TV presenter Sophie Morgan was left “in a rage” at the “injustice” of her Blue Badge being stolen from her car.
The Loose Women star, who uses a wheelchair, said she would have to wait weeks for her car to be fixed and a replacement Blue Badge issued.
“I literally can’t describe how disabling this is,” she said, adding the inconvenience was “beyond measure”.
Blue Badges are issued by your local council and are displayed on the car’s dashboard.
They are proof you are disabled and enable you to get free or longer term parking as well as entitling you to use disabled parking bays which tend to be closer to destinations.
Sophie was away working in America when her car back in London was broken into, earlier this month. The perpetrators “smashed the window on the passenger side,” she told the BBC’s disability podcast, Access All.
“I had this rage in me at the injustice, all the frustration, the inconvenience, all of those feelings,” she said.
The only item taken was her Blue Badge, but the loss of it hugely impacts her life.
“I can’t drive my car without my badge as I can’t get in or out [of the vehicle] without space to get my wheelchair beside my car,” she said.
“And without the guarantee of a disabled space, it’s not worth the risk.”
The incident was reported to her local council but now Sophie must wait for a replacement to be issued.
According to the Department for Transport, in the year ending March 2022, 1,497 badges were reported as stolen across the UK.
They can be vulnerable to opportunists with some suggestion they can be re-sold for hundreds or even thousands of pounds.
Some people even buy lockable Blue Badge holders which are attached to the vehicle’s steering wheel to protect them.
It is why some London councils have started moving towards “Companion Passes” which work alongside Blue Badges, but are digital and negate the threat of theft.
Haringey Council, in north London, launched its Companion Pass in August 2021 to enable people to park in locations across the borough.
Between January and June 2021, 528 incidents relating to Blue Badges had been reported. A year later, after the scheme had been introduced, that dropped to 185 for the same time period, a reduction of 65%.
Hackney Council installed a similar scheme four years ago.
As well as working in resident parking zones, it also enables holders to travel through low traffic neighbourhoods (LTN). Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) cameras are able to pick-up and verify the vehicles.
“It’s been really transformational,” Councillor Mete Coban says, the cabinet member for energy, waste and transport, who has offered to speak with other councils to get the scheme up and running.
But he acknowledges it’s not a complete solution.
“It has to be the vehicle registered to your home address. So that’s one of the limitations,” he said, acknowledging they can only be linked to one vehicle, unlike the physical Blue Badge which can be used by the holder in any vehicle they are traveling in
These Companion Passes also only work within the borough they are issued.
Sophie’s own council, Southwark, does operate a Companion Pass which enables holders to park in any disabled bay, Pay-by-Phone bay and exempts them from “Streetspace measures” – Southwark’s version of LTNs.
For Sophie, who wasn’t aware of the scheme, it’s a positive move towards reducing the anxiety around Blue Badge thefts and waiting for replacements.
“It saves people work. It saves people the hassle. It’s just a no-brainer.”
my certificate that I was Eve three years ago for taking part in the rumble award which is award for people with learning disability. I enjoy taking part in this and I even got a voucher call Maya but I was proud of this and it’s a lovely memory, something like that, even in lockdown . 🤓🤓
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A man with cerebral palsy is taking on the John O’Groats to Land’s End challenge in what is believed to be the first Formula 1 modified wheelchair.
Adam Wharmby, 38, from Gloucestershire, has completed wheelchair marathons before to help raise awareness of the difficulties disabled people face.
When a Mercedes Formula 1 team heard about his next mission their engineers upgraded his wheelchair.
“With power under and behind you, anything is possible,” Mr Wharmby said.
Since 2017, Mr Wharmby has been raising money for a number of charities by completing a series of wheelchair marathons.
He was born with cerebral palsy and cannot walk or use his left arm.
“When I am in my wheelchair, I can accomplish anything, I forget I am disabled and can be a normal human being,” he said.
“It is brilliant to have power behind you and under you, it is like being a child again.”
For his next challenge, he is travelling nearly 1,000 miles (1,609km) from John O’Groats to Land’s End to raise money for the charity Whizz-Kidz that seeks to transform the lives of young wheelchair users.
“I want to push the envelope on accessibility. We are in 2023, we should have better wheelchairs,” Mr Wharmby added.
