Contrary to what Hamlet claims, "to be or not to be" is not the question, as far as I'm concerned. The choice which has preoccupied me frequently during my life is - manual or electric? As I'm paralysed from the neck down, I cannot propel myself in a manual wheelchair. To drive a chair on my own, I need to use a battery-powered one and control it using my left [...]

During my university years I took great delight in confusing the shoppers of Cambridge. In those days I often used a battery-powered wheelchair which I controlled using a foot switch. When I went into the city centre, I could see a puzzled expression pass over the faces of other pedestrians as they noticed the joystick on the wheelchair's arm and then realised that my hands weren't touching it. I could [...]

At the time of writing I am going through a bout of insomnia. Last night I lay in bed and watched the green numbers on my digital clock flick through the hours of the night at the same pace as a snail carrying a heavy bag of shopping. By the time dawn arrived, it felt as if those numbers were taunting me. (Lack of sleep does strange things to one's [...]

Oh dear, it's the Paralympics soon. Sorry, that's probably not the reaction you're expecting from me. But I'm afraid the Paralympics is not an event I look forward to with breathless anticipation. As the most glittering festival of disability sport approaches, I'm faced with my usual dilemma: to watch or not to watch?

There's a part of me which feels I really ought to support this sporting spectacle. Disabled people [...]

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 [...]