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The Promise Vs The Reality What happens when inclusion becomes a badge, not a behaviour? On the surface, the Disability Confident Scheme sounds positive: a framework intended to help organisations employ disabled people at a minimum standard. In practice, it has fallen short of its aims, earning a reputation as a tick-box exercise rather than a driver of change. Even with reforms underway, simply tinkering with the scheme—rather than transforming it—risks leaving the employme

When the System Isn’t Built With Families in Mind You thought the landscape for SEND children was tough. But what about the parents? The long and winding road to any sort of acknowledgement of what needs their children have involve navigating endless paperwork, waiting lists, assessments, or being told that even after all this effort they go through – that there’s no provision. What if the people who know SEND children best were the ones helping design the services meant to s

Is neurodivergence a disability – or is it only treated like one? This debate continues to surface, yet many people still feel none the wiser. This blog is not about rigid definitions. It’s about people. Neurodivergent people continue to experience ableist and disablist attitudes, often simultaneously, and neither helps us to thrive. What follows is my attempt to unpick how neurodivergence is viewed, why that matters, and why choice and respect must sit at the centre of the c

The moment that made it all click “I just want to say thank you to you, Sam – the way you speak so openly through storytelling… you speak in a way I see through my son’s lived experience of neurodivergence.” As soon as this feedback came my way after a presentation I delivered on December 4 th  to Blaby District Council – it clicked! That comment reminded me why I do this work – and why one presentation can’t be where it ends. The UK employment gap for disabled people is mass

The Broken Foundation: Britain’s education system is still built on Victorian ideals: uniformity, hierarchy, and compliance. Test scores trump talent, and creativity is squeezed out by conformity. After decades of failed reform, it’s clear we don’t need tweaks — we need a rebuild. One that values potential, individuality, and inclusion. Every year we wait, more young people are left behind. A System Out of Step: Classrooms still mirror a world that no longer exists. Rows of d

In the UK, nearly 1 million people live with dementia. It’s often thought of as an illness that only affects older people — but that isn’t always the case. Around 7 in every 100 people diagnosed with dementia are under the age of 65. This is known as Young Onset Dementia , and it can affect people in their 40s, 50s, or 60s — sometimes even younger.   This is the reality for Michael and his family, who are navigating life with dementia far earlier than they ever expected. I sp

For many neurodivergent people, life feels like an endless attempt to fit a square peg into a round hole. No matter how much sanding or shaping is done, the peg doesn’t become round – instead, the hole seems to shrink. Society often assumes that difference is something to be corrected rather than understood. Each new diagnosis or label can feel like another attempt to explain away complexity – to make something ‘fit’ that was never meant to. But what if the problem isn’t the

Over 50 million people in the world live with epilepsy – yet epilepsy remains one of the most misunderstood conditions – often hidden,...

Every Tuesday morning, Mathew volunteers at St Giles Bookshop in Ashby, supported by Liz, who has been by his side for nearly ten years....

Recently, I spoke with a local resident living with multiple health conditions who had been unable to book a doctor’s appointment online....