A Right Proper 53 Year Old Rant!

Note to self: This probably should be 2 blogs but flip it, I’m testing a new writing app out…and enjoying it!

When I turned 50 I said to myself I’m going to start doing  2 things differently.  Nothing big or serious, 2 little things that up until then (age 50), I hadn’t done too much in my life. They are more about internal approaches, turning things on their head a bit. 3 years on, I’m going to share them with you.

The first thing is when eating. My inner dialogue would make me save the favourite mouthfuls of food till last…no longer, from now favourite bits come first, enjoy my food from the start, lifes too short! I also realised that in my past 50 years, I’d sometimes not get to that bit of the food. I’d get so full that either I would never get to eat the best bit or I’d get to the last bit and find they weren’t the best bits after all, and my meal would finish on a bit of a downer mouthful!

This 1st lifestyle change has been going very well.

“A Working-Class Sushi” (as Ben calls this picture).

The second new practice is to have a good rant at and about things. A full-on-50-year-old-rant. I’m going to award myself this earned privilege. I now enjoy shouting at the telly, radio and listening to LBC. Even shouting at newspapers and street signs are up for grabs.  The rants might be based on facts and experiences, important even, the rant is the bit you can do to ease it, rest and work out before doing something proper about it. It’s about awarding yourself a release and a feeling of enjoyment. Releasing dolphins I think they call it?

The important bit is the shouting it out to yourself (or a tv, radio or signpost), getting it out and not tipping the rant over to anger. When it’s out, follow it up by breathing (you have to put ‘umph’ into the rant), and then a period of peace, and reflection (on my fairness/rightness or not) and then a nice cup of tea to make it all better.  The importance to stress in this is seeing ranting as a good thing to keep you nice, happy, reasoned, kind and gentle in real life.

It’s about ranting to the point before a fair and justified point becomes a moan or turns into anger, hopefully, I’ll earn the right to progress to moan here and there when I’m in my 90s. I hope my anger is always used correctly, never stored up and is used for good. So a 50+ rant is that sort of “makes you feel good”, get it off yer chest, nobody will take any notice, this won’t change anything type rant, it’s a waste of energy…but it feels good!

It’s not directed at any individual, it comes from 50 years of living and learning and making mistakes (and all that continues). It comes from a newly found 50+ confidence and self-given right to say, “hold on, I’ve been here, I’ve thought about this, (I might still be wrong) but I’m not going to hold it in this time”….I’m going to rant….I will feel better knowing I said it out loud. No longer will my rants burn inside and whimper out with the regret of not saying it and maybe getting something right (or nearly right at least.

so after 3 years of practice, I am sharing 2 rants on this overdue blog.

You don’t have to do anything with them, you can read and ignore. Youcan give me advice or comment, but I am going to rant…then ave a cuppa.

Rant 1. Why on earth do you sell a plug without the chain? I’ve got a modified/adapted sink, to make it a little more accessible. Because of that, whenever I need a new part, and because its probably got the “we saw you coming disability/access sticker” on it, the parts cost more, and usually ‘next-day delivery” or urgency to our services still hasn’t been invented yet. Well, Disabled People have got more time on their “rather poor hands” (to quote Frank Bough interviewing me in the 80’s).

OK, I digress, and possibly just had a minor rant within a bigger rant there, back to the plug of which there’s not much more to rant about, except….

My lovely Laura finds a right fitting plug after me failing to find a correctly fitting one over a period of a few months and a small collection of black rubbery plugs building up. The plug arrives….no chain….why…who thought it would be a good idea to sell a plug without a chain, have they ever washed with hot water or not been able to put marigolds on to take the dip.  

I need a chain that I can hook with me stick, tug it and boom…but no, no chain… too easy to sell and fix to the plug, I fear for the next few months, looking for the right chain, the right length, the right attaching fiddley bit, oh it’s to attach to an adapted sink that’ll be another £20 quid, please. “Special Needs”, don’t start, I just want a plug that fits in me sink….with a chain that makes it all work, it simple, almost wanted to say ’normal’ here, but I don’t wanna belong to Normaland.  

Rant 1 over…Breath, reflect, cuppa tea…ah I feel better, looking forward to the comments about how I should have gone here, tried this. Advice, just like when they banned plastic straws, saying they had listened to our needs and said we would be able to get straws at a chemist on prescription. I’m not sick I’m thirsty, I don’t need a doctor I need a Guinness!.. And yes, I’ve tried bamboo, paper, wax, glass, metal, hose and exhaust pipe. I just need a decent strong, bendable, stretchable long straw. (that might count as another rant within a rant about a main rant).

