The Way We Roll

Disability talk and debate: what might be the consequences of how we talked about being disabled, reducing benefit fraud, the impact of the digital divide and street harassment, all discussed by Phil and Simon? 

What are your thoughts on benefit fraud? How should it be tackled? Are the Tories being absurd or frightening? 

Simon recently saw a play, ‘It’s a Mother f**king Pleasure’ at the Soho Theatre by FlawBored Theatre. The main thrust was irreverent fun ridiculing short-term ‘ableist’ attitudes and disability in society, including introducing ‘able anxiety’ as a term, But it went deeper: If some disabled people say how great life is, does that potentially encourage people to become disabled? 

How would you get on if you didn’t have a smartphone, email, or Google? Many worry about wifi dropping or the impact of social media, and we talk about those who don’t even go online.

We explore the digital divide, explaining how some people are left behind as the world moves online. This can impact your wealth, health and mental well-being.

Most people would agree that harassment of anyone on the street is a bad thing and should be stopped such harassment, particularly experienced by women, also impacts disabled people too. We might agree it should be against the law, but how do you police someone ‘staring intently’? 

Listeners Corner returns about jogging pants and your ‘favourite’ grandchildren. 

LINKS

Minister of Disabled people swanning around in a flack jacket, helping to "hunt" down benefit cheats!

FlawBored Theatre Company

The Challenges of tech for disabled people in rural communities. digital divide

Disability street harassment a crime 

Three disability classics in this months show. It’s Phil and Simon debating and exploring. 

Firstly an independent American short film highlights how to ask for help as a disabled person and how best other people can offer it. Called ‘Act of God’, the film explores different strategies and responses in a witty and thoughtful way. It gets us talking and Simon gets moody whilst Phil stays calm and polite.

Language is next: Prof. Amanda Kirby, who is neurodivergent herself wonders how language changes and it’s impact. Her example, ‘awe’ is both good and bad when it becomes the words awkward, awful and awesome, which are three words often attached to neurodiversity.

Lastly, a survey of 3000 disabled people found 75% had never heard of the social model. This somehow doesn’t surprise us. Does it matter? That said, we wonder if something is lost by not knowing about it. Sophie Morgan gets mentioned about five times by Phil for some reason.

Links

Act of God article and film 

Prof. Amanda Kirby’s blog Neurodiversity is awesome 

Evenbreak survey showing 75% of disabled peeps haven’t heard of the social model.      

Article by Liam O’Dell about the survey

Sophie Morgan on Instagram

Peter Torres Fremlin joins us this month. He’s a prolific writer and journalist, specifically the Disability Debrief which is a newsletter reporting on disability news from around the world and the people that are making change happen.

He has lived and worked in many countries, including Bangladesh and Egypt and worked for several large international organisations such as the International Labour Organisation and Humanity and Inclusion (formerly Handicappe International). 

In a personal and professional conversation, Peter asks if we’ve focused too narrowly on the barrier removal, the societal-based definition of disability. He challenges this approach, suggesting it’s not ‘messy’ enough to encapsulate the diversity of human beings, being those with disabilities and long-term health conditions. He goes further, illustrating what independence means to different people, explaining that once he realised how helpful people were in the countries he lived in, he knew he would be ok.  

Thoughtful, serious, erudite and quotable, Peter shares his (re)thinking and experiences so far. We hope you enjoy the show and check out the Disability Debrief which he writes. 

Links

The Disability Debrief

Peter's own website Desability 

Peter LinkedIn page

Peter’s Twitter handle

WHO report on inequalities in health for disabled people 

disability and health, respond to the crises exposed by the covid pandemic

a landmark study on health inequity from the World Health Organization, 

The Missing Billion

Dr Ruth Owen OBE started in the tech industry, then became CEO of Whizz-Kidz, a national children’s disability charity. Two years ago, Ruth accepted a demanding and, some consider, contentious role, becoming CEO of one of the big disability charities in the UK, Leonard Cheshire. Ruth is our guest this month.

As we spoke with Ruth, we moved away from her career and considerable achievements to find out more about the person behind the titles. What drives Ruth, what influence did her parents, her education, and the institutions she grew up in have on who she is today? As a disabled child, what are her memories, the challenges, and dreams?

Is there a connection to why she dresses immaculately and has a need to smell jet fuel?

In a fascinating conversation, we discover how much who she was then, determines who she is now. We explore how Ruth can achieve her ambitions to ensure Leonard Cheshire remains relevant and purposeful for those disabled people they engage with and those they don’t.

Links

Ruth’s Twitter handle @Ruth_owenOBE

Ruth Owen biography 

Leonard Cheshire Annual accounts 2020/21

Whizz-Kidz 

Welcome to the first show of 2023, where Phil and Simon are ready to serve up the year's hot topics! In this episode, we'll discuss everything from the highs and lows of 2022 to the exciting things on the horizon for 2023.

First up, we'll be talking about the joys of hitting the gym as a visibly disabled person. It's not always easy, but the gains are worth it (pun intended). We'll also discuss the excitement of welcoming a new grandchild into the world and pondering the meaning of "equal love."

We'll also be delving into the struggles of dealing with a decline in physical abilities. You know, like when picking up a cup of tea becomes a weightlifting competition and pulling up your trousers becomes a marathon. But we're all in this together and will discuss ways to confront these challenges.

