Stress…

This blog can be of great comfort to ‘Wheelchair Boy’ sometimes because when life gets on top of me (as it has been for the past few days), I can vent my anger at the world by using words. Some people find opening up to someone and speaking aloud their inner thoughts helps to make them feel better. Others can only release anger through fits of violence. Then there are people like me who bottle up their problems, which I’ve grown to realise, is not healthy at all. That’s why I occasionally go off on a slight rant, today being no different.

You know me by now, I’m not one to be getting the violin out and licking my own wounds. Nor do I want sympathy. There are just days when I think the whole world (apart from my family) is conspiring against me. It seems like the people in power, whether that be the local council or private businesses, have already decided my destiny because I am disabled. I constantly get the impression that I should just stay in my family home and not integrate with society until I finally die. That’s what those in charge want, right?

Take my on-going battle with St. Albans District Council to get a bungalow/flat for me to move out into. My whole family have took it in turns to speak with those in the housing department and outline that the provisions for disabled people is wholly unacceptable but do you think they have listened? NO, don’t be silly. On Friday, they called and told my mum they had a place to offer me but it was not suitable for a wheelchair eventhough it has just been built. No wonder I feel helpless and get the vibe that no one wants me to move out ever.

Another thing stressing me out big time is my car. I am deteriorating on a daily basis so transfers are becoming increasingly difficult and unsafe. Therefore, I have decided to try and get a new vehicle with a ramp so that I don’t have to get out of the wheelchair. However, I cannot go back to having a big van like before because I hated that in the end, What with my hearing problems, I used to feel so isolated and cut off at the back. Ideally, I want to sit up the front again but the price for that is ridiculous. Again, it just seems that everything in my life is made that extra bit difficult.

I know that it seems like I’m being a tad overdramatic and have this strange complex that the world is against me but all I’m asking is that you get in my shoes. Assess the evidence and perhaps you’ll all realise that I’m right. Those at the top don’t want ‘Wheelchair Boy’ in society but tough luck, I am here and I’m not going to be quiet. Watch out Westminster Lodge; you’re next on my list!

Don’t worry though people. I feel much better and less stressed now I’ve got my issues off my chest.

Bye for now!

Welcome to 2015....

I’m back. After a couple of weeks of pigging out on chocolate and doing very little  (who am I kidding? That’s been happening for months), I have decided to return a bit of normality to my life in the form of this blog.  Now, I realise that my posts were few and far between towards the end of the year and I can only apologize. I just got distracted and lost interest. Eventhough I’m not going to make a promise to post every day like I did this time last year, I will make a conscious effort to update the blog regularly.

Since my last post, it was of course the birthday of the saviour; ‘Wheelchair Boy’. It was even more special this year as I was 21. Don’t get me wrong, it is great to reach that age and I am grateful as not everyone sadly makes it this far (sorry for being morbid) but I tend  to get quite reflective as opposed to joyful around this time of year.  I just end up looking at my life and thinking if it all was to end now, what would my obituary say. I don’t want to be simply known as ‘a passionate Arsenal supporter who skydived once’. I’d like there to be more but I’m struggling to think  of anything.

However, I realise that the only person who can change the direction of my life is myself. I am the one who needs to knuckle down and get on with my book.  I am the one who needs to try everything under the sun to get my own place and move out. I am the one who needs to find love (being single at 21 is actually becoming  a little scary). I am the one who needs to actually finish writing  a script instead of giving up. Basically, I just need to be proactive so that I get what I want in life. The only thing out of my hands is the fate of Arsenal  but that’s football.

I hope everyone else had a great festive period and has set themselves some targets for 2015. Remember, it’s not about being a new person but just a better you.

Happy New Year one and all.

Bye for now!

A time of good will…

It’s Christmas Eve and only today have I started to feel properly festive. Normally I get excited when December 1^st arrives but this year it feels different. I don’t know if it’s because I am not a kid (although I haven’t been one for a few years now) but I’m no longer desperate to open my presents. I’m actually more looking forward to seeing people’s reactions when they open what I’ve brought. Although I’m not Christian so probably shouldn’t even be celebrating this holy festival, I’ve grown to realise that Christmas is not about getting the latest games console but instead it’s about generosity and everyone being…for want of a better word…nice.

I’ve got two very recent examples to illustrate that Christmas truly is a time of good will to all men and women including ‘Wheelchair Boy’. The first story involves my problematic night when I went to see the Oxford Street Xmas lights being turned on back in November (read the post if you don’t know what happened: http://theadventuresofwheelchairboy.blogspot.co.uk/2014/11/the-battle-of-oxford-street.html). As I said, I wasn’t confidant that my strongly worded complaint would get read let alone get a response so I was pleasantly surprised when I did receive a reply a few weeks later. However, it seemed quite standard with phrases like “we will look into it” and I therefore wasn’t too satisfied. Until I read that were offering me a gesture of goodwill in the form of £100 in John Lewis vouchers. Result or what?