Rant 2.
I’m not sure if this was just a manipulated image or AI or for real, but who told Boots that this Parking sign was a good idea?

Parking Sign – It can’t be real?

I know some people struggle with language, want to be nice, and even get their language right here n there! I get it, in the real world, in the real world I even help people explore it, But this? Please!

Yes, in my 50+ years, language has changed, not much tbh, but yes changed but for about the last 35 years, the Disability Movement has been pretty consistent, Disabled People is fine, cause we’ve worked out what it means (for now). Check out The Social Model of Disability, read stuff ‘written by’ disabled people (and yes, we might have made it a bit longer by adding D/deaf and Neurodivergent, but that’s only cause we collectively experience barriers and discrimination, sorry it’s not fewer characters to fit in your need for bullet point shorthand.

 Yes, not everyone in the movement and individuals may choose different words, if that’s what rocks yer boat…..I’m about unity, collectiveness, community, and belonging.

Yes, some say, “Oh, isn’t the word disability negative? Well, that’s only if you believe the crap (scuse my parlance) and assumptions that have been heaped upon us by others for the last 100’s of years.

It’s got nothing to do with ability, my body is ok (apart from maybe being a bit older, stiffer n more knackered than a few years back..and perhaps even needing a tattoo here n there with a few instructions on where to put it at it’s comfiest.

We are NOT less able…and whilst I’, at it, for all the semantics out there, my parking is pretty good too! You only have to look around the rest of the car park to find the ‘Less Abled parking!

Rant 2 over…Breath, reflect, cuppa tea…

I think Mercury might still be in my Retrigrade Helen?

Oh fekk, Question Times on me Telly!

I know…its been a long time.

But in fairness, I have been pretty busy, and I have been very active online.

My first album, “Better Late Than Never ” is out and available to buy and download. And a new website and socials focused much more strongly on my music.

So i have been telling ya stuff but just in different places. This blog is still a useful (and hopefully interesting) place where I do a bit of thinking, dickering and rambling.

So whilst waiting for my Eurostar train home from a weekend with Laura in the Hague, I thought I’d just pop here to say “I’m here and this blog is still a goer”.

For all the new stuff related to the album, gigs and my very important to sign up to “Mailing List” follow the links here:

https://linktr.ee/JohnKellyMusician

So a blog with some thoughts and happenings is coming this way; I haven’t forgotten here or Rockinpaddy.

Soon sausages!

Why #EndAbleism is trending?

Lot of thinking over last few weeks about Ableism as it’s come more into focus during this pandemic. This has been written fast as if honest, I wasn’t sure we’d even make a ripple on twitter, I hoped, believed but still…..sorry for the typos, I’ll update as I slow down.

This is just a quick shower  of whats been in my head during many sleepless nights mulling todays campaignas we trend at number 3 in UK twitterland with  #WeShallNotBeRemoved #EndAbleism  (see #WeShallNotBeRemoved #EndAbleismall over social media today).

Disablism and ableism for me are intertwined and associated but from different angles of the same prejudice pot.

Its the idea that a certain type of body is able and mine isn’t. Really?

Your able bodied (often goes along with fit & strong) and I’m not, really?

The idea that disability is about my lack of ability or inability, nothing to do with prejudice or discrimination that prevents me from my potential to do exactly what you do, but just in a different way, my way isn’t valid or proper because I don’t fit in to your way, Really?

As a result of Ableism or ableist attitudes, value judgements are made ..if you lack ability you either need fixing or your worthless.  Being different, with impairment, deaf, with a leaening difficulty, whatever our difference/diversity…we are the problem and cost….really?

During this pandemic the UK government made those Ableist value judgements on our worth as disabled people & its hit really hard (I’ve lost 13 friends in 12 weeks).  It was decided how we were to be treated (or not) in this pandemic. It was all fairly quite and unsaid but simply Disabled People (particularly those living Independent Lives) were not on the agenda.  We had to shout & our voices are not loud.

So ableism sees us as week, inferior, worthless, to be isolated and protected.  We are not Vulnerable.  We are only made vulnerable by policies and procedures chosen to oppress and keep us as unequal to other worths, the economy, business, fiscal power.