And last but not least, Simon will be chatting about the thrill of being involved in a BAFTA-winning TV show (and six other awards!) in 2022.

We approach serious topics with thoughtfulness and humour, promoting positivity while acknowledging the need to confront reality and find the best way to navigate it.

Creating change in the world of disability takes many skills. One perhaps less recognised is finding the right word for the right moment. Our guest this month is adept at this and would give Gyles Brandreth a run for his money. 

Kate Nash is the founder and chief executive of Purple Space, a professional development membership hub for disability employee resource groups. 

Her recently published first book, Positively Purple, discusses the importance of this work. It also "shares" (another Kate word) some of her personal disability history; Kate readily admits it isn’t something she finds easy. Through her work and her book she encourages other people with disabilities to find their voice, tell their story and ultimately achieve what they want to and who they wish to be. 

Whether she is being a networkologist (working with Employee Resource Groups aka staff networks) or utilising the obstinacity (obstinate and tenacity) that many of us have and often unfortunately need, Kate is a formidable presence in the world of disability advocacy. 

Links

Kogan Page  Positively Purple Kate Nash book

Amazon Positively Purple various formats

Purple Space

Kate Nash LinkedIn

Purple Light Up Twitter

Phil and Simon are ripping it up, pushing the conversation, and exploring the boundaries of where we are today when it comes to disability. There’s fun, seriousness, thoughtfulness, respectful disagreement, celebration and controversy

We ask why does the ‘life stops after becoming disabled’ idea remain so strong? Phil explores his concerns about Ellie Simmonds going on BBC’s Strictly Come Dancing, and Simon vehemently disagrees. We highlight the worrying crisis for disabled people in being able to recruit PAs and support workers. If that wasn’t enough, Phil has an idea for some merch. 

Right at the end, we have a packed inbox of brilliant and interesting comments from you. 

Links

Going blind and travel

Guardian article on the Canadian family travelling the world

Travel Eyes for blind travellers 

Strictly Come Dancing

Strictly Come Dancing

John Whaite brilliant Instagram video about difference on Strictly

Ellie Simmonds Instagram 

Nikita Kuzmin Linktr.ee (Ellie’s dance partner)

Crisis in care workers

Guardian article Staffing crisis in care homes

Personal tweet Baroness Jane Campbell on recruiting a PA

Video of House of Lords Care Crisis Q&A 7 Sept 2022

Professor David Turner is a social and cultural historian with expertise in disability, medicine, gender and the body. He is our guest this month. 

David’s current research explores the history of disabled people’s political activism in Britain since the eighteenth century. In an accessible and illuminating conversation, he tells us of the earliest known recorded documentation of disability rights and political activism. This includes the book 'Biography of the Blind’, first published in 1821, written by the remarkable James Wilson. 

We learn why what was said to the British Government by disabled people way back in 1832, still resonates today. With David’s expertise and insight, we learn how 200 years of disability history can inform us today and into the future.

Links

Home page including publications list 

James Wilson’s Biography of the Blind, pub. 1821 on Google Books. 

On Twitter @DrDavidMT

Disability History pod and video with Prof Turner 

Disability History: Thinking Differently About the Past resource page

Blog about how Prof Turner helped put disability in the teaching curriculum with one teacher 

Historic England History of Disability Year 1050 to present

Tom Shakespeare Collection: Disabled Lives

Our guest is Gordon McCullough, the Chief Executive Officer of the Research Institute for Disabled Consumers (RIDC). If you’ve not come across the RIDC, they are a well-established research organisation with a panel of more than 3500 disabled people. As Gordon has said, "No business would actively exclude a fifth of its potential customer base, yet many do by not being accessible to disabled people, and this is where the RIDC comes in". 

Gordon explains how they carry out their qualitative and quantitative research through the fantastic panel they have created. Carrying out valuable research for organisations is part of their role; they also carry out research they have identified from the panel.

We talk with Gordon about the biggest issues for disabled people during Covid and why electric vehicles might leave disabled people behind. He also talks about being a non-disabled person in a user-led organisation - what did he have to learn, and what does it mean to the people RIDC work with?

Phil is the Chair of RIDC, so he leaves some of the questions to Simon this time. We suspect by the end of the show, you’ll want to join the panel and add your voice to bring about change, you can by clicking the link below. 

Links

RIDC website 

Join the panel   Online or telephone 020 7427 2460 or email [email protected]

Selected research projects 

Twitter  RIDC

Some people fear disability and comedy. Not so our guest this month. Steven Verdile created the satirical website The Squeaky Wheel to create and publish funny stories with disability as a theme. 

Steven explains how the site came about, what inspired the name and how the growing team of writers write the material. An expanding and loyal readership means the site is thriving. It’s even been the answer to a US newspaper crossword clue.   

Making it sustainable is a wish of Steven’s. Making sure they push the boundaries of comedy but don’t step over the line of appropriateness is a frequent consideration. Making it professional and paying people is in the plan.   

Take a dive into some of the funniest headlines and then listen to the pod and find out what The Squeaky Wheel is all about.   

Website https://the-squeaky-wheel.com

Instagram https://www.instagram.com/thesqkywheel/

Twitter @TheSqkyWheel

Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TheSqkyWheel

Steven https://www.stevenverdile.com

Private Eye https://www.private-eye.co.uk

The Onion https://www.theonion.com

BBC Access All https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02r6yqw