The second bit of goodwill came last night. I’ve got a beard again but it was slightly overgrown so I decided to have a little trim for Christmas. I wasn’t sure where to go and by chance, ended up in FnS barbers on Verulam Road. He done a lovely job and even though I feel out of place amongst the butch men who love a good old drink after a hard day at work, I’ll definitely go back in the New Year. Even more so as I didn’t have to pay because I think the owner was in a very Christmassy mood. See, people can be nice.

Before I go to dream of Santa, ‘Wheelchair Boy’ would like to wish all of my readers a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. See you all in 2015 where hopefully I’ll be able to blog on a regular basis (can’t promise anything because of other commitments but I’ll try to fit a few posts in). I’ll also be 21 by then so my writing will be more mature because of the added experience.

By the way, if you want to see a Pantomime, my brother is PC Pong in Aladdin in Stevenage. I thought I’d mention it because without sounding soft, I’m immensely proud of him as he is a great actor and finally the world (or at least Stevenage) can see that. I’ve already seen it twice and I definitely recommend it. Apologies if that last paragraph is cringeworthy and pretty random.

Bye for now!

Nothing new…

You might have seen/read in the news that a recent government funded report found that a number of high street shops and restaurants are not disabled friendly. Most people seemed to be appalled by the revelation but I am more dumbfounded that the findings shock the reporters as well as those in high office. It really is nothing new that access to certain places is poor and that businesses do not seem to care about disabled customers.

The Department for Work and Pensions asked my friends over at DisabledGo to run the audit on the government’s behalf. A group of researchers were sent to visit and assess 27,000 high street shops and 3,716 restaurants. Taheir findings were published last week (hence the media interest) but none of what was fed back surprised me. Some of the standout headlines from the report were:
·      One in five high street stores has no disabled access
·     A third of department stores do not have an accessible toilet.
·      Only 15% of retailers have hearing loops for the partially deaf.
·      Two in five food outlets have no accessible toilet,
·      23% of restaurants have menus in large print for the visually impaired and only 9% have hearing loops.

An issue that I have is people who do not know first hand how problematic something as simple as shopping can be for a disabled person overlook issues such as accessibility. They wrongly believe that legislation such as the Equality Act of 2010 are in place to stop discrimination but the report demonstrates that businesses flaunt this piece of law all the time. It obliges organisations to make reasonable adjustments for disabled people but they clearly don’t. It’s like saying because it is illegal to be racist, racism does not exist. However, we all know what is written in law differs greatly to reality.

The Minister for Disabled People Mark Harper responded to the findings by‘Calling on the retail and hospitality industry to look at what more they can do to better cater for disabled people’ but I’m not sure they’re bothered if Mr. Harper tells them off. I think the rules should be tougher such as on the spot fines if premises have one step but no portable ramp. That’s the only way businesses will listen and act. They obviously don’t care that there are roughly 12 million disabled people in Britain with an estimated spending power of £200bn so therefore penalties are needed.

Bye for now!

The battle of Oxford Street…

Bonfire night was, as it is every year, on the 5^th of November but there were nearly fireworks when I visited Oxford Street the following night. I heard about the Christmas lights being switched on a few days earlier on Capital FM so thought I’d go to the seasonal event (eventhough I’m not the biggest fan of Cheryl Fernandez-Versini) and get in the festive spirit. I went to see Kelly Clarkson turn them on back in 2011 and enjoyed the evening. Last time, there was a designated disabled viewing area just at the side of the stage because it is impossible to see over a crowd in a wheelchair. That wasn’t the case this year.

Since the ‘Access All Areas’ event in October, I have been keen to see if it as easy for wheelchair users to use Public Transport in London as the people at TfL. As I have said before, access to taxis is basically non-existent but I am pleased to confirm that over ground trains and buses are disabled friendly (well I haven’t tried them all obviously). At least the train to St. Pancras and bus to Oxford Street is. The new route master is quite plush and impressive actually. I haven’t tried the Tube recently but that should be another interesting adventure.

After a successful train then bus journey, my carer and I arrived on Oxford Street at about 16:00. We made our way to John Lewis where the stage was set and a large crowd was waiting to get in. There were event stewards on hand to help but none of them knew of any disabled viewing area with one security guard telling us to "get in the queue like everybody else". It’s probably not hard to imagine but I was incensed as you can imagine. We then spoke to a third steward who told us to "maybe go and try at the other end”. Bad advice.

Luckily I don’t suffer from panic attacks but a narrow pathway packed with 100’s of people is probably a claustrophobic’s idea of hell on earth. It was awful though. Everyone was pushing, which as you can imagine is very dangerous in such a confined area. I was actually scared of getting hit or someone falling on me. I even was concerned that some people in the crowd would get angry and start being violent. London is a busy place but it’s pretty out of order for kittling to be used as a form of crowd control in any circumstance, but especially when there are disabled people and children in there.