“I want more car manufacturers to get involved in the wheelchair business, which would help to drive the cost down for users.
“After all, life is all about getting out there and doing stuff.”
He is getting under way and aims for the total trip to be completed in 22 days, breaking the current world record.
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Family Gym Inspired By Their Boy With Down’s Syndrome
The family of a boy with Down’s syndrome say he was the driving force behind launching a community gym that was accessible to all.
The LS Gymnastics Crewe Academy, run by the family, trains competitive athletes as well as members with physical or learning disabilities.
Set up four years ago, the not-for-profit facility has 900 members, including 10-year-old Hugo.
His mum Candy said Hugo had been the club’s inspiration.
Hugo’s sister, and gymnastics coach, Ellie said opening the facility had been a “huge achievement for us all”.
“Having a space for Hugo, it just makes me quite emotional really, in the sense that he’s so happy here.
“Having Hugo has just spurred us on to make sure that he had… somewhere where he can work with us forever.”
A sensory space had been created at the gym for Hugo and others to use, “filled with all the things that make him happy,” she explained.
“It doesn’t just aid the sensory kids, all of our children come in here.”
Her mum added: “[Having Hugo] was the best thing that ever happened to me.
“It really does put life in perspective – I realised with Hugo that every day you could smile.”
Lawrence Caygill from Down Syndrome Cheshire said there were many barriers for people to access sports facilities.
“Sometimes we need to work with current providers to slightly change the way the delivery might happen,” he said.
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‘Brewkery’ Social Enterprise Plans To Expand
A social enterprise that supports people with learning disabilities by teaching them baking and brewing beer is planning to expand.
Equal Brewkery in Norwich has just been given an old caravan which they hope to renovate and take to local fairs and markets.
Since it started in 2017, it has supported more than 100 vulnerable adults and is run by volunteers.
Founder Bill Russell said: “It’s working well at the moment but we survive on the goodness of people.”
The enterprise, on Ipswich Road, is a combination of microbrewery and bakery and it teaches people with learning disabilities how to produce beer and bread with the aim that they go on to get a job or live more independent lives.
All profits from the sales of the goods go back into the organisation and the Co-op has started stocking one of the beers in eight of its local shops.
Mr Russell, a former head teacher, had the idea after suffering a stroke in 2015.
“I was in a hospital and I thought about what happens to people when they’ve had injuries and the like and I thought I can brew and I can teach so I can give something back,” he said.
The 71-year-old said it has been a success but he wanted to expand.
“We don’t have enough spaces for the people who want to come,” he said.
Fairless Masterman, one of the volunteers who works and Equal Brewkery, said it was “unlike anything I’ve done before”.
The 69-year-old retiree, who has been there for four years, said he worked with adults with a range of disabilities and the classes “build up their understanding” of the baking and brewing processes.
“It’s very rewarding; it’s never unenjoyable,” he said.
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York Blue Badge Parking Ban Protest At Lib Dem Conference
Campaigners opposing a ban on disabled parking in York have protested outside the national Liberal Democrats spring conference in the city.
The permanent ban in pedestrianised areas of the city centre was introduced in November 2021.
About 80 disabled people and their supporters gathered for the event outside the Barbican Centre on Saturday
Afterwards demonstrators said delegates from different parts of the country had made “supportive comments” to them.
York disability activist Flick Williams, who last month received an out of court settlement from City of York Council over access issues, said campaigners held the demonstration to “assert their disability rights”.
The council in York is controlled by a Lib Dem/Green coalition.
Ms Williams said: “If the Greens were having a conference, we’d be protesting outside their conference too!”
The protest was organised by campaign group Reverse the Ban.
A spokesperson for the group said protesters were joined at one point by Julie Adams Hatch, a disabled Liberal Democrat from Devon, who was attending the conference and told those assembled that she would raise the issue with the party internally.
York-born actor Dame Judi Dench recently called for an end to the ban on disabled parking in the city.
The Oscar-winning actor, 88, said York city centre was “a rare jewel that should be free for all to enjoy, including those with a disability and for whom accessible parking is essential”.
The ban came into force after the council installed anti-terror measures to prevent the risk of so-called hostile vehicle attacks.
