Featured Disability Articles

Explore a featured selection of my disability journalism below.

How Waterloo Road is Normalising Disability in Mainstream Schools

Waterloo Road is back and more explosive than ever before. After seven years away, the BBC fan favourite high school soap has returned to our screens, tackling the issues of modern-day living that affect young people up and down the country.

Something the show has always been at the forefront of though, compared to its counterparts is representing disability in a mainstream school setting.

Since its arrival in 2006, Waterloo Road has made a real impact with its highlighting of disability issue

Why the Rosie Jones Accessibility Backlash is Misplaced

Comedian Rosie Jones has made a name for herself on shows such as The Last Leg and Would I Lie To You?. Her unique style of self-depreciation has made her a household name in recent years and a particular favourite within the disabled community. Rosie has cerebral palsy and raises awareness of disability issues within her comedy.

She recently came under fire when it was revealed that she occasionally performs in venues with little to no accessibility meaning that many disabled fans are unable t

'Being proud of my disability means being proud of myself and what I can do'

Disability is often seen as a negative of life, a predicament in which one will become unhappy, unworthy or a burden on society - but that couldn't be further from the truth. For me being disabled is one of the huge positives in my life, so I wanted to find out what makes other people proud to be disabled.

The 43-year-old accessibility campaigner from Northern Ireland lives with a rare disease named Mucopolysaccharide Morquio. It’s a genetic disease that restricts growth leading to other condit

Wellness trends leave disabled people like me feeling deflated and insecure

With summer in full flow in the UK, the rise of the wellness trend is too.

Social media is full of influencers demonstrating perfect yoga moves, the ‘cleanest’ diets and the healthiest habits.

Though they’re often promoted as ‘easy’ practices to help you live your best life, for disabled people like me these unattainable targets can leave us feeling deflated and insecure.

I have cerebral palsy, a condition that affects movement and coordination, meaning I am a full-time wheelchair user.

Disabled Women Must Be Included In Discussions Against Male Violence

The country has been left shocked and saddened at the news. 33-year-old Sarah Everard was murdered by a Metropolitan police officer last week. The murder led to thousands of women sharing their experiences of sexual harassment, assault and violence at the hands of men on social media as we are reminded once again that women are still not safe on our streets however the disabled community have been left out of the conversation entirely.

The government has long failed Britain’s disabled community—and it’s only getting worse with the pandemic

Disabled people, who comprise 60 per cent of Covid deaths, have been pushed to the side throughout the pandemic—placed low on the vaccine priority list until a sustained public campaign last month, and put at greater risk by the government’s failure to protect care home residents from infection. Disabled people have also faced healthcare discrimination: disability charity Mencap revealed that people with learning disabilities were told they would not be resuscitated if they were taken ill with c

How has the pandemic affected people with disabilities?

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many issues that disabled people face in everyday society such as access to food, sufficient healthcare and loneliness. The little to no support or acknowledgement from the government on these issues has meant that the mental health of many disabled people has deteriorated drastically since the first lockdown in March 2020.

As a wheelchair user myself, when the first lockdown hit the safest option was to cancel all in-home care to avoid household mixing.

'Being proud of my disability means being proud of myself and what I can do'

Disability is often seen as a negative of life, a predicament in which one will become unhappy, unworthy or a burden on society - but that couldn't be further from the truth. For me being disabled is one of the huge positives in my life, so I wanted to find out what makes other people proud to be disabled.

The 43-year-old accessibility campaigner from Northern Ireland lives with a rare disease named Mucopolysaccharide Morquio. It’s a genetic disease that restricts growth leading to other condit

CDC director Rochelle Walensky sparks viral hashtag after Omicron death comments

The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention director Dr Rochelle Walansky has come under fire due to comments she made on Good Morning America telling the presenters "The overwhelming number of deaths, over 75 per cent [in the US], occurred in people who had at least four comorbidities," she then goes on to say, "So really these are people who were unwell, to begin with, and yes, really encouraging news in the context of Omicron."

Dr Walansky’s comments have sparked the viral hashtag #MyDi

Wellness trends leave disabled people like me feeling deflated and insecure

With summer in full flow in the UK, the rise of the wellness trend is too.

Social media is full of influencers demonstrating perfect yoga moves, the ‘cleanest’ diets and the healthiest habits.

Though they’re often promoted as ‘easy’ practices to help you live your best life, for disabled people like me these unattainable targets can leave us feeling deflated and insecure.

I have cerebral palsy, a condition that affects movement and coordination, meaning I am a full-time wheelchair user.

Line of Duty's Tommy Jessop is Leading the way for Actors With Down Syndrome

Line Of Duty is one of, if not the biggest fictional crime drama in the UK. It follows AC-12, an anti-corruption unit investigating unlawful activities within the police force and stars the likes of Vicky McClure and Martin Compston however those familiar with the television series will also know long-serving cast member Tommy Jessop.

Tommy plays civilian character Terry Boyle who throughout the six series has been a victim of cuckooing, a term used to describe when drug dealers invade the home

Disabled Women Must Be Included In Discussions Against Male Violence

The country has been left shocked and saddened at the news. 33-year-old Sarah Everard was murdered by a Metropolitan police officer last week. The murder led to thousands of women sharing their experiences of sexual harassment, assault and violence at the hands of men on social media as we are reminded once again that women are still not safe on our streets however the disabled community have been left out of the conversation entirely.

The government has long failed Britain’s disabled community—and it’s only getting worse with the pandemic

Disabled people, who comprise 60 per cent of Covid deaths, have been pushed to the side throughout the pandemic—placed low on the vaccine priority list until a sustained public campaign last month, and put at greater risk by the government’s failure to protect care home residents from infection. Disabled people have also faced healthcare discrimination: disability charity Mencap revealed that people with learning disabilities were told they would not be resuscitated if they were taken ill with c

I won't say sorry for being disabled anymore

I remember apologising for having to be pushed around my school in my wheelchair as young as eight years old.

I was unable to move my manual chair myself so different students would help me around the playground, open doors and move chairs around so I could sit at the table. Though I would always thank them, my thanks would always be swiftly followed by the word ‘sorry’.

I felt embarrassed that I needed so much help. I didn’t want other children to have sympathy for me and I felt like a burden

How has the pandemic affected people with disabilities?

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted many issues that disabled people face in everyday society such as access to food, sufficient healthcare and loneliness. The little to no support or acknowledgement from the government on these issues has meant that the mental health of many disabled people has deteriorated drastically since the first lockdown in March 2020.

As a wheelchair user myself, when the first lockdown hit the safest option was to cancel all in-home care to avoid household mixing.

AccessAdvisr | AccessAdvisr Blog

Faith Martin is music journalist who has written for several publications, and has an Instagram campaign (@committoaccess) for venues to make live music accessible to disabled people.

Live music is a big part of what I do but hundreds of venues are still inaccessible to disabled fans. Covid has uncovered many obstacles that people with disabilities face in everyday life whether it’s being unable to leave the house or relying on food delivery slots for our everyday essentials, so when the worlds…