Welcome to the first monthly round up on my brand-new website The Wheelchair Activist. Each month I look back on the what I've done both professionally and personally and write a blog about it. As I am still shielding and working from home, it can sometimes feel that I haven't really done very much or achieved anything month by month. But every month I have done these round ups, it makes me realise what I am doing for the amazing disabled community.
The biggest update I have is, I'M STARTING A PODCAST! I have wanted to do this for such a long time and now it's happening. The Wheelchair Activist Podcast will interview incredible unsung disabled heroes succeeding in all areas of life so people know that it is possible. I will also be covering my life as a disabled person with all of it highs, lows and in betweens. I already have guests lined up to record in February. Make sure you follow all my social media channels so you'll be the first to know when episode is out.
This past month, I have been working with two amazing women to create The Wheelchair activist.
The first is Isabelle Anderson, my virtual assistant. I read an article about virtual assistants and everything they could help their clients worth and thought 'wow, I really need that', so I went on LinkedIn and found Issy. I plan to write a whole blog post about my experience with a virtual assistant, but for now I will say that she built this amazing website and has been the biggest supporter of the podcast idea. Please have a look at her website which details all her services.
I have also been working with an incredible disabled illustrator, Kitty Strand. Kitty created a beautiful custom art piece for my home office about a year ago. (Below.) I knew she would be the perfect person to bring my podcast idea to life. All I had was the name and a vague idea of what I wanted the podcast to be and she created the most incredible artwork that inspired this whole website design. Kitty is always a dream to work with and created the perfect artwork that even features one of my amazing dogs. I cannot recommend her enough. Please check out her Etsy and Instagram.
This month I was interviewed by Stylist magazine about how it feels being a disabled person when safety measures around Covid have been dropped. I was so pleasantly surprised that a publication like this was interested in capturing the disabled experience. It is so important that other people understand what disabled people go through and how they feel if we are going to see any real change. The piece was featured on Apple News' Top Stories of the day! I didn't waste this opportunity to share how insulted and angry I am that we are being told to 'live with Covid' even though disabled people are still very scared and many are still shielding like myself. I have received so many messages of solidarity and support since the article was published. One person told me that she is in a similar situation and because she read my interview, she felt 'a little less alone'. There are no words to describe how much this meant to me. If that is the only good thing that comes from that article, then I've done my job.
I am so excited for all of the amazing projects I have lined up for 2022. Between blogging more, creating a podcast and working as Lead Policy Advisor for Children and Young People at Scope, it's going to be a busy but incredible year. Let me know in the comments who you would love to hear me interview on the podcast. I can't wait to see you soon!