Action Blog
Viewing entries tagged with 'family'
Loving someone with a disability: change begets change
When I look back on the incredible amount of change that I have been through since I picked myself up off my backside and decided that registering blind was not the end of the world, I am a little taken aback at how all of this change has transpired so seamlessly. And the changes themselves have been wide and varied - some by design, others by default, some under my control and others well out of my grasp - but the one constant in all of this has been the foundation of love, respect, understanding and encouragement provided so effortlessly by Mark and Martin.
Why having a visual impairment has made me a better parent
When Martin was born, my eyesight was ok. When I think about it, I was probably partially sighted, but this was not official because at that time I did not know what those words meant. I was firmly in the mainstream and the words 'impairment' and 'disability' were not in my vernacular either. But as my eyesight started to diminish to the point where I was rapidly moving to the disability side of the street and registered blind, I was pretty convinced, although Mark did assert otherwise, that I was not going to be able to be the parent to Martin that I wanted to be and this scared the living daylights out of me.
Amidst great pain comes momentous joy and a completely unexpected new beginning
When my dad had his leg amputated and was recovering in hospital, his cries of pain rocked me to my very core.
Who is caring for the carers?
My delicate little ego may try to prevent me from facing up to the fact that Mark is my carer, but it is true. It is what it is. He is my carer, and a damn marvellous one at that. It is a mighty stressful and demanding job and, although there is nothing I can do about it, I do see the toll it takes on him and, if he is not careful, the role of carer could simply consume him.
Living with disability – when age, disability, sight loss, parents and children come together
My dad will be 83 this year and like most people his age, he has had some health issues, but until now, these have either been curable, treatable or manageable and have allowed him to lead a full and independent life with the unspoken motto 'Have golf clubs. Will travel'. But disability has arrived at his door and he is, amazingly, quite graciously accepting of it.
The dance floor and I will not be meeting on New Year’s Eve
All right then. Christmas is over. You have had your fill of turkey for the year and then some, and it is time to get yourself ready for the next big event of the holiday calendar, New Year’s Eve. For us visually impaired folk, venturing out on New Year's Eve can only be described as being akin to Dante's Inferno.
One visually impaired girl’s take on the whole meaning of Christmas
Here we are, in the thick of the holiday season. Three days to go until Christmas and people are running around like headless chickens trying to find that perfect gift for that special person and fretting about that not very special relative that they feel obliged to spend Christmas day with.
Growing up with a disabled parent
For those of you who have children, you will understand what I mean when I call them the great equaliser. No matter what I am going through, I take one look at my beautiful boy and I am a goner. Even if for just that short moment, whatever stress or strain that the day has provided, I am suddenly calm and all is forgotten. It is the only time in your life when you are wholly responsible for another human being and even though being a mom to Martin is a whole lot of fun with plenty of laughter, I do take that responsibility very seriously. We give a lot of consideration to the kind of parents that we are and the environment that we have created in our home.
Learning about love and compassion
My husband and I have been together for over 13 years, so have been through most of the ups and downs that couples go through, but in coming to terms with my disability, my fear of losing my independence put our relationship to the test.
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accessibility, apple, assistive technology, beauty, benefits, big society, burnley, carers, christmas, coping, digital inclusion, disability, disclosing disability, discrimination, dla, dwp, employment, esa, family, fashion, grieving, happiness, holidays, human rights, ignorance, inclusive design, inclusivity, independence, iphone, life, living with sight loss, love, pension, people, registration, respect, rp, sailing, shopping, sight loss, social inclusion, stereotypes, style, technology, travel, vi people, web accessibility, welfare rights, white cane, work capability assessment,
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