When we finally did get out of the crowd (the show was well under way by that point), two helpful young men were sympathetic to our story and wanted to assist us. However, we were outside Debenhams now so were too far away from the stage. One of them did guide us to a screen where we could watch it. This was better than nothing but I might as well have stayed at home. At least the speakers wouldn’t have blown. It would have also saved a massive headache and it wouldn't have cost me a single penny. Plus, Cheryl was only on stage for a minute and didn’t sing. Nothing new there…

By the way, I've wrote a letter of complaint to Oxford Street, John Lewis and Capttal (the latter two sponsored/promoted the event) explaining the issues I had. I doubt it will do anything but worth a try surely.

Bye for now!

Impersonators…

As many of you will know, I went to Brussels a few weeks back to watch Arsenal take on Anderlecht in the Champions League. We somehow managed to win in the end so happy days but I have to say I did not enjoy the trip as much my first European away day in Dortmund last year. Everything about Belgium disappointed me. The stadium was old-fashioned to say the least and lacked basic toilet facilities (the option was either a hole in the floor or one of the grim looking portable loos). The city centre is not much better with every toilet, including in a department store, costing 40C or more to use.

Another issue that is impossible to miss is the extreme poverty and the clear problem of homelessness. I’m not saying that beggars should not be allowed. I’m just making the point that everywhere you look there is a vagrant and an almost inconceivable amount of the homeless are disabled. Yes-poor people exist in London but the difference is that British beggars tend to be found in shop doorways holding signs where as in the Belgian capital; they pester people sitting in McDonald’s asking for money. I was just surprised because Brussels is the theoretical capital of Europe so I naively believed that the line between rich and poor would not be so visible.

Like I said, most of the beggars are ‘disabled’ and the reason that is literally unbelievable is because some are putting it on for effect. For example when we arrived in Brussels, a man helpfully guided our car back into a parking space using the old wave on then put your hand up to stop method (universal language). He was stood next to a woman begging in a wheelchair. By the time we got out of the car, the two had swapped positions and the man now had a cup that he was holding out in front of passers by. I should have been annoyed at this blatant act of fraud but I actually found the noises he was making funny and quite accurate.

Obviously, I don’t know if all vagrants in Belgium are faking being disabled but it certainly meant my family were quite sceptical when we saw other beggars (eventhough some were probably genuine). I even considered getting an empty coffee cup and seeing how much I could make before the match. At least I’m the real deal. I wish I could take it in turns to be in a wheelchair but unfortunately it’s 24/7 for me. No rest for the wicked.

Bye for now!

Forever grateful…

On Sunday 26^th October, I attended the Pearson Teaching Awards ceremony (basically the education BAFTA’s) at the impressive Guildhall in London. One of my Teaching Assistants from Secondary School, Sandra Stellon, was deservedly up for the national Teaching Assistant Of The Year award.  Unfortunately, she did not come away with the Gold Plato (was robbed) but was already a winner because Sandra had already been recognised for her exceptional contribution to the teaching profession when she was given one of just 59 Silver Teaching Award winners in the UK back in May.

This is an even greater achievement when you discover that there were over 2,000 nominations and an intense judging process. My parents and I were actually interviewed by one of the judges and all our positive words about Sandra must have worked. It wasn’t just us to tell the truth, All of her colleagues and other teachers from Sandringham bombarded the judge with praise and left those giving out the awards with no choice but to recognise Sandra’s hard work officially. I was delighted when I heard the news because so many schools do not realise that Teaching Assistant’s are so important and are the backbone of a classroom.

I cannot just focus on why Sandra is brilliant and has shaped me into the person I am today, I must mention my other Teaching Assistant Sue MacInnes (now retired) who I am also thankful to. Both did not just help me with physical tasks such as writing/typing for me but were also there emotionally in what was the most difficult and challenging part of my life. Going from walking in Year 7 to being a full blown ‘Wheelchair Boy’ by the time I left is devastating for a teenager but the pair kept me on track, making sure I didn’t get depressed and remained focused at doing the best I could when it came to schoolwork.

To be fair, it’s not as if Sandra missed out on much by not winning on the night. The BBC, like most people, obviously don’t think Teaching Assistants are that important so only gave the winner 17 seconds of air-time at the end of the show and cut-out her entire acceptance speech. If you want to watch the ceremony (eventhough the camera doesn’t zoom in on ‘Wheelchair Boy’), click the link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b04nvqck/teaching-awards-02112014. She did get a paragraph and picture in the programme though.

Sandra was nominated for her Award by a grateful colleague who said, “Sandra is a one of a kind teaching assistant who is irreplaceable in our school! She is a highly committed professional with the drive and passion to ensure that all her students are supported and inspired to reach new heights. She supports those with special educational needs and students who need additional help and in this role, she brings real and lasting impact to the lives of the students in our school. Her work truly makes a fantastic difference every day!

Bye for now!