A Different Way Of Thinking

In 2004, while I was working as a researcher on ‘The Weakest Link’, the BBC set itself a target that one in fifty of the contestants on its quiz shows should be disabled.

This low figure suggested a box-ticking exercise but it was certainly better than nothing. I played a role in persuading potential contestants that this promise was not too good to be true and one of the ... read more

In the light of the recent carnage of the local elections, it is easy to forget that the present government is one of the most successful in history. In 10 years as the chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown never experienced the economic problems he currently faces as prime minister. However, in a decade which was undoubtedly good for business, the Tony Blair premiership was characterised by an approach that ... read more

The South African runner Oscar Pistorius has been banned from competing in the Beijing Olympics this summer. The reason given is that the ‘blades’ used by the double-amputee in place of his lower legs will give him an unfair advantage over the other athletes. This seems to be a sensible decision to me but not to Pistorius, who intends to challenge it at the Court of Arbitration for Sport in ... read more

In a week in which an NHS Trust declined to perform a hysterectomy on a teenage girl with cerebral palsy without her consent, it is tempting to choose as my topic the right to menstruate. The media coverage has been particularly odd with BBC News running the headline “Teenager is refused hysterectomy” as if she had asked for it herself. However, a positive development in Scotland has highlighted another way ... read more

Just over a month ago, the Commons Science and Technology Committee published its report of recommendations about abortion.

One curiosity of the current law is that most foetuses older than 24 weeks must not be aborted, because they are deemed to have rights but this does not apply to disabled foetuses, even with relatively minor impairments such as cleft palates or even club feet.

The committee concluded that ... read more

There is currently a television advertisement in which, for reasons that are not entirely clear, the daughter of Suggs from Madness is revising for her exams. Her brother asks her a question about omega-3 and she complains, “That’s not on the curriculum.” It then goes on to make some extremely dubious health claims about, of all things, fish fingers.

It does not mention the obvious reason why omega-3 is not ... read more

Disabled people elicit sympathy in many different ways, not all of which make sense. The fact that someone cannot walk may strike others as intolerable but, for a person who is born without legs, it is simply an unremarkable fact of everyday life. Similarly, problems that I have with social interaction can sometimes be frustrating but, if I am honest, I know that most people feel as insecure about making ... read more

The London Underground is the oldest in the world but this also means that it is the most outdated and other cities learn from its mistakes. For example, no designer of a modern underground system would dream of having a Circle Line on which a single signal failure is capable of bringing down the whole network. Nor would they forget to install any air conditioning.

However, nowhere is this backwardness ... read more

My last blog entry about carers received an unprecedented response, some of which was rather heated. One of the issues was whether charities set up on behalf of carers reflect the interests of carers themselves.

This is a familiar debate for many groups and, among disabled people, it can be particularly severe, because, rather than the two main charities which exist for carers, there appear to be hundreds.

One of Gordon Brown’s last acts as Chancellor of the Exchequer was to host a reception at Downing Street to celebrate Carers' Week. He described carers as a “remarkable group in society; a lifeline for millions of people who rely on their compassion and dedication,” and few would disagree.

Unlike, say, single mothers or illegal immigrants, even the most virulent right-wing commentator would find it difficult to write a ... read more

It seems deceptively obvious that the lives of disabled people have improved throughout history. After all, the ancient Spartans killed disabled babies at birth while now there are only a few rogue academics, such as Peter Singer, who advocate this brutality.

However, it is too easy to fall into the ‘Whig’ approach to history, to regard it as a tale of remitting progress leading inexorably to the present day, ... read more

When the Oscar-winning film ‘Million Dollar Baby’ was released, it was met by protests from disabled people across the world, as a result of its shocking and highly controversial ending.

Many of them boycotted the film and urged others to do the same. Others were aware that they might be criticised for protesting about something they had not seen and so they clenched their stomachs and went to watch ... read more