Councillors previously said they had approved a series of mitigation measures, including dropped kerbs, the employment of an access officer and a feasibility study into an accessible shuttle service.
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A mother is running the London Marathon to raise awareness of her son’s genetic condition.
James Gray, 25, has Angelman syndrome which the NHS describes as a genetic condition affecting the nervous system.
It causes severe physical and learning disabilities and his mother Janette Gray said James sometimes faced discrimination as a consequence of it.
She said she hoped to help address the negativity by raising greater awareness of the condition and fundraising.
“I know that he is valued as an individual, but I have had some very upsetting comments directed to me in the presence of my son,” she said.
Mrs Gray is running in the marathon to raise money for the charity Mencap.
She said: “I want to give back, I want Mencap to be there for other people.
“I have always been grateful for practical advice and support – this is what Mencap provide.”
James was diagnosed with Angelman syndrome at 18 months old.
“He appeared to be a happy, smiling baby at first.
“Then we had the slow realisation that something was not right.”
At the age of 25, James moved out into social care.
“Like most parents, you become aware you cannot do this forever,” Mrs Gray said.
“This is a step towards independence from us.”
She said she had some anxieties about his move but she also saw the opportunities it gave him.
“You always want to be there for them,” she said.
Mrs Gray said running in the marathon was her way of showing her son that she was still “there for him”.
So far, she has raised nearly 40% of her £2,500 fundraising target.
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Christine McGuinness: Unmasking My Autism
In 2021, 33-year-old mother of three Christine McGuinness discovered that she was autistic, and suddenly, for the very first time, her whole life began to make sense. All the struggles she had faced growing up became clear, and Christine started to look at things from a new perspective and begin to make sense of who she really is.
There are thousands of women in the UK, just like Christine, who have been battling with undiagnosed autism for decades, and now Christine is looking for answers. Why did it take so long before she received a diagnosis? What impact has this had on her life? How many other women out there have been let down too? And what can be done to improve the lives of autistic women and girls?
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Lightyear Foundation Physics Role Models
This is a guest post.
Did you have someone who you looked up to when you were young, who you considered a role model? Did their journey influence your career decisions? Now imagine that you have an idea of where you would like your life to take you, but you just don’t see anyone else like you taking that path.
A role model is usually someone who has broken down barriers to get where they are, no matter the perceived size or scale of their journey or achievements. Thinking specifically about role models in physics, they could be at any point in their career, from a first-year undergraduate student embarking on the beginning of their course to someone at the peak of their career. In order to identify someone as a role model, this also implies that they have a degree of visibility.
Many people have a role model that they follow for inspiration, particularly to find a direction for their careers. Unfortunately, when it comes to physics, a lot of young disabled people are discouraged from considering associated careers due to the lack of visible role models. Scientific institutions are often (and correctly) perceived as highly competitive in an environment that can seem unwelcoming and unaccommodating. This reputation contributes to the underrepresentation of disabled people within these disciplines.
One way of tackling this underrepresentation is to create opportunities for young people to envision themselves pursuing their interests in the subject. This is the motivation for the new Lightyear Foundation Physics Role Model program, highlighting disabled physicists in wide-ranging roles across the sector, with very different disabilities and experiences. The Lightyear Foundation is a charity breaking down barriers to disabled children taking part in STEM (science, technology, engineering and maths) We want to celebrate diversity within STEM to help inspire disabled children to realise their potential. The evidence is clear that young people are much more likely to pursue their education and careers in STEM if they can see someone they identify with, who has gone there first and inspires them.
The Lightyear Foundation Physics Role Model program, in partnership with Future First and the Planet Possibility Consortium, will profile the lives and careers of five disabled physicists, increasing their visibility so that they can be role models for the next generation. In these profiles, we will find out first-hand the inside scoop about working in physics, from their top tips for starting out on a physics career to their ambitions for the future.
