Monthly Archives: October 2016

0 The US election and lessons to learn for UK politics 

I don’t normally blog about politics but it’s something I feel really passionate about and I’ve even toyed with the notion of trying to become an MP one day. Political policy has the capacity to directly shape every aspect of our lives which is why having good people in power matters.
While I’ve been in Las Vegas I’ve been struck by several things about the Anerican election and what it means for us. 

1. The need to have good candidates and choice: Quite how Trump especially has even been allowed to get here is beyond me. Politics is only as good as the quality and qualifications of those involved with it. If I were an American voter now I’d really feel as if I was between a rock and a hard place with my vote. Where is the good option.

2. Politics needs to connect and stop apathy winning: Much of what I’ve seen in the coverage has been meaninglessness for me. High on petty points scoring and short on substance. Politics needs to speak to all of us and provoke informed debate. I predict what we will see in voting is a continuation of low turnout, which is bad for everyone.

3. The need for a more inclusive approach: I’m struck by how incestious American politics appears to be. Bush or Clinton appears to mean you have a lifetime in politics and this needs to be shaken up. Likewise in the UK, it shouldn’t just be about Oxbridge educated, middle aged people with money. We need a range of views to make politics speak to everyone.

4. More solutions and less negativity: We live in challenging times. This means the need for solutions to our pressing problems is required more than ever before. Negative attack ads over here are so abundant and do nothing to offer the solutions we all need.

5. The importance of objective and informative media coverage: Watching media coverage over here I am so thankful for our broadcast media in the UK. The bias of the likes of Fox, and even CNN is astonishing. We need objective media coverage to highlight issues, ask questions and bring politics to life.

The closing days of the contest for the Whitehouse will be absorbing. The winner of the contest will impact us all in many ways. Make your choice with care America.

2 Reflections on experiences of America with an impairment 

This has to be one of the more surreal settings I’ve written a blog in. I’m sat in the middle of a noisy Las Vegas casino surrounded by sirens, bells and in a haze of smoke.

I’m conscious that I’ve had something of a blog draught of late. I’ve not felt moved to write about anything and only want to do so when I feel I’ve something of interest and (hopefully!) value to say. Thank you to those of you who have enquirered when my next blog will be.

The purpose of this blog is to reflect on my personal perspectives of America as a tourist. Over the past few years I’ve been fortunate to visit Vegas (twice), New York and Florida. So whilst this doesn’t claim to be a scientific study I’m confident that I have a range of experiences from which to draw.

The good: Being treated as a consumer and the impact this has

I think the American attitude I have encountered is ahead of the U.K. for one simple reason: Here I am treated as a consumer and services are easier to access as a result. The consequence of this is that life is a lot more accessible. Granted, as a tourist I may be more outgoing than on a day to day basis but it’s definitely easier to get about. So there is a positive social by product..I can do more and see more as a result.

It feels as if America has embraced the social model too. Buildings are adapted to allow access so that as a consumer I can get in and spend my money. Though it is a subjective thing it feels a bit easier to walk tall as a result. My money is as good as everyone else’s!

Though much has been written about the purchasing power of the ‘purple pound’ in the U.K. I think we lag behind. Fundamentally, I would argue that disabled people aren’t generally seen as consumers and marketed to in the way that other consumer groups are. Sport aside, disabled people tend to be discussed as passive recipients of state welfare rather than as active consumers. That can (but not always) filter it’s way though to social  and even political contexts as a consequence.
The bad: Insurance and healthcare

The consequence of being seen as a consumer has its negative side too. Insurance and healthcare is very much a product here and that has profound implications for someone with an impairment.

Getting insurance to travel to the states can be a mission. Every day life in the states would be impractical. I just couldn’t afford it. The health system appears to be very much a live issue in the election debates.

For the well documented pressures and shortcomings of the NHS in the hands of its political masters the principle of free healthcare to all at the point of need is a game changer and one we must retain.

I dread to think about the adoption of an insurance based model and its negative consequences in the uk. 

As with so many things, I hope we can retain the positives and learn from the attitude described above.

I had better go and find my long stuffering wife and go and embrace my consumer status some more!  

0 Lived experience of impairment and its value

A lot of my conversations, both personal and professional of late, have revolved around the importance and value of lived experience of impairment.  Growing up, I learned about the importance of being able to articulate the impact my impairment had.  If I couldn’t explain it, then I couldn’t help other to begin to understand what it was like to be me, and the kind of extra support I did (and, equally significantly, did not) need.

As I got older, I became aware that my impairment effectively gave me a ‘way of seeing’ that wasn’t familiar to lots of other people.  The things that were obvious to me because of living with my impairment and working around things just weren’t obvious to other people.  A good example of this was when I looked around universities.  I was often asked to go around with university staff to point out access issues that they could address to help ensure that the campus environment was accessible.

These days, I am lucky enough to sit on a couple of boards as a (voluntary) director and trustee.  A combination of my personal and professional experience means I am in the fortunate position to be able to add a different point of view, to constructively challenge and be a good critical friend to enhance the work of the organisations I am involved with.  This poses a really interesting dynamic to me, because one of my worries is that I should not be in roles like this for tick box or tokenistic reasons, but because of my blend of experiences and what I can bring.

I am aware though that there are lots of people out there who have a great deal to offer, for whom the nature of being on a board isn’t accessible.  I think much more work is needed to give people the knowledge, skills and tools in order to be able to make a difference using their own experiences.  The best things I am and have been a part of are those which are able to use a blend of knowledge and perspectives to give a thorough and holistic assessment of the decisions to be made at a boardroom level.

It is also really important to acknowledge the diversity of impairment and the impact that it has for people.  To take my own impairment of cerebral palsy as an example, there are different types of CP and the degree to which it can impact on the lives of people who have it can vary enormously.  This means that I always try to speak with care when talking about impairment, as I can only speak with authenticity about my own lived experience, and there will be many other different takes on things out there.

I really enjoy being able to use my own lived experience to help add value to the things I am involved with, and would encourage ways to make it possible for more people with a contribution to make to do the same.  Having a holistic and inclusive approach to decision making will improve the quality of decisions made and the way organisations function in society.