A recent writing competition organised by the Royal National Institute of Blind People (RNIB) and King’s College London definitely myth-busted that assumption. Turns out, we are also pretty good at writing about our appreciation of visual arts!

 

We were invited to write poetry or prose about how we have appreciated a museum visit, art or a household object. Many of the entries by blind and partially sighted creative writers can be read in the published e-book. I really recommend you take a look. They provide a fascinating insight into a unique take on a personal experience of art.

 

I was delighted to be announced as one of the  winners, having written about my accessible experience of seeing War Horse. I reckon I ‘saw’ more than the sighted theatre goers. A nod to how good accessibility and inclusion can enhance an experience, way beyond expectations and beyond sight.

 

There is a lot of chat these days about the importance of gratitude; we are encouraged to keep diaries and find things to be thankful for. In my latest article I share why I feel gratitude can be problematic and can hold us back.

 

In our personal/career development programme for disabled colleagues (PDP)we witness so much unhelpful gratitude from our disabled delegates. We explore the potential, and often very real, issue of gratitude in the workplace.

 

delegates regularly express gratitude for receiving what they are entitled to, for having a disability confident manager and even for having a job at all. Let me be clear…. These are highly motivated and talented professionals whose strong sense of gratitude is often detrimental.

 

In, Disability: Glad and Grateful keeps us small – The problem with gratitude, I share why it’s time to keep our gratitude diaries on our shelves and shelf our gratitude while we’re at it.

 

#DisabledTalent

#CareerProgression

#Gratitude

#AttitudeOfGratitude

#DisabledProfessionals

 

Sound familiar? Ever felt you are ‘working twice as hard’ as those around you to be seen as just as good or to get just as far? This is something we hear regularly from disabled delegates on our professional development programme for disabled colleagues.

Inequity in the workplace is still a thing and for too many working twice as hard is a necessary requirement to progress, or even be seen as ‘just as good’. 

I believe it’s time to stop sharing with our young people likely to face biases that, “you need to work twice as hard to be seen as just as good to get half as far”. While we are at it, let’s stop feeding ourselves this narrative too. Not to say that there isn’t any truth in it, but does it serve us well? Read my LinkedIn article to find out what makes me think this is unhelpful, even if it is your current reality or their likely future reality.

 

 

Too often disability is framed within a deficit model. I advocate taking an asset-based approach to disability. I say, let’s focus on what we bring, then where relevant what we need in order to bring it. On our personal development programme, we call out deficit model thinking and explore how we position ourselves to highlight what we bring as a direct result of our lived experience. In my latest LinkedIn article I share how this works and provide examples of how it can be transformative. Head over to read the full article and check out our PDP (personal/professional development programme) pages for more information.

 

The Simply Open Awards 2022 celebrate the innovative ways disabled folk navigate barriers and manage challenges that arise from our impairments and health conditions. I recently found out my entry won! If you are wondering how my winning elastic band life hack works watch the video  (38 mins). They are all worth a watch (the plant hack relating to mental health is my personal fav).