my te…
Columnist - Ruben Carol I’ve always said that I will avoid flying with Ryanair at all costs, but recently I had no choice as I needed to book a fli…
Columnist - Ciara Lawrence In late September, the Government launched a brand-new campaign, ‘Ask, Don’t Assume’, encouraging people to talk to disa…
Not so long ago, that time of year rolled around for buying a new pencil case, checking that the second-hand uniform still fitted, before recharging y…
Interview - Gareth Ceidiog Hughes Humans are often described as creatures of habit, though as a species, we are far from unique in this regard.…
When I received my first wheelchair, I was provided with basic instruction on how to move forwards, backwards, turn, navigate ramps and open doors. Ho…
I’ve just moved back into the Communications, Advocacy and Activism Directorate team at Mencap. I’ll be helping the team think about how they can enga…
Those around them and the society they form are given a free pass for making life needlessly difficult for those on the spectrum. Because of this, aut…
In June, I received my Diana Award. A few weeks prior I had received an email from my pastoral care teacher (or guidance teacher) that he had put me f…
Why aren’t the incredible efforts of autistics to fit in, recognised? We are fish in a world devoid of water. So, what do we do? We adapt as best w…
Steering through a driving assessment Now that I’m of the age to have a driving licence I’ve realised that the road to learning to drive with a dis…
It’s brilliant to have time out with the people you love. As summer gets underway, I’ve been looking forward to going away on my holidays. Summer h…
Columnist- Ruben Carol I recently embarked on a much-needed getaway with my wife, seeking refuge from the dreary British weather. Our destination o…
Melissa Cassidy Life is full of the unexpected for everyone but when you are disabled there’s always much more uncertainty when it comes to loo…
This summer the Birmingham Commonwealth Games was a global standard bearer for accessibility in sport, with the largest ever parasports offering to da…
During Mencap’s 75th anniversary year in 2021, our new five-year strategy, the ‘Big Plan’, was launched. Ultimately, Mencap want the UK to be the best…
In April 2020, a few weeks after the UK went into an unprecedented lockdown due to the Covid-19 global pandemic, I was appointed Shadow Minister for D…
People should, of course, have a choice to use a wheelchair or not. But it seems to me that sometimes people choose not to use a wheelchair out of fea…
Just after Christmas, I looked around and saw all the boxes left over from the gifts I received from friends and family, as well as purchases I’ve mad…