Thats why #WeShallNotBeRemoved #EndAbleism is so important today. I’m so proud that in under 3 weeks we have come together as a small movement, connected, used our creativity & raised our voice, knowing that still many of us Disabled People are not being heard or listened to.  We are still not at the table of change.

I’ve fought most of my life to end disability so why Ableism? I’m not an academic, but I’ve spent a lot of time learning from others, who I know will articulate far more rigoursly than I.

An Ableist prejudice is rushing some back to the old normal.  Well the old normal didn’t work for us and we don’t really want a new normal. We really want change, human rights to be respected, equality, social justice & real inclusion based on belonging, understanding, partivipation & value of all our worth (our difference/diversity/intersectionality is the real value.

So #EndAbleism sausages!

 

 

#LittleDorrit on BBC Radio 4

So, tomorrow, Sunday 30th December(& indeed next Sunday), I will be playing Mr Dorrit & the voice of Charles Dickens on yer radiogram.

Probably the only time I’ll ever be saying that one as a status!

Tune yer radiogram in at 3pm, BBC radio 4 with the brilliant Pickles Norman Liz Carr Jude Mahon Autumn Red Bonham-Cox Vikki Gee Jenny Sealey Narinder Samra Eloise Whitmore John Merriman recorded at the brilliant @CrownLaneStudios

It was a brilliant experience, I am grateful to have learnt loads & I really hope you enjoy it sausages. Let variety be the spice of life indeed!

The story set then is the story now. Yep happening now, political ….fighting injustice, poverty, accessible affordable housing, the crisis that is social housing, oppression, austerity, cuts, cuts & on it goes.

When will the quietest of our voices be not only heard, but valued and acted upon. Very Proud to be a small part of this piece and yet my heart screams more loudly, listen to the horrific experiences of those needing social housing & an end to poverty/oppression in Merton/London/all over the UK and we still wait and will never forget the need for #Justice4Grenfell

End.

I Don’t Fit In A Box, You Don’t Fit In A Box, We Don’t Fit In A Box!

Thanks to Drake Music for commissioning me to write this song for We All Make Music 2018, an Anti-conference celebrating the Right to make music in Education.

Woodie Guthrie would say a living song; a song that make you take pride in yourself and your work & a song that protests about the things that need protesting about.

We want Inclusion & Disability Equality so that all our narratives, stories & songs can be heard, not just the few with the Power button or are the loudest.

Inclusion, Equality & the right to make music seem a pretty important thing to create a living song about. Enjoy, share, download, join the movement for Change, don’t let it all pass by unchallenged.

We Don’t Fit In A Box

Sophie Partridge xx

I haven’t known what to write. There’s a very big bit of me that it hasn’t all sunk in. My drafts n words don’t even touch the surface of all the things I want to tell the world about how important Sophie Partridge was to us all…and me. 
I’ve kept busy cause that’s what I do. I surround myself with lovely people and be creative, do stuff and I feel blessed/lucky as a result. Since last week Soph has made me realise we always need to do that, bring lovely friends together and be close to each other and be happy, life is brutally short. 
I’ve seen so many beautiful and true things written or posted about Soph by all who would equally as I rightfully say they were close to Soph. That’s because that was the reality of Sophie. she had so many close friends because that’s what she did…made you feel close..important…happy…joyous..listened to..loved….cared for…special and I will miss that feeling, I already do. I already miss the security of Soph not being around to check out with. [note: Soph would hate n poke me for using special or care in describing her but I mean both words in there truest meaning here,…. plus me n Soph could be naughty with the crap words used around us and have a little fun/giggle wiv em], so deal wiv it xx. 
I guess simply it could be explained as true friendship and love that I always felt around Sophie a friendship and love I I feel I’d fail to give back as well as Soph ever gave to us all. I saw her do all this in awe of her at work and at home with our tea n hula hoops or any of the times we spent which now I know we’re always to short. 
 She would be there, to chat too, to have a laugh with, to do world changing things with, to have a cuppa with. She had that way about her that was the way to really listen, make sense of stuff, cut through the bullshit and say the right thing, the thing that needed to be said. If it needed to be fought for because it was right then she was there, stronger than any. 
Then if you complimented her on any of it she’d dismiss it in that kind of ‘Sophie way’……”Yeh….i don’t know..I don’t know really…yeh…lets have tea/tinkle time”  
I’ve felt close to Soph on many times and felt all that stuff above everytime, but one time that mattered was when she asked me to help with writing/exploring music for Semmersuaq. It was during the time the ilf battle was going on (another time Soph was at her strongest, fighting). There’s loads I’d want to say about this time but my words aren’t really expressing it all. It was everything. It was time, ime with Sophie, being creative, making music, tea, hula hoops, being at home, being filmed, then private then panicking I hadnt captured stuff well enough for what Soph desreved. 
It was just a flavour of what we had hoped to do with that lovely show Soph had created. I’m gutted we can’t carry that and many of the journeys we had planned on. Your drum, everything……
I came to Carlow for work the night after Soph passed, rang close friends to speak the best I could. Coming here felt right. It was beautiful, creative and the work all about peoples value…in fact the show was #whatamiworth..which took me straight to Soph, it was the right thing to do. The show reminded me of when me n Soph discussed and helped creat #BecauseWe_R_WorthIt as a retort to the Tories closing the ilf. 
We all know what Soph is and always will be worth and I’ll miss you. Sorry I’ve been so crap at expressing it. 
MiSoph 
Love you 
Mijohn always xx

