Family Support in Lockdown: From a Shielding Perspective

This is a short speech for the national charity Include Me TOO

 

I am 28yrs old and I have had a Personal Assistant team for 20 yrs. They support me to be fully independent and give me control of my life. For instance I can go to work, have a social life, meet my friends, go to gigs and music festivals, theatre and travel around the world.

This year is massive change due to Corona Virus in my life and suddenly I found myself with no Personal Assistants as we went in lockdown and I was shielding. I felt this was the strangest thing to be happening to me ever, with being inside and unable to go out, everything stopping, and fear about catching Corona Virus.

All the family supported me instead of the Personal Assistants. Two of my brothers and sisters were supposed to graduate from University and returned home to help. I felt really sorry for them not to be able see their friends and celebrate their last term. One of my sisters came home from London and we had a rota for everyone to help with supporting me, take the dog out and do the cooking. We had a busy first 3 months. I am worried about the future and it feels like lockdown is never going to stop.

I keep busy at home example writing my blogs about my travel experience for IncluTravel, the travel company I work for. One positive of lockdown I have time to write blogs because before I was too busy with social life.

Lockdown as impacted my mental health and wellbeing. First time I felt really upset because I didn’t expect my life to change so much. I can’t go outside because I am a high risk and people don’t know so they might not social distance from me. My mind said what if I caught the virus. Every day I looked on BBC news about how many people dead in the UK from the virus. It was interesting to see the numbers but the high numbers made me angry and incredibly sad.

I have been staying at home and it means I rarely go outside which is not good for me physically. If the weather is beautiful, I can walk with my family and enjoy, but when it is not nice I am confined to the home. But, lockdown has meant I have been doing yoga, physio and in my walker more than before corona virus. This is good for my physical health.

In March and April it is all my families birthdays. Before lockdown we would have gone for meals, drinks and met friends. Not this time. But the birthdays, especially mine, were still fun and memorable. We had lovely homemade birthday presents and delicious meals including my brother’s cheese cake!

As lockdown finishes I am still fearful. After not being outside much I am afraid that people will not be socially distancing and are unaware of those of us who have been shielding. Disabled young people were ignored and forgotten before lockdown and I feel it will be even harder for us and our worries will not be taken seriously. My message to the Government is remember us, keep listening to young people, support us back into society and raise awareness of the threat of a second wave.

Don’t let the media scare you and make your mental health worse

With the outbreak of the Coronavirus, the media has been going crazy recently. I’m finding it annoying, as 11 years ago during the Summer I got Swine Flu and almost died. The media craze is a constant reminder. When I heard the news at the end of January I thought I would be ok because it was in China, which is far away. Right now, despite worrying slightly, I am not extremely worried. I am not scared either. You have to live your life, go outside and do what you want to do. I am not sure how true or false the idea of the outbreak being so bad is. The other day I was reading an article that compared how deadly the most recent viruses have been:

https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-compared-to-sars-swine-flu-mers-zika-2020-3?r=US&IR=T

Even though the Coronavirus is still young, the difference with the numbers seemed huge.

However, when I go out somewhere else and it’s busy with lots of people, my mind thinks “what if someone gives me the Coronavirus?”. I think I’m really strong for going out and doing things when it’s still on my mind. I think it’s the fault of the media and the news why I have it on my mind so much. I try to ignore it, but I hear lots about it. I’ve seen lots of posters everywhere. I think that the shops selling out of hand sanitiser and toilet roll is crazy! The lack of toilet roll in shops makes me laugh.

I feel it is difficult with my mother. She worries a lot about me and says “Coronavirus” lots. I absolutely understand how she is feeling as she has seen me with bad health before. I know she loves me so much and she doesn’t want to nearly lose me again. I understand it is on parents’ minds how their children’s lives would change if they got an illness.

I am wondering if people who have had the same experience with nearly dying from an illness are having the same problem and whether it is making their mental health bad. I want the media to stop making their mental health issues worse, and want to help in any way to stop that.

Amazing adventure in Dubai

Vienna

On the 1^st of May, I woke up at 2 am and then arrived at Manchester airport very early morning. I was so excited to go to Vienna because my friend had told me all about it and since then I had always wanted to go, so finally my dream was coming true.  I felt so relaxed in the airport however the air hostess was not very helpful and didn’t carry any of my luggage. Finally, I arrived in Vienna, Wow!!! what an amazing place, so accessible for my wheelchair, even the train was.  I was impressed.

