Category: Disability

Trailer for new film about severe ME

This is a trailer for Voices from the Shadows, a film about severe ME by Natalie Boulton, who edited the book Lost Voices (reviewed by me here), and her son Josh Biggs (her daughter,...

ME Awareness month round-up

I know, ME Awareness week was a couple of weeks ago and work took too much out of me back then. However, the month ends in just under two hours (British time) and I...

ME Awareness: Emily Collingridge’s appeal

This article is an open letter by Emily Collingridge (right), who is best known as the author of Severe ME/CFS: A Guide to Living, a guide for patients and those involved in caring for...

Hardest Hit demo and stupidity on Radio 4

I took a day off work today to attend the Hardest Hit demonstration by disabled people against cuts (some masquerading as “reforms”) to benefits for disabled people. The march itself was pretty short, running...

ME Awareness Week: the dangers of GET

I've seriously injured a patient — head of nursing at University of Ottawa — because she insisted on the Graded Exercise Therapy programme. We put her in the physiotherapy hospital, which is a great...

No more Yuppie Flu!

This post is part of Blogging Against Disablism Day 2011. I was originally inspired to write this post when I saw Eamonn Holmes's bumbling performance while interviewing Kay Gilderdale, whose daughter Lynn committed suicide...

Blogging Against Disablism day, 2011

1st May this year is the sixth Blogging Against Disablism day, and thanks to Claire Wade for reminding me of it — I intend to take part this year myself. (I am composing it...

No, ME is not polio

Yesterday I was having a discussion on Facebook with an anti-vaccinationist who referred me to various websites which outlined the various supposed conspiracies that have gone on to keep parents in the dark about...

Demo report

So, I made it to the demonstration yesterday, as I had arranged to meet Riven Vincent who wanted someone to walk with her. I got there late because I was delayed leaving home and...

Cost of everything, value of nothing

Yesterday, I listened to a discussion on Radio 5 (the Victoria Derbyshire show) featuring Riven Vincent, the mother of a disabled daughter who challenged David Cameron on Mumsnet and then said she was planning...

PACE trial: What’s fear got to do with it?

Study finds therapy and exercise best for ME (from the Guardian, 18th February) On Thursday, the results of a trial of various supposed methods of treating what the authors insist on calling Chronic Fatigue...

On the recent UK sterilisation case

It is vital these difficult decisions are heard in public | Deborah Orr | Comment is free | The Guardian Recently the UK Court of Protection has been hearing a case in which a...