Sophie Partridge xx

I haven’t known what to write. There’s a very big bit of me that it hasn’t all sunk in. My drafts n words don’t even touch the surface of all the things I want to tell the world about how important Sophie Partridge was to us all…and me. 
I’ve kept busy cause that’s what I do. I surround myself with lovely people and be creative, do stuff and I feel blessed/lucky as a result. Since last week Soph has made me realise we always need to do that, bring lovely friends together and be close to each other and be happy, life is brutally short. 
I’ve seen so many beautiful and true things written or posted about Soph by all who would equally as I rightfully say they were close to Soph. That’s because that was the reality of Sophie. she had so many close friends because that’s what she did…made you feel close..important…happy…joyous..listened to..loved….cared for…special and I will miss that feeling, I already do. I already miss the security of Soph not being around to check out with. [note: Soph would hate n poke me for using special or care in describing her but I mean both words in there truest meaning here,…. plus me n Soph could be naughty with the crap words used around us and have a little fun/giggle wiv em], so deal wiv it xx. 
I guess simply it could be explained as true friendship and love that I always felt around Sophie a friendship and love I I feel I’d fail to give back as well as Soph ever gave to us all. I saw her do all this in awe of her at work and at home with our tea n hula hoops or any of the times we spent which now I know we’re always to short. 
 She would be there, to chat too, to have a laugh with, to do world changing things with, to have a cuppa with. She had that way about her that was the way to really listen, make sense of stuff, cut through the bullshit and say the right thing, the thing that needed to be said. If it needed to be fought for because it was right then she was there, stronger than any. 
Then if you complimented her on any of it she’d dismiss it in that kind of ‘Sophie way’……”Yeh….i don’t know..I don’t know really…yeh…lets have tea/tinkle time”  
I’ve felt close to Soph on many times and felt all that stuff above everytime, but one time that mattered was when she asked me to help with writing/exploring music for Semmersuaq. It was during the time the ilf battle was going on (another time Soph was at her strongest, fighting). There’s loads I’d want to say about this time but my words aren’t really expressing it all. It was everything. It was time, ime with Sophie, being creative, making music, tea, hula hoops, being at home, being filmed, then private then panicking I hadnt captured stuff well enough for what Soph desreved. 
It was just a flavour of what we had hoped to do with that lovely show Soph had created. I’m gutted we can’t carry that and many of the journeys we had planned on. Your drum, everything……
I came to Carlow for work the night after Soph passed, rang close friends to speak the best I could. Coming here felt right. It was beautiful, creative and the work all about peoples value…in fact the show was #whatamiworth..which took me straight to Soph, it was the right thing to do. The show reminded me of when me n Soph discussed and helped creat #BecauseWe_R_WorthIt as a retort to the Tories closing the ilf. 
We all know what Soph is and always will be worth and I’ll miss you. Sorry I’ve been so crap at expressing it. 
MiSoph 
Love you 
Mijohn always xx

I don’t want Social Care thanks!

Challenging The dominant social care conversation for Independent Living
or

I don’t want Social Care thanks!

The purpose of this blog is an attempt to start to rebalance the current focus of policy makers, the media, and others away from Adult Social Care (ASC) to a focus on Independent Living. It is felt that ASC is the dominant focus and asa result completely pushed aside what we Disabled People are fighting for which is indeed something very different. There is an assumption that ASC & IL are the same thing. We could argue that many of the principles of Independent Living have come out of our efforts to move away from being cared for. 