On a personal note, I would like to explain how I think having more physics role models would have made a positive difference during my undergraduate and Ph.D. in physics. I have a physical disability, cerebral palsy, which means I have difficulty using a pen or laboratory equipment, and walking unaided. There were many times when I felt completely isolated in facing the challenges that I encountered in my studies, thinking that no one had come before me and I had to find all the answers for myself. To give an example, I had to find a way of performing laboratory work in exams without being able to operate any of the equipment myself but instead instructing an assistant. I had already been working like this during class, but my teachers and I understood that to prove to the exam board that the experiment was entirely my work there couldn’t be any actions that the assistant carried out automatically. In other words, my verbal instructions had to be incredibly detailed. A small complication with this is that I was having to describe things that I had never physically done with my own hands. To get around this, my assistant and I met outside school hours to practice how I was going to dictate my practical exam. I’m happy to say that all the after-school practice paid off with very good marks on that exam. Unfortunately, the situation was slightly different when it came to my chemistry practicals in that my teacher tried to argue that because I couldn’t physically handle test tubes, I should be awarded zero marks. As I did not know of anyone who had been in a similar situation I felt very alone when I was arguing with him that what he was doing was disability discrimination and would have prevented me from achieving the grades I required for university. Eventually, I managed to convince him that the examiners were testing to see if people understood what to do with the test tubes that they picked up, which I could demonstrate, and not that they had the manual dexterity to pick up a test tube themselves.
Situations like this add to the barriers disabled people already have in accessing education in science. However, if people can easily see people in science who have similar conditions to them, they can take inspiration from the solutions that they found were helpful. Consequently, the scale of the barriers that disabled people face in physics is reduced and access is increased.
If you’d like to be part of this project as a disabled physics role model, please contact me at claire@lightyearfoundation.org. Later this year, you can find all the interviews on our website and social channels, and on the Future First and Planet Possibility websites and social media.
After all, you can’t be what you can’t see!
Dr Claire Malone
Lightyear Foundation STEM Lead
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WCA To Be Abolished, Claimants To Be Sanctioned By Bots
With many thanks to Benefits And Work.
There are strong indications that the government is set to announce the abolition of the work capability assessment (WCA) and the introduction of automated sanctions for UC claimants.
Members have been contacting Benefits and Work over the weekend after seeing media reports that the work capability assessment (WCA) is to be abolished. The main source of the reports seems to be a briefing obtained by Torsten Bell of the Resolution Foundation thinktank.
According to the document:
“A Health and Disability White Paper will be published on the day of the budget outlining our plans to scrap the Work Capability Assessment. Under the current system disabled people need to have a health assessment and be found incapable of work to receive additional income support through the benefits system. Scrapping the Work Capability Assessment is the biggest reform to the welfare system in a decade, meaning that disabled people can try work without fear of losing their benefits, and reducing the number of assessments needed to qualify for health-related benefits.”
There will also be changes to the sanctions regime in universal credit (UC)
Changes to Universal Credit will include . . . Strengthening the application of the Universal Credit sanctions regime. This includes additional training for Jobcentre Work Coaches to ensure they are applying sanctions effectively, including for claimants who do not look for or take up employment, and automating administrative elements of the sanctions process, including sending automated messages to claimants who fail to meet their Work Coach and take active steps to move into work or increase their earnings.
Whilst abolishing the WCA may sound like good news, it does very much depend on what – if anything – is put in its place.
For example, if there is no longer a WCA then how will it be decided whether a claimant will be eligible for additional payments because they are unlikely ever to be able to work? Will this be somehow combined with PIP or will there simply be no additional payment for new claimants?
In addition, who will decide which claimants should be subject to sanctions if they don’t seek work, because they say their health conditions prevents them doing so?
The alleged changes to the sanctions regime are much less uncertain and clearly bad news. UC sanctions are already at record levels, so ‘strengthening’ them can only bring greater misery.
Ensuring work coaches are ‘applying sanctions effectively’ is also likely to be bad news for claimants. As the DWP have for years refused to publish the result of their own research into whether sanctions are effective in getting claimants back into work, it is not clear what ‘effectively’ can mean other than more harshly.
And the idea that sanctions notices are going to be sent out automatically by DWP software can only add to the nightmare that claimants trying to communicate with the DWP already experience
At the moment there is very little information available about these changes..
But there can be little doubt that change is coming. Back in January we reported on rumours that the WCA was to be scrapped.
And as far back as September 2021 we revealed that the DWP would be issuing new contracts under which assessments for both PIP and the WCA would be carried out by the same company in any given area.
