One in five of the 13 million children and young people in the UK have additional needs of some kind, that’s approximately 2.5 million children and young people, yet many people, including lots of professionals, people running children's and youth work, and more, struggle to understand the best ways to be inclusive when engaging with … Continue reading Want To Be Inclusive? Just ASK!
This week, the BBC announced a new presenter for their premier younger children’s media channel, CBeebies. What made this announcement newsworthy, and why in particular it matters to this blog, is that 20-year-old George Webster has Down’s Syndrome. CBeebies-BBC George isn’t the first BBC presenter to have a disability or difference; former CBeebies presenter Cerrie … Continue reading George Webster And CBeebies: Why Disability Representation Matters
As the dust settles from another successful Paralympic Games, what is the ongoing reality for disabled people in the UK? We asked Sam Milne, a wheelchair basketball player with Leicester Cobras, and who featured in the recent BBC News broadcast about the Paralympics legacy and the ‘WeThe15’ campaign representing the 15% of the world's population … Continue reading Samantha Milne – Crusader, Wheelchair Basketball Player, Superhero
Film Title: The Walk That Made Me Year of Release: 2021 Written by: Chris Packham for BBC Certificate: N/A Running time: 59 minutes Link to the film on iPlayer (until June 2022): https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/m000xqgp/chris-packham-the-walk-that-made-me (Available with audio description or British Sign Language interpretation) BBC iPlayer summary: “Chris Packham explores his past as he walks a familiar path in the Hampshire countryside. … Continue reading The Walk That Made Me – A Review And Study Plan
As part of its ongoing research partnership with Pears Foundation, the Disabled Children's Partnership (DCP) of which I'm a member, surveyed roughly 300 parents in June 2021 in our final survey as part of the series. I had the privilege of being one of those parents. The findings, released today, reveal that whilst the rest … Continue reading Left Behind – Children With Additional Needs As We Emerge From The COVID-19 Pandemic
Previously, I've reminded us of the “Go Compare!” TV advert and how we should “Go Cherish!” instead when thinking about the children and young people we journey with that have additional needs (see link at the end of this blog post). This time, I want to remind us of another TV advert and how it … Continue reading Make Sure We Make The Right Choice. Because Sometimes We Don’t, Do We?
June is the month where three generations of Arnold’s celebrate their birthdays; James, me and my Dad. Chronologically, and just by a few hours, the first is James’ birthday. This has been the second birthday he has had during the pandemic, the second birthday that we’ve not been able to celebrate with him as we … Continue reading Why Getting Birthday’s Right Matters!
Do you remember summers as a child? I do. For some reason I remember them as going on forever; long fun packed days playing in the sun (or sometimes huddled in a tent or caravan watching monsoon weather sweeping across wherever we were visiting!) This year's summer has been different in many ways, but perhaps … Continue reading Making Wonderful Summer Memories That Last A Lifetime
Parents of children with additional/special needs and disabilities are often labelled negatively; ‘troublemakers’, ‘confrontational’, ‘needy’, ‘over-sharing’. I’ve seen parents blamed for their child’s disability. I’ve seen parents told that they have no right to speak on behalf of, or share details about, their child. I’ve seen parents told that they are wrong to feel or … Continue reading Special Needs Parents Are Candles, Burning Between Hope And Despair
Let me give you a little glimpse into how my mind works sometimes…. My family and I were watching Ben Fogle, his ‘New Lives In The Wild’ show on Channel 5, have you seen it? It’s about people who have given up the rat-race and gone to live a life in the wild places; it’s … Continue reading ‘The Dads Fire Circle’, A Place For Additional Needs Dads To Gather
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