For over 30 years we have experienced and shown that Independent Living is a significant experience in which we can live our lives as equal citizens. The reason for writing this piece is that the values and principles of Independent Living are critically under threat while discussions around ASC are so dominant and in particular they seem to be slipping further from our reality since the closure of the ILF and with growing evidence of the poor implementation of the Care Act. 

 Of course I want and need support and resources to live my life but these are not found in receiving a service that doesn’t meet my needs or that doesn’t reflect my aspirations to live a full and equal life. It can be argued care has an emotional attachment, a human need we all give & share. Independent Living is a Human Right that needs to be supported, respected and protected through policy and practices which promote equality, dignity, choice and control.

In saying what the difference is between ASC and Independent Living, a good starting point is to look at the different language used. The real importance to this is that behind each word is a real lived experience that has real attainable meaning. For example the idea of saying Independent Living is about freedom could be argued as a massive unmeasurable concept. However in the context of IL the individual experiencing having control over an aspect of our life such as getting up, when you want & how you want, gives that concept a real simple meaning, particularly if you had never had that control in the past. This type of freedom is and should be a day to day lived experience for all Disabled People as equal to our non disabled peers. 

Unpacking some of the principles (I dont confess that this is complete, more a starting point) might help us see the wood for the trees and I hope help those who’s minds and practices we need to change; that my/our worries and concerns since the ilf was closed, is not around social care but the right to Independent Living.  Independent Living might be seen as complex and different to the individual, but it is not complicated. 

Although Independent Living can mean different things to each individual there is commonality, and clarity around the principle, Independent Living is very simple. It is built on our experience and reflects better than ASC our expectations and aspirations to lead full and active, valuable lives. Our experiences have helped to shape many social policies and systems such as the use of direct payments.  Significantly the principles of Independent Living are a Human Right. It applies inclusive of age, impairment, condition, gender, life experience, diagnosis, chosen identity or imposed label.  

This conversation is trying to be very real and based upon our lived experience and application. I’m trying to not be too wordy or use too much jargon. This purpose is trying to be more. inclusive and open up conversation so that the principles and values of Independent Living can be clearly understood and hopefully put back on the agenda and ultimately ptocted in legislation, policy and practice, so we can get on with our lives, which is what we’d love to be doing!

We often use two columns to express the difference between the social model and so this might be useful in showing the differences between ASC and Independent Living and why Independent Living is so important to us and why we are fighting for something different from ASC. It might look a little like this:

You could go on; supporting others in my life, interdependence, purpose as apposed to filling in time or doing normal day to day activity like watching paint dry…
To define Independent Living is sometimes not helpful as it immediately boxes it up and limits its possibility and meaning for each of us who experience it in different ways. Looking at the table above Independent Living arguably doesn’t have too many draw backs, it makes sense and for any of us that have or are living it, it is precious and central to our way of getting on.  

Perhaps the only draw back ( and on any good day you would say is a total advantage) is that you have to know yourself very well, this can lead to an over analyse of things like time & the cost of time on my budget, which nobody else would really have to think about. How long it takes to get dressed or ready or to head to the loo. I’ve also realised that differently from my younger days I think more of the value or cost of every hour. This means I have to plan well to be spontaneous! Yes a contradiction in terms but it can and has to be done if you want a private life whilst needing the support of a pa.  
A different challenge is in the lack of support for Independent Living. For example when your not well you still have to manage your pa’s or when you are recruiting or dealing with employment issues you need that legal brain. You still have to think ahead.Of course recruiting and hr issues require expertise and even legal knowledge and there is very little support for that and it has caught some out only adding to the battle of just getting on with life. It could be argued that disabled people face extra difficulties just to be independent . Independent Living of itself is near enough a full time job on occasions. But it’s worth every bit of effort because it’s freedom! Something that one experienced can never be taken away.

The draw backs are challenges but are not so insurmountable that Independent Living would lead to a conclusion that it doesn’t work or is not worth having. The challenges are created by a lack of resources and support. Independent Living Is more than just merely existing, getting up, going to bed, being fed etc…its about purpose and value to our lives. These few difficulties identified are more about the systems & resources to support Independent Living rather than a problem with Independent Living itself.
ASC & IL are very easily being muddled up as the same thing, both in legislation (we saw how difficult it was to get IL recognised in the care act, the ‘well-being principle’ at least gives us a small flag to use and wave, but we know in practice that this is not being understood as the right to Independent Living. 