Off the train, it was a 10minute walk to the youth hostel. It was very modern and a huge building however, I was surprised the staff in the youth hostel did not show us a map of Vienna or talk to us about anything, they gave us no information at all.  This was disappointing as it is important for people to feel welcomed and that they are in a safe environment.  I went to the bathroom and I felt so tired, I needed to sleep because it had been an early morning.  When I woke up I felt much better.

I went to the restaurant which was small but the staff were very friendly and helpful.  I decided to find a park somewhere. Wow it was so beautiful and I felt like I was in China haha!  We walked for a long time before arriving back at the same restaurant. I had a vegetable pizza and it was so delicious!

 

Next day, I woke up and got ready for breakfast. It was beautiful weather, I went to the Schonbrunn Palace, it was amazing to view Vienna city. I loved it! I even got out of my wheelchair and sat on the grass. We went to an ice cream place and then went to the train station.  One PA was stood in front of me and the other behind but as we got on the train the doors closed behind me before the 2^nd PA could get onto the train and the train set off!  I was laughing so much and did feel lucky that at least I had one PA with me still, but she was worried because her phone did not work in Europe, so how were we going to contact my other PA who we had left behind at the previous train station.  While we were on the train, I couldn’t stop laughing and everyone was looking at me, finally we met up with my 2^nd PA at the following train station.  I was so tired when we arrived back at the youth hostel because that day we walked around 13miles, but at the same time I felt I had had the best funny experience ever.

Next day I had lots of things I wanted to do! I went to Hofburg Palace because we had tickets for the Spanish Riding School. There were beautiful old buildings! One PA said what about going on the horse carriage however, I was worried about my wheelchair but a kind man looked after my wheelchair and put it in the locker. I had an amazing time and got to see everywhere.

Then I went to the St. Stephen’s Cathedral, it was a beautiful old building and we listening to the choir and I felt peaceful and relaxed.

Then I went to a strange building called Hundertwasserhaus, it is different because it has a new architect concept than the rest of the buildings in the city. And then I decided to go inside of a Gallery however I forgot about my PA’s and they thought that they had lost me but fortunately they were behind me.  I loved the gallery because it had lots of little shops and a pub.

Afterwards I went to the Belvedere Palace, I was so relaxed it had a beautiful garden and water fountain.  When we got back to the youth hostel I met a lovely group of wheelchair users from Germany.  We went to a Chinese takeaway however the weather suddenly changed to black clouds and looked like it would thunderstorm.  I wanted to get back to the youth hostel quickly because I was sure it was about to start raining at any moment.

Next day I went to the Unteres Belvedere and then I walked to the karlsplatz where St. Charles Cathedral is. I went to the State Opera but we didn’t go inside it because it was so expensive. I went to eat ice cream which is very famous there because of the flavour, however, I had a chocolate mouse and I felt like I was in heaven. After that, I went to the waste treatment plant called Spittelau because I didn’t want to go straight back to the hostel and this building is very different to the other ones in the city, looks more like a theme park.

Finally, the day to go to the Spanish Riding School. It was really good and the horses were beautiful however, I felt asleep because the classical music that they used to dance made me feel so relaxed. When the venue finished I went to the Albertina Palace and then to the market called Naschmarkt.  Unfortunately we couldn’t eat there because it was very busy, but there’s more than 100 different restaurants; we decided to eat in a park near there and have our own picnic because we were very hungry. At night we went to a vegan restaurant and the food was delicious, I was surprised because some people told me that it could be hard to find vegan or vegetarian restaurants in Vienna, but this city have everything, is just an amazing place to go.

Last day we left the youth hostel in the morning but my PA’s and I were very tired so we decided to chill out and sunbathe. They were laughing at me because I was very moody and stubborn that day however, we had an amazing time full of stories and experiences together during all the trip.

 

Gold Hearts of the Refugee Men in Calais

“We are in the greatest refugee and humanitarian crisis since World War 2” United Nations Refugee Agency

“Imagine living with nothing and what little you do get is always being taken away by police” Care 4 Calais

 This is the life of the refugees in Calais –YOU CAN HELP! Please donate to:

http://care4calais.org/donate/

• Tents for camping
• Waterproof sleeping bags
• New socks & underwear
• Mobile phones

 

Hearing this I knew I had to help.  I did feel nervous being the first disabled person to do volunteering, for Care 4 Calais but I also wanted to take this opportunity to show people I care and wanted to help in any way I could.

