Check out my article recently published in Getting There magazine about the issue of being a disabled parent using public transport with a child in tow, no mean feat but possible with the sort of planning that would do the military proud.
http://cid-7d03cd7cc3e2777f.skydrive.live.com/self.aspx/Getting%20There%20magazine/Have%20kids%20will%20travel%20for%20Getting%20There.pdf
There's a photo of Archie taken fairly recently, with a bus and a tube, at the start of the article and one of me and him in a tube station, taken ages ago now - looks like he's got something wrong with his eye but it's actually a bad 'anti red eye' fix....
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Friday, August 15, 2008
Being able to jump [or not]
Ben and Archie are into trying to jump at the moment; I'm sure Ben will get the hang of it fairly soon but Archie might never get the hang of it because having Kniest and jumping don't really go together.
I was never that fussed about not being able to jump [or run] but then it was slightly different for me because I didn't have a little sibling snapping at my heels making me want to do better than them.
When I was young, the one thing I was fussed about was not being able to kneel down and sit back on my feet, if you know what I mean? It always looked like a very comfortable way of sitting on the floor but even if hell had frozen over I still wouldn't have been able to do it, my joints were never flexible enough.
However I remember, when I was about 7, a misguided physiotherapist telling me that if I did this exercise and that exercise I would be able to attain my dream sitting position. Of course this was just an outrageous scam to get me to do the exercises, which was totally unnecessary because I was slightly obsessive about doing them anyway.
Needless to say I did the exercises and I still couldn't kneel and sit back on my feet. I think I was more annoyed about being conned than upset about the exercises not working in the end!
I hope Archie can end up pleased with the things he can do rather than focus on what he can't but I guess that's always going to be slightly harder when he has a little brother who looks like Olympiad material to me - but he is my first non disabled child so it's a learning curve having such an 'able' child in contrast to one who is the mirror image of me.
I was never that fussed about not being able to jump [or run] but then it was slightly different for me because I didn't have a little sibling snapping at my heels making me want to do better than them.
When I was young, the one thing I was fussed about was not being able to kneel down and sit back on my feet, if you know what I mean? It always looked like a very comfortable way of sitting on the floor but even if hell had frozen over I still wouldn't have been able to do it, my joints were never flexible enough.
However I remember, when I was about 7, a misguided physiotherapist telling me that if I did this exercise and that exercise I would be able to attain my dream sitting position. Of course this was just an outrageous scam to get me to do the exercises, which was totally unnecessary because I was slightly obsessive about doing them anyway.
Needless to say I did the exercises and I still couldn't kneel and sit back on my feet. I think I was more annoyed about being conned than upset about the exercises not working in the end!
I hope Archie can end up pleased with the things he can do rather than focus on what he can't but I guess that's always going to be slightly harder when he has a little brother who looks like Olympiad material to me - but he is my first non disabled child so it's a learning curve having such an 'able' child in contrast to one who is the mirror image of me.
Wednesday, August 6, 2008
Reach for the skies - if you are a disabled person
Here a link to my article on new air travel legislation for ABLE magazine, which was published in the print version of the magazine as well as on their website:
http://www.ablemagazine.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/69-airlines-explored.html
http://www.ablemagazine.co.uk/index.php/component/content/article/69-airlines-explored.html
Thursday, July 17, 2008
For children disability is normal
I was talking to Archie the other day about going on a airplane and he was saying "and you know what mum, you'll go in the wheelchair!" That's because I always get assistance to cover the long distances at airports. He then went on to point out that we would go in the "air ambulance" which for him is the vehicle that takes you to the plane so you don't have to go up the stairs.
All this is normal for him, it's even exciting. Disability and difference is no big deal for him yet though he does talk about height quite a bit at the moment and I think he is noticing more and more that some people are taller than others.
I wonder at what point he'll find the difference 'embarrassing' or when he'll start to tune into other people's, including children's, comments about me or him being shorter than most? I do spend time worrying about all that but I suppose it's pointless worry really, instead I guess we should enjoy the oblivious honeymoon phase while it lasts.
All this is normal for him, it's even exciting. Disability and difference is no big deal for him yet though he does talk about height quite a bit at the moment and I think he is noticing more and more that some people are taller than others.
I wonder at what point he'll find the difference 'embarrassing' or when he'll start to tune into other people's, including children's, comments about me or him being shorter than most? I do spend time worrying about all that but I suppose it's pointless worry really, instead I guess we should enjoy the oblivious honeymoon phase while it lasts.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
"The Man with 20 Kids" and "Cotton Wool Kids"
Just made myself depressed by watching two recorded programmes, "Cotton Wool Kids" which was on C4 and 'The Man with 20 Kids" which was on BBC 1.
With "Cotton Wool Kids" it was so sad to see the kids smothered by their parent's fears and anxieties. It was obvious watching all the children in the programme how bright they were and yet some were bearly allowed out the front door because they might just, possibly, maybe, one day, be abducted or worse. Life for them mostly consisted of watching TV and computer games. Torture.
It was torture of another kind watching "The Man with 20 Kids", there's no doubt that the guy does love his kids but it just feels so wrong that he choses to have more and more when they live in such squalor and chaos.
As numerous messageboards have commented the moment when one of the youngest members of the family was just left to find a spot on the floor to sleep because no one had thought put him to bed was simply awful.
It's quite unbelievable as to why someone would chose to broadcast their family life like this - I wonder what they hoped to get out of it? And what good did the BBC think would come out of broadcasting it?
With "Cotton Wool Kids" it was so sad to see the kids smothered by their parent's fears and anxieties. It was obvious watching all the children in the programme how bright they were and yet some were bearly allowed out the front door because they might just, possibly, maybe, one day, be abducted or worse. Life for them mostly consisted of watching TV and computer games. Torture.
It was torture of another kind watching "The Man with 20 Kids", there's no doubt that the guy does love his kids but it just feels so wrong that he choses to have more and more when they live in such squalor and chaos.
As numerous messageboards have commented the moment when one of the youngest members of the family was just left to find a spot on the floor to sleep because no one had thought put him to bed was simply awful.
It's quite unbelievable as to why someone would chose to broadcast their family life like this - I wonder what they hoped to get out of it? And what good did the BBC think would come out of broadcasting it?
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