Another concern is that ASC in our media is normally just described as being an issue about old people (an ageing population is a phrase used over and over agai) and as result ASC and IL are conflated again. Of course these principles and values are of concern to all people of whatever age and the issues will of course have similarity but equally there will be significant differences. However if these dominant stereotypes go left unchallenged we will see both Social policy around equality & Independent Living slip back as it has already been identified, and so our human rights will be further denied. 

It pushes back, those principles of equality we have fought so hard to get recognised.  Perpetuating the message that social care is only about an ageing population also influences heavily a system that doesn’t meet the needs of young disabled people and disabled people of working age. This is another reason why our battle to have Independent Living has and is so important.  We need to be able to shape our support to live the life that we want and not a life that has to fit into a prescribed system.  The ‘Stay Up Late’ campaign is not over yet

The current conversation that social care ‘in crisis’, is an unhelpful distraction in which, all energies are being focused on addressing that. However I guess it is an opportunity to put across the importance of a non medical model set of principles of IL in the context of our whole lives (so education, housing, adequate income, work, a social life, rights and participation) slip further back.  

The need for some reframing is a critical activity to re-invigorate the passion with which we believe as to the importance of IL. It is needed to try and change the discussion so that our voice as Disabled people is more fairly represented, heard and acted upon…isn’t that how the ILF began? Co production in which disabled people were equal and helped to carve the solutions to our own lives. This reframing must give us the confidence to challenge the dominant focus with the issue that we feel is important and should reflect our lived experience. I would argue that our experience of Independent Living when resourced and supported and could hold some solutions for many of the challenges faced by ASC.

I’m not trying to be too academic in this paper but endeavouring to help my/our understanding of what makes Independent Living really different in the hope that those that don’t or cant see the difference take on our concern and realise we are not going away or giving up on this. In some ways I’m not trying to over analyse or apply a critical theory, argue and counter argument, others do that far better than I. 

 The conversation & debate for Independent Living must be re-ignited, the dominant language and focus has to be challenged. We can’t let these principles slip away just because someone else has decided the focus should now be about ASC. We need to lead and shape the discussion around our own lives , its not enough just be allowed in to speak and fit in to a different discussion that doesn’t reflect fully our concerns.

Step over the edge and trust?

Tomorrow is a day I’ve been dreading and fighting against for the last five or so years. Finally, I have my assessment which will see my Local Authority begin to take more (all?) control over my Independent Living package.

 

The dread and fight actually is nothing against my LA, but the way nationaly my rights, choice and control have been slowly eroded against something that has worked, kept me safe, happy and…living it full!…No news headlines in yer papers, I won’t be on the news or have the media at my door, just a slow taking away and invasion on how I should live and justify my needs in order to live a life, participating, working etc. I need to place trust in my LA and will of course work with them, highlighting my objection firstand then my concerns fears and hesitence to let go if it goes wrong, I’m being asked to risk the way I live. I’ll have to trust that they honestly will deliver that “everything will be ok….and in fairness…It might be…..not knowing is another sick action of what this and previous governments are/have let happen.

 

I have to trust I’ll be ok even in the face of evidence of year on year cuts to Adult social care; them never having had experience of supporting people with high needs to live independent lives (why the ilf existed, LAs couldn’t…can they now?); and of course with no ringfencing of money to support those with the highest needs live an independent life!

 

And of course trust in not knowig how I am dealing with a major loss of two people key to my life in giving me belief in myself and the confidence to trust in my own experience, values & beliefs, my compass check that I’m going the right way.

 

I can trust to an extent because I’m lucky..lucky of having the amazing family, friends and colleagues I have around me who will fight on alongside me and the fact we Disabled People are resliant and strong in the face of it! #WeFightOn #BecauseWeAreWorthIt #SaveIL #DropTheFButHopeYouDontDropOurRightToLiveTheLivesWeChoose

Its been a while

Lots going on as the battle for ILF is far from finished and with new opposition, things are set to get a bit spicier, we too have a few surprises up our sleeve to come so watch out nearer to Christmas.

Make sure you sign the stop changes to Access to Work petition, another bonkers backwards step by our government.

I’m over in Ireland with my beautiful mum and will be here for a long while.  She set us a challenge so if you can help or share, it’d be great.  thanks for now.  https://www.justgiving.com/teams/rockinpaddy