At the time the reason for the change was not clear. But if the WCA is to be gradually phased out, and elements of it possibly combined with PIP, then it obviously doesn’t make sense to have a separate company doing WCAs.
We should stress that it is much too soon to start worrying about these changes.
We won’t have more details until Wednesday and it will probably take years for any changes to the WCA to be consulted on and passed into law.
In addition, it is likely that the changes will apply only to new claimants and not to existing ones.
But, whatever is happening, we’ll make sure you are kept fully informed.
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Picture of me in front of an old-fashioned green grocer at Luton Museum four years ago
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Baroness Masham, a Paralympian and the longest-serving female member of the House of Lords ever, has died aged 87.
Lady Masham won medals in swimming and table tennis at the 1960, 1964 and 1968 games and was created a life peer in 1970.
She spent much of her career campaigning for disability rights.
The Spinal Injuries Association, which she founded in 1974, said it was “devastated to have lost our greatest champion”.
She died peacefully in hospital in Northallerton, Yorkshire, on Sunday, it said.
Lady Masham, born Susan Sinclair, became a wheelchair user after suffering an injury to her spinal cord in a riding accident in 1958.
Two years later, she won a gold medal in the 25m breaststroke at the Paralympic games in Rome, and in 1964 won another in the women’s doubles table tennis in Tokyo.
She won a further six silver medals and two bronze across both sports in the three games at which she competed.
In 1976, she was the subject of an episode of This Is Your Life.
She sat as a crossbencher and spent a total of 53 years in the House of Lords, more than any other female peer in history.
She set up the Spinal Injuries Association to address a lack of specialist care or advice available to newly injured people and served as its president until her death.
The association described Lady Masham as “the reason we have been able to champion, fight, serve and support thousands of spinal cord injured people ever since”.
“Our condolences go to her family at this sad time,” it said.
Lady Masham also sat on a number of all party parliamentary groups (APPGs), including those on global tuberculosis, HIV and Aids, and malaria.
The APPG on global tuberculosis said she had been “one of parliament’s most vociferous champions for disability rights and has worked tirelessly to advocate on behalf of people around the world living with TB and HIV”.
“Baroness Masham’s remarkable life serves as a testament of her compassion and dedication. She will be greatly missed by all,” it said.
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Jersey Dad Welcomes More Consoles For Disabled Gamers
A father who has been making video game consoles more accessible for disabled children has welcomed gaming companies getting more involved in the process.
Rory Steel, from Jersey, made consoles for his children Corban, eight, and Ava, 12, who have spastic paraplegia affecting their motor controls skills.
He said big gaming firms were now making their own specialised consoles.
It follows the success of Mr Steel’s YouTube channel on which he shows how to make consoles.
Mr Steel, the head of Digital Jersey Academy, said he had spent the past three years “putting a lot of effort into these controllers”.
He said “the good news is… now the actual big companies have £30 accessible controllers”.
He added: “While it seems frustrating that I’ve wasted my time for three years, I really haven’t because I hope they were learning from that – seeing there’s a demand for disabled gaming.
“We have really seen a lot of the big names, PlayStation and XBox, put accessibility into their gaming.”
Mr Steel said he was “a big gamer” in his youth and he wanted his children to have the same fun that he had.
“Everyone loves to play their games,” he added.
“Everyone remembers the iconic game they had as a child and I just wanted them to have those same experiences.”
James Martin: From Belfast Barista To Beverly Hills
It’s not often that a Belfast barista gets serenaded by the glitterati of Hollywood.
But then it’s not often that you win an Oscar and celebrate your birthday at the 95th Academy Awards.
Cue James Martin. Coffee connoisseur, soccer lover and one of those rocking the night away with Sir Elton John at the Los Angeles After Party.
Martin, 31, is one of the stars of An Irish Goodbye, which won an Oscar for best live action short film, just weeks after it clinched a Bafta.
Filmed on location in Londonderry, Templepatrick and Saintfield, Martin previously said an Oscar win would “put the icing on my birthday cake”.
Who is James Martin?
The broadcaster Ivan Martin was told when his son was born with Down’s syndrome that he may never speak.
“But here we are. James not only speaks, once he started speaking he hasn’t shut up since,” Ivan Martin told BBC News NI, just hours after the Oscar win.
And what a journey it’s been for the former pupil of Harberton Special School in Belfast.
