Disabled Students Face Extra Costs For Accessible Halls

Best podcasts of the week: Meghan Markle’s Archetypes makes its right royal entrance

Archetypes Spotify, episodes weekly Meghan Markle’s podcast is one of the most hyped of the year – but that’s not to say it’s the best. Still, the Duchess of Sussex is compelling as she seeks to “live inside and rip apart the boxes that women have been placed into for generations: diva, slut, crazy … ” Her first guest is tennis champion Serena Williams, who talks about “that dirty, dirty word, when it comes to women – ‘ambition’.” And yes, right on cue, Prince Harry pops in to say hi. Hollie R

The Covid Diaries: starting university the year the world stopped

This piece was also in print in the October issue. FH: I’ve told all my flatmates that because I have cerebral palsy, that means I am high-risk, so I am only comfortable meeting within the rule of six and at a distance. But I keep

This Pen Pal Program Is Reminding Disabled Girls of Their Power

When I was growing up, I had no disabled women to look up to. This lack of role models made me feel very alone in my experiences — but the next generation of disabled girls and women won’t have to feel how I did. The Disability EmpowHer Network’s Letters from a Role Model program is working to connect disabled girls with successful adult counterparts to give them the example of a thriving disabled adult that I and so many like me never got. Disabled attorney and organizer Stephanie Woodward co-

'Shielding Taught Me How Important Swimming Is, as a Person with Cerebral Palsy'

My Period Ruined My Life and Worsened my Disability, But I Took Charge

I got my first period when I was ten and still in primary school - before all my friends. I felt too young to feel my body changing so rapidly. I have Spastic Triplegic Cerebral Palsy, a neurological disorder caused by brain damage. In my case, the brain damage was caused by a lack of oxygen during labour and after birth, although it can also occur in other ways. It affects both my legs and my left arm, and this means I can only walk short distances with crutches inside and use a power chair

I’m Young And Disabled. Getting A Vaccine Shouldn’t Have Been This Hard

The One Good Thing About Cinemas Closing

As a wheelchair user, I’ve often found spontaneous cinema trips difficult. My local independent cinema has just one wheelchair space, tucked right on the back row. If another wheelchair user has booked ahead, then my movie plans are quickly scuppered. At the larger chain cinema, the wheelchair spaces are extremely close to the screen. When I went to see Wonder Woman, I had to watch with my neck craned awkwardly upwards. It wasn’t exactly the cinematic experience I’d hoped for. After the film in

Podcast-Hear Me, Me and my disability

Three young people share their experiences of being disabled today to mark the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act. Millie explores her own identity and speaks to Rhys and Fran about their experiences of being disabled young people to mark the 25th anniversary of the Disability Discrimination Act. Millie was born with Cystic Fibrosis, a genetic condition which affects her lungs and pancreas. Before the coronavirus pandemic, she had not considered herself to be ‘disabled’ but

How Grace Mandeville and Linda Blacker are Changing Perceptions of Disability in the Media

Grace Mandeville is a YouTuber, blogger, model, and actress who starred in CBBC’s The Sparticle Mystery as a teenager. I have been watching her Youtube videos for a year now and I enjoy the variety of lifestyle, fashion and disability based content she creates with her younger sister Amelia. Their lifestyle videos and vlogs are a great way to share life experiences. However, her disabled content resonated with me the most as a disabled person because it challenges ableist ideas and stigmas. In a

I Have a Disability, but I'm Still a Typical Teen

I use an electric wheelchair every day at sixth-form because I have triplegic cerebral palsy and can only walk short distances using crutches. Sometimes I catch peers or teachers giving me pitying glances as I weave through the hallways. They probably imagine the difficulty I might have had getting there or think about how “awful” it must be to have to rely on a wheelchair. The truth is I get a straightforward journey in a taxi to sixth-form, and my wheelchair enables my independence. Sadly, I t