stephdriver.bsky.social
Personal profile. A11y specialist working on Janeway at the OLH.
#Knitter #ActuallyAutistic #ADHD #IAmWriting
with guest posts from #AssistanceDog Archer 🦮
was @driver_steph on the other.
69 posts
74 followers
128 following
Regular Contributor
Active Commenter
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- two pairs of headphones & a pair of ear plugs
- don’t pass a water refill station without refilling if <75%
- colourful washi tape around luggage handle is great for quick check that it’s yours
- keep an easy to access empty tote bag for carry packs of refreshments, holding your coat & gloves.
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I feel for you - it’s such a vulnerable position to be in.
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I’ve had a very different experience a year ago - it took 2 months from start date (so maybe 3 months from applying for - AtW) and after my previous AtW disaster, I thought “excellent, that was just bad luck” - but I’ve not that heard anyone is having a smooth experience right now.
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I’m in the middle of requesting reconsideration - no appeal, but you do get 4 weeks to point out they haven’t even followed their own procedures. But it’s meant this has run from May, to January already. So stressful.
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It’s terrifying when you have ongoing needs - I can’t work without AtW, have demonstrated that most painfully by losing last job following AtW delays. But they have still cut my support this renewal without discussion - no review of what needs it meets and whether they still exist! (they do!)
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It’s really, really bad right now. I told them about changes in May, they did nothing until renewal in Nov.
UK Gov: we want more disabled people working
Also UK Gov: too many disabled people are using our service to enable disabled people to work. Let’s cut that.
Left hand meet right hand!
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I am interested in the part about how future students may be able to opt for a set package of support and then get the needs assessment later.
Great to have something in place in time to start the course, but I fear many won’t then ask for a needed assessment later because term will be too hectic.
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Like many of us with disabilities, he was left behind. Forced to “just stay home” indefinitely because society won’t take any precautions to stop the spread.
We may be the canaries, but climate change and pandemics will come for everyone.
Its time to talk about how to save the canaries:
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yes. I feel such a snob owning one. I got it as a novelty, but keep having the impulse to hide it away.
But… in a way, eating fresh pineapple in the UK gives me similar feels. But maybe that’s my age and remembering when fruit was mostly local and seasonal.
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Or ongoing trainer told me the recommended solution was to train the dog to use a puppy pad on the floor of the accessible toilet. I don’t know how common actually that is since we only discussed it after If had trouble not as normal skill, but it feels utterly wrong to me.
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I went to a one day conference in London, and missed most of the sessions as it took 20-30 min round trip to get some grass. I’d used google maps satellite and found closer grass, but wars out of date. And nobody at conference venue know where the nearest was.
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taxi rank - I know it’s not directly active, but can provide access to places that are, e.g getting to the nice woodland path. Also having options to get home if energy crashes allows people to take risks, eg. walk into town, knowing if can’t walk home can rely on a taxi.
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- path/pavement width and good maintenance of hedges.
- signposts, maps with “you are here” etc
- good street lighting that v dark patches around trip hazards
- access to drinking water/bottle refill (have to carry less)
- taxi ranks (more reliable for not refusing assistance dog as public!)
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If I lived in London, dog could have been trained for gutter toileting… But 99% of the time we have easy access to grass.
Long distance trains are also difficult / trying to find dog toilet options near big and unfamiliar interchange stations which are often in cities.
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Grass.
Since getting an assistance dog, my active travel has revolved around grass. I live in a very grassy area - urban but wide pavements with trees and grass. Very accessible - if dog needs a break or the toilet.
When I travel, especially to london - I can have to walk 20 min to find grass.
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Someone tell me this memo isn’t real, that they haven’t come out and stated this, that they aren’t going to do it…
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I got a fabulous new tool for that recently, it is a like a pineapple corkscrew, and you end up with an pineapple bowl after pulling it back out with all the flesh. Before that I avoided them. www.lakeland.co.uk/26689/vacuvi... (sorry poor alt text on image at link, but info on rest of page)
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I didn’t either for UG - I couldn’t budget travel for both open days and interview / post offer visits. Didn’t feel I missed out.
But years later for my PGCE I was so impressed by the disability team and access adjustments of first open day I booked that I didn’t look anywhere else.
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I don’t mind being told “actually on balance it wasn’t discriminatory because [explanation addressing my concerns]” - I do mind realising my concerns weren’t even understood due to features of the same disability that meant I had a compliant in the first place.
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I experienced that while being interviewed on my complaint about disability discrimination, and then the ruling stated they’d monitored my communication, made adjustments and ensured all was fine, and then proceeded to show nothing I’d being trying to communicate had been understood.
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I think medical professionals’ inclusivity is a bit like ADHDers’ focus - fully engaged and on fire with fabulousness, or utterly distracted and unable to even take the first step.
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I had some improvement after to deleting my phone number (use it for texts ) and my emergency contact’s number too, so there is literally no number anywhere - but I often get sent telephone appointments stating “we will call you on” and a blank.
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oh I keep having that problem with the NHS, my current GP surgery is best I’ve known on inclusivity, and the GPs have advocated for my access needs with referrals, yet still, more access fails than successes.
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I particularly struggle with telephone calls in this way, and use a transcription service (RelayUK - free in UK, regulated etc) for all calls because they get so convoluted with misunderstandings… and I’d find I’d agreed to things I didn’t want or missed important questions.
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*agreed to AAC
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I had this situation / my audience had acted to AAC, but when I used it declared it was hard to listen and I must return to mouth… and then because I could still make words decided my communication needs had been met - and yes I spoke words, but little of what I wanted to communicate was heard.
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I think it can be very nuanced- eg. if with mouth words I’m talking without structure as every fact tumbles out, but with AAC that slows me down so I can actually choose what words to say but my audience find artificial voices harder to follow… which is better communication?
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This was my conclusion from my PGCE. I seriously considered quitting completely over the way the government mandated phonics so tightly that forced us to teach the method and not child themself. I’m not saying it doesn’t work, but it isn’t right for all and should be one tool among many.
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People learn in different ways - and I’ve yet to witness any “one true way” on any topic that works for everyone.
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There are different types of phonics. The kind when I learnt to read had us learning similar sounding words and with context help us to decode them. I can’t get my head around the synthetic non-word no-context version, and utterly reject the one-size-fits-all approach that mandates it.