Martin got the acting bug after joining the Belfast-based Babosh theatre company, which was set up about 20 years ago for children with learning disabilities.
In 2020, he told the Disability Horizons newsletter that he had agreed to give it a go at the theatre group.
“I’m very glad I went, as I got to meet Breige Hawkins and her staff,” he told the newsletter.
“Breige was a great teacher who knew her stuff and inspired us all to improve our acting skills. We did all types of shows and I enjoyed every minute of it.”
https://emp.bbc.co.uk/emp/SMPj/2.47.3/iframe.htmlMedia caption,
James Martin was in festive mode jamming on his harmonica in an Irish pub in LA
From treading the boards in Belfast, Martin landed the lead role in the BBC drama Ups and Downs, alongside actress Susan Lynch.
Written and directed by fellow Irishman Eoin Cleland, who has a sister with Down’s syndrome, the film focuses on the story of a young man with Down’s Syndrome wanting his own independence.
“He wants to get his voice to be heard,” Martin told BBC News NI at the time.
“It makes him more open and honest with his family and that’s good too.”
Martin then went on to get a part in the ITV and Netflix drama Marcella.
But arguably his most high-profile acting job to date, certainly the one that has garnered the most publicity, is An Irish Goodbye.
Directed and written by Ross White and Tom Berkeley, it tells the story of two estranged brothers who came together after their mother’s death.
The black comedy, set on a rural farm, stars James Martin as Lorcan, alongside Seamus O’Hara who plays his older brother Turlough.
Ahead of the ceremony, Martin showed up in a Los Angeles pub – playing his harmonica for a rendition of Dirty Old Town in a jam session.
Mencap ambassador
Martin is also a Mencap ambassador in Northern Ireland and has previously said that having Down’s Syndrome “doesn’t really hold me back”.
Martin told the BBC’s Today programme on Monday morning: “It doesn’t matter if you have Down’s Syndrome, as long as you’re doing what you do. I do what I can to be funny.
https://emp.bbc.co.uk/emp/SMPj/2.47.3/iframe.htmlMedia caption,
‘Holding this Oscar is just fantastic’
“I’m the first person with Down’s Syndrome not just getting a Bafta but also getting an Oscar, especially in the time of my birthday – it’s just fantastic.
“My drama group to me is very important – I’ve been doing drama a log time. But not just drama, Mencap and Starbucks too, fingers crossed.”
He is a keen runner and has previously taken part in park runs with The Falcons – a group of young adults with learning difficulties, who are part of the Queen’s parkrun community.
“It’s more about what you have inside you but not outside of you,” he told BBC News NI several years ago.
He can also be spotted at Irish league grounds on the weekend – often accompanied by his dad.
The day job
Martin’s day job for the past 10 years has been at Starbucks in Castle Lane and Victoria Square as well as Scalini restaurant in south Belfast.
His work colleagues are said to be very proud of his acting success, with good-luck posters adorning the walls of the coffee chain’s city stores.
But having traded his green apron of Starbucks for a swanky leopard-skin jacket at the Oscars, will he be swapping the kitchen for the stage permanently?
His dad said despite the fame, he couldn’t see his son leaving his jobs “any time soon”.
And Ivan Martin couldn’t be more proud.
“What an achievement, I’m just delighted,” he told BBC News NI.
“I haven’t been able to get him – he was at the Elton John After Party.
He said his son tackles everything with great gusto – and that has now paid off.
“He loves the acting, he’s loved this ride with the Oscars and the Baftas,” said Ivan.
“All I ever wanted for James was that he’d be happy; I’ll tell you what, he’s happy now.”
More here.
Dame Judi Dench Backs Call To Overturn York Blue Badge Ban
Dame Judi Dench has given her “wholehearted support” to campaigners calling for a ban on blue badge parking in York city centre to be lifted.
A permanent ban on disabled parking in pedestrianised areas was introduced in November 2021.
The decision angered many of those affected, who said they had been made to feel like “second-class citizens”.
Marilyn Crawshaw, from the group Reverse The Ban, said Dame Judi’s support was “a great boost”.
She said the group was “absolutely delighted” to have received a message from the James Bond star, who was born in the Heworth area of York.