At first, I struggled a little bit because I didn’t know how I could be included, but there was loads for me to get involved with. I did a lot of sorting through the boxes, checking for specific sized clothes and making sure they were equally distributed.   In the afternoon I met a lot of young refugee men in a local church day centre.  I felt really impressed with them because they came up to hug and shake my hand, they saw me first and not my wheelchair.  Some of them called me their “sister”.

I listened to the stories of where the refugees came from and many are from Eritrea.  They want to leave their country because they were forced to join the army and lived in a country with years of civil war and with little human rights.  They had walked for weeks and weeks without any food, only water to finally arrive in Libya where they were beaten daily with many people dying.  The only escape was to try and save money and pay the smugglers for a boat trip to Italy, this could cost thousands of pounds and the boat trips are very dangerous, often sinking with many dying before arriving in Italy.  When I heard about these terrible journeys I felt so sad I couldn’t begin to imagine how hard it must have been for them.  After lots more walking and danger getting from Italy to France, when the refugees do finally arrive in Calais nothing much improves.  I saw how sad and exhausted they were because every night the police take everything.  This is why, it is so important for people’s donations and volunteers help in distributing them.  One man I met had a bag full of books, he was very clever and educated with good English, we had such good conversations and I met so many interesting people from different backgrounds

The last day we helped distribute coffee, tea and bags with toothbrushes, blankets, food and clothes, all things we want people to donate, because the police come and raid and slash the tents and the refuges have no safe place to stay.  On the last afternoon the refugee men enjoyed playing football with the volunteers.  I feel really upset because I feel I will never see them again.

I would like to say thank you to Care 4 Calais for including me in the volunteer work, especially Aisha.  I will definitely be back in Calais again to support the refugees.

A busy last day in India!

The last morning of our hectic schedule we were ready to go to Amber fort and I was planning on going by elephant. There had been lots of checking beforehand as I was worried about how ethical it was. But I looked at research and sent emails to check. I also discussed it with the people who support me   as I cannot ask them to do something they do not want to do themselves. It was an interesting discussion but as an employer I have to make sure I am not expecting them to have the same beliefs as me. Are PA’s who support people willing to support personal achievements even if they don’t agree with the situation  themselves? Hmmm??  It was an interesting discussion especially when I was asked how I would feel if I was asked to do something I didn’t want to do at work as I had strong feelings on it. I have never thought of it that way! We agreed to make plans but on the day we all had the right to say we were not comfortable with something that was either ethical, health and safety worries or nerves. I knew it would be risky as there are stone steps with no rail, a platform to walk along with no rails but a drop and the seat on the elephant is the same for anyone. No adapted elephant seats!

 

I wanted to try it. I have been on an elephant before as a child but I am an adult now and I wanted to know what it felt like. A lot of planning was involved. Travel Counsellors were wonderful and they sent videos of the steps etc as they asked their people to check and show the exact route I would be taking. This was a fantastic help to be able to plan and to know what to expect. Then Sam and I  looked at them and we discussed how it would be best to safely transfer and get around especially as we knew it is a busy place. The night before the expected elephant ride Tanya, Sam and I sat talking about different options and what we were planning to do. I then chose the safest option for me, Tanya and Sam. We were all comfortable with the decision. People usually sit sideways on but Sam would sit differently. This was because it was safer for me, her as she had to hold onto the seat, and could tactile sign interpreting from the guide on the elephant. I would also be supported on both sides of me by the rail which I could hold and her body and so I would feel reassured.  Click on the blue link to see the the   video showing how I sat on the elephant so I could hold on. 

 

 

The route it would take involved a turn half way through and a change of direction.

 

My cochlear implant was put away in case it came off going up the hill as I did not want it damaged by falling off with any sudden movement and trampled by the elephant. I felt very safe with Sam. I kept my glasses on as they also protect my eyes from the sun. We shared Sam’s scarf (Which was tied to the seat for easiness for Sam to get hold of while we travelled.) This was because it was going to be hotter as we climbed the hill and we were more exposed to the sun. We could not tell an elephant to put us in the shade as there is only one route for the elephants! As we climbed the hill the guide told us about the saffron gardens at the bottom of the hill.

