Category: Health and Disability

Virtual Events During Lockdown are Proof that Greater Accessibility is Possible

Virtual Events During Lockdown are Proof that Greater Accessibility is Possible

Before booking a ticket to any event, I have to figure out whether my disability will be accommodated. Although there are one billion disabled people globally, access is always stuck at the back of the priority queue for organisers and venue owners.

Then the global pandemic happened and suddenly remote events were everywhere. After years of listening to excuses for inaccessibility, true access felt like a genuine possibility.

What does vulvovaginitis look like? Everything you need to know about vulvovaginitis

What does vulvovaginitis look like? Everything you need to know about vulvovaginitis

Vulvovaginitis describes a number of conditions that affect your vulva and vagina. Here, two experts explain why you might notice a new itch or pain and what your treatment options are.

If you’ve experienced pain or redness in or around your vulva (the outer parts of your genitalia) or vagina (the internal passage that connects your vulva to your cervix), then you’re certainly not the only one. Conditions like urinary tract infections (UTIs), yeast infections, and bacterial vaginosis (BV) are pretty well known and frequently affect lots of people. But what you might not know is that sometimes they’re grouped together and called vulvovaginitis.

Overmedicalisation is harming disabled people’s sex lives

Overmedicalisation is harming disabled people’s sex lives

When I was eight, I had an unnecessary hymen check. I still remember the sound of the cheap plastic curtain rings jingling as the doctor placed me on the bed and examined my vulva.

Frequent medical interventions, investigations, and consultations have been a part of my life since I was seven years old. And as a disabled person, this consistent medicalisation of my body has corrupted my sexual development.

The Historical Desexualising of Disabled People

The Historical Desexualising of Disabled People

Disabled and Sexual is a new monthly(-ish) column by Hannah Shewan Stevens which will explore all the challenges, comedy, and fun that disabled people experience as sexual beings, even while we are desexualised by a predominantly non-disabled society.

One of the most pervasive myths about disabled people is that we’re either incapable of or disinterested in sex. As a result, society desexualises us because people genuinely believe that no one could possibly find a disabled person sexy. Well, I’m here to tell you that they’re very wrong.

The Mental Toll of Disability Is Inflating — We Have to Do Something

The Mental Toll of Disability Is Inflating — We Have to Do Something

The weight of living in a world that doesn’t consider disabled people’s needs is piling on. Something has to change.

We live in a society that presumes disability is intrinsically tragic.

In reality, for me and many others, being disabled actually comes with many beautiful things, including a vibrant and loving community.

Am I Disabled Enough to Call Myself Disabled?

Am I Disabled Enough to Call Myself Disabled?

It took me more than a decade to call myself disabled. When the label finally stuck, the pride it injected — and the thriving community that came with it — enriched my life.

At my sickest, I embraced my identity as disabled. Since then, the chronic illnesses that disabled me have improved, and now I’m being tormented by a bizarre question: Am I still “disabled enough” to call myself “disabled”?

I Accessorised My Way To Embracing Disability

I Accessorised My Way To Embracing Disability

Finding stylish mobility aids amid a sea of dull, colourless options which match the aesthetic of a hospital ward is the bane of many fashion-forward disabled people’s wardrobes. In the UK the spending power of disabled people tops £249 billion per year yet affordable and elegant mobility aids that consider aesthetics are a rarity.

Love Island, disabled reality TV stars, and the ‘inspiration porn’ deluge

Love Island, disabled reality TV stars, and the ‘inspiration porn’ deluge

Love Island has announced what it says is its “most diverse” cast ever, which includes their first physically disabled contestant: Hampshire PE teacher Hugo Hammond, who has a clubbed foot.

Harriet Eccleston is the adaptive fashion designer making her mark at LFW

Harriet Eccleston is the adaptive fashion designer making her mark at LFW

While fashion sometimes moves too swiftly a pace to even keep track of, the process of diversifying its catwalks is happening at a glacial pace. Yes, we are finally seeing a broader range of shapes, sizes, colours, and genders grab the spotlight they deserve, meaning it would be easy to assume that adaptive fashion was having an equally heart-warming surge. In reality, the fashion-starved disabled community continues to be be passed over again and again. However, to combat the style exclusion of 14.1 million disabled people in the UK and the one billion disabled folks worldwide, a colourfully dressed, fashion powerhouse is embarking on a mission to affect change.

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