The Oscar-winning actor, 88, said: “York city centre is a rare jewel that should be free for all to enjoy, including those with a disability and for whom accessible parking is essential.
“As someone living with sight loss, I know only too well how gaining access to places can be exceptionally difficult.
“York city centre should be fully accessible through these types of schemes.
“I should like to offer my wholehearted support to people in the City of York who are asking the local council to reconsider any ban to the blue badge scheme in the city centre.”
Ms Crawshaw said “When we have somebody like Dame Judi Dench coming out and supporting us it’s a great boost to us.
“It’s lovely to think that somebody with such a high profile is willing to speak out.”
Ms Crawshaw said Dame Judi’s words were “particularly heart-warming and encouraging and we hope it will help the situation change.”
The parking ban came into force after the council installed anti-terror measures to prevent the risk of so-called hostile vehicle attacks.
Councillors previously said they had approved a series of mitigation measures, including dropped kerbs, the employment of an access officer and a feasibility study into an accessible shuttle service.
Ms Crawshaw said postgraduate students from the University of York had conducted research into the way counter-terror measures could be reconciled with meeting the rights of disabled people.
She told BBC Radio York the group planned to issue findings from the research soon.
Me and an amazing instrument which I believe is called a harp at the Luton Museum also four years ago.
Jackets at the museum that people used to wear in the olden days before they were sent
Jersey is to see a British Sign Language (BSL) support worker reinstated after the government cut funding for the role in 2018.
Deputy Malcom Ferey said the post would return, alongside potentially two part-time social workers and more equipment.
This would allow members of the deaf or hard-of-hearing community to “live more independent lives”, he said.
The community had been “left behind” since funding was axed nearly five years ago, he added.
Deputy Ferey, Assistant Minister for Social Security and Assistant Minister for Health and Social Services, said he did not know why the role was cut in the first place.
Jersey born Ella-Louise Territt has been deaf since she was 18 months old, and has had to travel for hearing appointments since she was young.
‘It doesn’t work’
She said the support worker had attended medical appointments with her, including flying to London.
“There’s literally no sign language interpreter in Jersey for hospital or doctors, dentists; pretty much anything for medical terms or bank or tax,” she said.
“All government do is give us an iPad with Facetime with someone from the UK, but it doesn’t work – we need a professional interpreter.”
Miss Territt said since the removal of the role, she had volunteered to interpret at appointments for other deaf people.
“I want to help them because I’ve been through what they’ve been through and I don’t want them to struggle,” she said.
Gabriele Schiessl from charity Earsay said there had not been adequate and consistent support since funding was axed.
“After various consultations the government has realised that support is needed and is now looking into finding the right person for Jersey’s deaf and hearing-impaired community,” she said.
The Royal National Institute for Deaf People (RNID) is a UK charity that campaigns for deaf and hard-of-hearing people to have equal access to spaces, services, health care and job opportunities.
In the UK, all NHS care and or publicly-funded adult social care services are required to follow the Accessible Information Standard law, introduced in 2016.
RNID policy lead Ayla Ozmen said the island could introduce legal requirements for all health and social care providers to “meet people’s communication needs”.
“It’s not just about people losing their autonomy and having to get family and friends to talk about confidential, personal issues at a medical appointment, but… if you can’t communicate in a medical appointment, then of course, it’s a safety issue,” she said.
Deputy Ferey said Jersey’s legislation was better suited the needs of an islander with disabilities than the UK’s as it was built on a social, rather than medical, model.
Mr Ferey said the government was also looking at assistive technology, including BSL translation via an app.
“I think in some ways the deaf community have been a little bit left behind and we’re really keen to make sure that that stops now and that other members of the disability community have the support and structures in place that they need,” he said.
“So yes, there will be more support coming in all different shapes.”
Mr Ferey did not confirm how much would be set aside for the social workers, but the roles would return “within the next weeks and months”.
memory of me for years ago, when I first left school in a pub, having a lemon and Coke
Wanted: Aluminium Welder For Wheelchair Design
Posting by request:
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celebrating international women’s day with Learning for leisure two years ago, international women’s day out my Grindr me
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crowdfunding link for anybody that might want to donate or read my journey and share it. It is for my respite care and carers to the DMV training fo
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early morning, Salpi, and
Same Difference 