September hasn’t been an overly hectic month but still fairly productive with work, drama rehearsals and binge watching TV.
Disability Horizons
As usual, I’ve continued to bring in our news content. In fact, this week I found out our website reached 60,000 views this month, with two of my news articles – Will Bayley joining Strictly & The Sunflower Lanyard scheme – contributing widely to the success.
For October, I’m taking a break from news writing to concentrate on other DH projects.
I also managed to publish my interview with BBC journalist Paul Carter this month (see below). I’m still chasing up on several interviewees; Warwick Davis, Nikki Fox, Nikki Lilly and RJ Mitte. I’m also in the process of securing interviews with other disabled celebrities including Ali Stroker, Neal Pike, Harriet Kemsley and Libby Clegg.
From October, I’m also helping set up DH’s new online shop, which will sell a variety of accessible products. My role will be to simply write up the product descriptions, add images/videos and make them SEO friendly. We’re hoping to launch the shop sometime in November – just in time for Christmas!
And finally, I’m involved in organising a rather exciting event for DH, which will be announced at the end of October – watch this space!
All my Disability Horizons content is now available to view in one place on the Emma Purcell Author’s page. This link can also be accessed on the “Disability Horizons” button on the menu page on the left of this site.
My featured content, product articles and sponsored posts for Disability Horizons can be viewed in my Journo Portfolio.
To read my latest news stories, interviews and featured articles regularly, as well as browse other content from the rest of the amazing DH team, subscribe to the Disability Horizons newsletter.
AccessAble
This month I published a video for World Tourism Day, reviewing the Mill Fields Nature Reserve in Basingstoke. You can watch the video in my blog roundup below.
I also attended an AccessAble Surveying Workshop in Basingstoke. This event allows people to attend a presentation about what AccessAble do, how the surveying of public places is carried out and let the guests try out some surveying for themselves.
Unfortunately, only two of us attended and when we tried surveying some shops, only one store gave us permission.
Health
I’ve had a couple of health issues these past few weeks. At the beginning of September, I came down with a really bad tummy bug meaning I felt rubbish for over a week with no appetite and no motivation to work. So instead I just slept and binged watch Netflix.
Secondly, for the past six months, I’ve had a slight complication with my catheter. Usually I get it changed by a district nurse every eight weeks.
However, three times now, on the sixth week, my catheter becomes slightly blocked and my bladder goes into spasm, causing me to wet myself. Therefore I’ve called the nurses to have it changed early. On two occasions, it’s been a success but this month the nurse failed to get it out. She was reluctant to keep trying and told me to head to A&E.
So I travelled to the hospital, got myself admitted then sent to a ward. The consultant came and changed it with no issues. I asked whether I need an appointment with the consultant to find out why I keep getting this complication every six weeks. He suggested botox in the bladder but I need to go through my GP and get a referral.
Once I got home, I phoned the GP who have referred me to the urology clinic at the Alton Community Hospital. I’m now just awaiting an appointment.
I’m also going to question how exactly a catheter should be changed because I’ve found different doctors and nurses appear to do it differently with some changes being easy and others being extremely discomforting and painful. I find some of them put lots of lubricants in my suprapubic area and some don’t.
Drama
This month I returned to my adult drama group at the West End Centre in Aldershot. This term we’ve begun rehearsals for our Christmas production. This play is a fairytale pantomime with a variety of characters including people from Wizard of Oz, Alice in Wonderland, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty and Alladin. I’ve been cast as the White Rabbit – better get my bunny ears out. We’re scheduled to perform 2nd and 3rd December 2019.
Music
Two weeks ago, I tried booking tickets for Green Day (featuring Fall Out Boy and Weezer) at London Stadium for next summer. I phoned the Ticketmaster accessible booking line at exactly 10am. I was on hold for 20 minutes then put through to an agent. I asked for a wheelchair ticket, a standard seat ticket and a carer ticket.
He then said he can’t access the wheelchair bookings because its shut down due to a technical error. I know this wasn’t his fault but I was really annoyed. I asked could he not put me back in the phone queue until it was fixed but he said no.
He suggested I could book them online. I explained I have poor vision too so trying to scroll online with limited time was difficult for me. He told me the wheelchair tickets were at the very bottom of the page. I said I’ll give it a go then try call back. I looked on the website but no link to wheelchair tickets were visible. I tried phoning again but instead of putting me in the queue, it cut me off.
Unfortunately this occurred the same day as my catheter issue, so by the time I got back from the hospital, tickets were sold out.
I’ve also failed to secure any gigs over the autumn and winter time. It just seems every band or artist I fancy going to see live are playing on an inconvenient day or no where near Hampshire.
My next mission is to secure Glastonbury Festival tickets this weekend!
TV
I’ve been binge watching quite a few series this month. I completed the third series of 13 Reasons Why on Netflix. Without giving any spoilers, it was mentally exhausting to watch and I’m surprised there will be a fourth series.
Earlier in the month, I really fancied watching a new comedy. As I was scrolling through the comedy section, I came across Cuckoo. I have heard of it but never seen it until now. I thoroughly enjoyed the first four series but was very disappointed in te fift series. It appeared the main character Dale wasn’t returning and the plot seemed pointless. Because of this, I ddidn’t even bother watching the last two episodes.
Currently I’m watching a blast from the past box set on BBC iPlayer, Waterloo Road. This is a British fictional-drama based in a dysfunctional school. I watched the latter series between 2009 – 2015 but missed the earlier series that began in 2006. Now I can binge watch all 10 series and I’m loving it!
Guest Bloggers Wanted!
Please remember I’m very eager to fill my blog with more guest bloggers. So if you’re a lifestyle, disability and/or music blogger, send me your blog stories.
I’m flexible with any type of blog posts – life story, disability awareness, music event, musician promotion – basically anything to do with life, disability or music!
Blog post roundup
In case you missed any of my blog posts this month, here is a roundup of them:
- Celebrate World Tourism Day with AccessAble
- The Reality of Quadriplegic Cerebral Palsy & Acute Retinal Necrosis – Guest Post by Emma – UndercoverSuperhero
5 Favourite Blog Posts
Here are my 5 favourite blog posts I’ve read this month:
- 12 years disabled, but not broken! at Belleswheels
- SIGHT LOSS: MY UNSPOKEN REALITY at My Blurred World
- Explaining disability to children at Life of a Blind Girl
- My first therapy appointment at the counseling center by Amanda Gene
- Hotel owner offers refund to disabled customer but only if he keeps quiet about stay at Ability Access
