The island of Sri Lanka should be a tropical paradise. With its golden palm-fringed beaches, diverse vegetation and dramatic landscapes, it is a stunningly attractive country. Lying off the southern tip of India, it was known to Arab geographers as "Serendip" and it can boast a rich and colourful history.

Over the centuries, the island was settled by the Portuguese, the Dutch and eventually the British who seized control [...]

Last month the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities came into force. It may not be a snappy title but it marks an important development in disabled people's pursuit of equality. Sixty years after the original UN Declaration on Human Rights was launched, disabled people have finally gained their own charter and full recognition that they too have human rights.

Disabled people are one of [...]

During the year I spent doing journalism training in Cardiff, a film was released called Sliding Doors. Starring Gwynneth Paltrow, it shows two versions of the same woman’s life. At the start of the film you see her running for a tube train. In the first plot line, she just manages to catch it while in the second, the sliding doors of the carriage close merely a couple of seconds [...]

This summer’s special exhibition at the British Museum is an exploration of the life and achievements of the Roman Emperor Hadrian (he who did so much to boost the North England tourist industry). Although the exhibition doesn’t open until the end of July, I’ve already bought my ticket.

Since I was a child I’ve been fascinated by the ancient world. Indeed, spurred on by two evangelical Latin teachers, I [...]

This year holds a special significance for me. June 1st will be the 25th anniversary of me becoming disabled. This raises the question – should I mark the anniversary in some way? And if so – how?

We mark all the other milestones in life – birthdays, weddings, retirements – so it would seem perverse to ignore my silver disability anniversary. No other event has had such a major [...]

There’s no doubting the fact that, since the introduction of the Disability Discrimination Act in 1995, access to buildings has improved substantially in the UK. I’ve noticed the change myself. Back in the 1980s, if I made an enquiry about wheelchair access, there was a 50-50 chance the answer would be no. Now it’s almost always yes. A theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue that I couldn’t attend when I first moved [...]

I wish to make a complaint. When you become disabled, no one warns you about the paperwork. Very soon you realise that your new life is going to be dominated by form filling. Disability is undoubtedly a bureaucratic business. If you have a phobia of forms, I recommend you don’t become severely disabled.

First there are the benefits to claim. Most disabled people with a mobility impairment are eligible [...]

With Christmas swiftly approaching, I was planning to entertain you this month with a warm, uplifting festive story about Eddie the paraplegic elf who gains a job in Santa's toy factory thanks to a grant from the government's Access to Work scheme.

However, at the present time I'm feeling a distinct sympathy towards Scrooge. I've just finished writing a ridiculous number of Christmas cards, my carer is suffering from [...]

Earlier this month a friend of mine invited me to comedian Jeremy Hardy’s one-man show in Colchester.

Much of his routine seemed to concern death. After talking about the News Quiz ("If there are any News Quiz fans in the audience, I suggest you make the most of us because we’re dropping like nine pins"), his likely contribution to Mrs Thatcher’s obituary ("I’m going to call her the People’s Pinochet") [...]

While at junior school, I was fortunate enough to have a remarkable teacher called Mrs Brown (not her real name) who was passionate about English literature.

It was Mrs Brown who first introduced me to Classics by giving me a children’s story about the fall of Troy. (Little did she realise that nine years later I would attempt at university to read the original story of Troy in Ancient [...]