Blog on being a disabled person, different cultures, diversity, equality, disability, travel, being diaspora Chinese and disabled travel.
When Boris Johnson was elected mayor of London beating Ken Livingstone, a group was set up on Facebook, 'Crips against routemasters' almost immediately. It made me worried - I am not a Londoner but I use buses regularly when I go there almost every week....
This morning I got up at 4.20 to get ready for the 5 am taxi to got to Birmingham International Airport to go to Edinburgh for a training day at the Edinburgh training centre. Edinburgh training centre Got there in good time before Emma. Its a nice airport...
Yesterday I was at the Liberty Festival 2008 in Trafalgar Square. It was a lovely day, very warm and sunny. I saw a bit of wheelchair dancing, Liz Carr and Laurence Clark with his comedy act but most of the time i was helping out at a stand. I did manage...
I was in Norway to attend a seminar and visited ULOBA - the only co operative for personal assistance in Norway if not the world. They look like a great success which is sustainable, they own their building and it had great facilities with a well equipped...
I made it to the French Disabled Women's Association « Femmes pour le dire, Femmes pour agir" 3rd Annual conference Forum Femme Création Handicap and gave my little 5 minute speech as Maudy Piot, the President had asked me to - in French. Matthieu helped...
Today is Divali/deepavali and brings me back to the days when we celebrated it in Malaysia - where we took advantage of the open houses of our Hindu friends and visit each and everyone in their turn while stuffing ourselves with festive food.. There has...
It wasn't as copious as what they had in the rest of the country - certainly not as dramatic as scenes featured on the BBC - with the snowmen etc. or the skis. It wasn't more than a sprinkling which became bits of ice. Today I did go out to the railway...
Christmas has come and gone - the days fly by and new year resolutions come and go - with many hours frittered away. One of the luxuries that I did fritter my time on is catching up on films and soaps on the internet. It was not intentional but I soon...
I am busy researching and writing to create a website to sell and promote London, and Paris and then Strasbourg. In the mean time, I did this video with the images I took of London " from a wheelchair user's perpective" and added Right said Fred's Stand...
Its on every year and today, I caught up with the Godiva Procession on my way home from buying fish at Coventry Market. Unlike last year there was a Chinese contingent this year. They were a friendly lot and one sweetie allowed me to take her photo! They...
I went to the Mobility Roadshow 2008 in Coventry (this is where I live after all) and looked at the different types of wheelchairs, adapted cars and accessible travel on offer. It was easy to get there - there were accessible buses from the train station...
I was in Belfast for a meeting last week. Apart from the fact that Michelle, my mate, was refused a seat on Air France, I had a quite a good week. Michelle also recommended me to go on a historical tour with an accessible taxi. The Northern Irish troubles,...
My favourite local bar is in danger of closure by Coventry Council and we do not know why. I am no normal bar propper, I don't really drink apart from the odd whisky - I go to meet people and chat to people in my neighbourhood. As patron Steve Lucas says...
When the French do a demonstration - they really go to town....from Yahoo News Sat Mar 29, 4:44 PM ET PARIS (AFP) - Thousands of disabled people demonstrated in the streets of Paris to demand higher benefit payments, while separate protests unrolled across...
I flew back to Strasbourg Wednesday before Christmas. Maria Louisa and Phillipe came to pick me up at Baden Karlsruhe airport. It was good to see them and then to the flat - not all the stuff has gone yet. Naomi, Tim and John had been clearing stuff out....
Recently, I have become more and more reliant on my power wheelchair and I am very reluctant to fly because I am pertrified something might happen to my chair (Qatar airline managed to leave my manual in Heathrow one Christmas holiday ago). But also because...
I was at the computer last night when I should have been seeing the year out at my local pub. But I didn't feel like it. I was sorting out my digital photos. After having been away for nearly a month on holiday with family I was relishing time again on...
I have been on the look out to buy a flat at the moment. Last year I went to Lower Ford Street to look up the new part buy New Homes flats. Off I trotted with Emma and Bobbie, but the office although up a ramp was not accessible because it had one of...
Tonight I spoke to an old classmate to whom I have not seen for over 25 years and we arranged to meet in December. I felt the years have not changed our relationship - she's still as efficient as ever, she told me what she was doing, what she's spending...
According to Coventry Council website today - Coventry City Council is providing adequate services to safeguard adults and some services to support older people, and its capacity to improve these services is promising, according to government inspectors....
Lately all the news is full of the global economic disaster, its fightening. I cannot even think what will happen to resources for disabled people, benefit recipients because their councils have had their bank deposits frozen. I went back to look for...
Do I feel I have the same choice and control as a non disabled person? We examined this question at the Equality 2025 Walsall public meeting today. On the face of it, it seems like a silly question. So much of my life is tied up with what I cannot do...
Huge downpours hit much of Britain overnight, particularly in the Birmingham area and Virgin Trains gave warning that “severe flooding” meant its services through the West Midlands were subject to disruption. Central Trains said all services between Birmingham...
Yesterday, an old friend invited me for lunch in a coutry pub and a walk in the park. He said I needed the fresh air and to get out of the country. We went to some 16th century (I think) pub in Barston. While we waited for our food - I ordered sardines...
Kavvie alerted me to a couple of articles in the Malaysian newspaper The Star: " Multiculturalism – how can it be wrong ?" by NG KAM WENG Research Director (Kairos Research Centre) 25th August and " Debunking multiculturalism " by MD ASLAM AHMAD,Fellow...
