My personal routine has remained stable throughout my blogging career. I work Monday-Friday, spend summer weekends partying, winter months dreaming and annual leave days abroad in the sun. This weekend has seen a catch up with fellow baby milk boys Srin and Vik, with me trying to motivate myself back into my extra curricular activities. In contemplating where these projects are presently at, I have realised my disability awareness and ideas for solutions have evolved massively. It’s around one year since I put my neck out and arranged a meet up for my blog readers. Last May Natasha Wood, Sophie Morgan, a Shoreditch venue and 20 delegates converged for a good day of informing, inspiring and setting us all on a sunny adventure. Subsequently my work with Hackney council on Personal budgets (self directed care) and the consultancy with Disability Lib around online campaigning (for disabled people’s organisations) saw a slightly professional demeanour to my antics. There was the launch of www.disabilityhorizons.com with Srinivas Madipalli, which received brilliant reviews on everyday disabled people doing amazing things. My partnership with the Jennifer Trust for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (JTSMA) around online seminar provision  delivered live seminars on managing care with live Q&A facilities. Finally the ongoing feedback from my amazing blog readers brings us up to speed on a year of trying, sometimes failing, learning and improving.

So where would I say I am now?

Well, Sunnier Days (the vehicle for these projects) has a new member. Off the back of the success with disability horizons, my good pal Srin is formally co working with me on the future of Sunnier Days’ disability provision. We have been working hard on the next edition of the mag and will launch this in the next week or so.

The online seminars are being consulted with the members of the JTSMA for improvements. Meanwhile Hackney council are working with Sunnier Days on a pilot project to provide online seminars to their disabled service users. Very exciting! If you have any feedback or questions on our online seminars please do get in contact – [email protected].

I am personally writing an article for Disability Now today, which is around the current political economy effects on disabled people. It explores individualism and collectivism as approaches to political change. It is stretching my thoughts on a complex matter, but again is assisting me in understanding the issues to create/offer some solutions. There is no such word as can’t my mum tells me and its now my mantra along with ‘inform, inspire, change’.

With articles, magazines and seminars I think you would agree there has been a lot happening. Who knows what will occur in the next year, but I know it will be challenging, enjoyable and invigorating. As I am writing this post, Srin has emailed the best and most profound quote for my DN article. At the same time I have received an article from a school friend Fran Williamson who is a Paralympics swimming champion. The article is for the magazine but I learnt more about a good friend too. This whole adventure highlights so many issues and struggles, but it also highlights so many amazing people, doing amazing things and told in their own amazing words. It’s very satisfying seeing this all develop and evolve.

The summer series launch

I finish this quite pensive, thought provoking blog with the launch of my summer series. I will of course update you on the daily perspective aspects of work trips, parties, holidays and other antics. However having flirted with so many subject matters relating to disability, I will be writing an article, from personal experiences, around a range of subjects – education, wheelchairs, childhood, university, learning to drive, travelling locally, travelling the world, working and anything else that comes to me in the meantime. I hope you enjoy them, find them informative, inspiring and they evoke some form of change in you. I know they do in me.

Until the first edition – please continue your feedback, continue your support and lets make disability positive, solutions based and progressive! O h yea and that app is still in production but coming soon… 🙂