I thought Tanya might find romance but she said no , sadly.  I thought they were well matched haha!  However I also discovered something new about me that I did not know before. I was feeling a bit elephant sick! The motion of the elephant going up the hill was making me feel like I wanted to be sick. Side to side I rocked!   I couldn’t understand it as I have been to Thailand twice on an elephant and I was fine when I was younger!! Sam said I will be fine and I needed to rock with the elephant exactly the same as when we walk together when I get out of bed in the morning. I needed to relax more into the rocking.  It was true I relaxed into the rocking and then really enjoyed the ride. Finally we arrived at the fort!!!

 

 

Here is the Video of us arriving in Amber fort on an elephant!

 

I remember looking at the steps to get down from the elephant to the fort  and I thought  o.k I needed to be really careful.  I had to have real trust in Tanya and Sam to do this and I did. Take a look  here at how we did it but don’t look down haha!!!

 

I had lots of water to drink as it was so warm that day and so I kept wanting the toilet however I had a shock when I saw the Indian toilet. We all laughed so much as my mother had told me India was a poor place and they would all be like this. She had said I may have to prepare myself!! She even tried to organise training before I left on using an Indian toilet. She was also worried there would be no toilet paper in India. Wanted me to pack some in my case!!There is though, I promise! We found another toilet but I have a little video were we had a bit of fun while we were in the toilets here.

 

Amber fort was beautiful. I loved to see the decorations in the walls. I loved to listen to the stories and imagine myself there. It was nice to have the stories in my head then look again at the beautiful artwork. I even saw an old wheelchair there! OMG!!! Imagine having to use this!!

There was lots of ramps but they felt a little steep so we made sure I didn’t roll of anywhere. Inside the fort some of the walkways were narrow so it was good that I used my manual wheelchair or I wouldn’t be able to see everything.

I even managed to walk up some stairs to look at the view.

When we were ready to come back down the hill the guide asked if we wanted to go in the Jeep down the hill instead of the adaptable van.  He warned  it was bumpy and quite fast. No seat belts, nothing to anchor my chair down or I could get out of my chair and sit on a side facing seat with my PA’s if I wanted to have a go.  I looked at Tanya and Sam with excited eyes. They both asked to see the jeep and climbed inside. Started strapping fold away seats back from inside the jeep and measuring it. They explained it was a tight squeeze, if I didn’t mind a few legs and arms everywhere holding me down they were happy with it. It was also because there was nowhere for them to put their feet down with a wheelchair there. If I had sat on the fold able seats , downhill at speed I would have been unsafe. I had to lean forward when they were going to lift me up as the top of the Jeep would have knocked me out.   Here is the video of me getting in the jeep. Look at my face while I was waiting haha!

 

They then instructed men to come and lift the chair whilst telling them the safest points to hold the chair. Well I had a best experience ever in the jeep! I loved it but it was so funny because Sam and Tanya had their legs on my manual chair ha ha. Covering their feet with scarfs for the photos. I used Tanya’s selfie stick for the video on the way down. I loved that jeep ride here is the video, we laughed so much trying to get photos and videoing squashed up in the jeep. I will definitely do that again one day.

Look at me getting out of the jeep and people still wanted to take photographs when they had met me.

I also had a brief visit to the Astronomical Observatory which was really interesting but on this day the temperature became hotter and hotter. The Dynavox was put away under cover as were worried about it over heating. I couldn’t type on it and the metal pole was hot when I accidentally lent on it. I was also in my manual wheelchair too. I watched Sam sign what the guide was saying but halfway through she signed’ Sam speaking, emergency’ she had to hold the interpretation, there was an emergency. She asked the guide to stay with me in the shade and spray me with her water. Sam told me later what happened. Tanya had been stood behind me in the shade as Sam was in the sun (I need to see her face for facial expressions and lip pattern) as she was interpreting she heard a quiet weak voice behind me say ‘I think I am going to die today…….’  Tanya was dizzy and falling towards me in the wheelchair.  Sam gave her water and cooled her down with spray whilst getting her to sit down. We decided to leave the observatory and sadly I didn’t really get any photographs as Tanya was also my photographer as well as PA. It was unsafe to carry on in that heat for Tanya and myself. We were heading back towards a shop we could see that had a lot of people round. Tanya said she wouldn’t make it as there was a massive queue of people buying water and ice cream. I saw Sam run in front and look very suspicious then she leaned under some chains on the ground and turned the water sprinkler for the grass on Tanya and I. The guide said we were the craziest woman he had every seen. I am sure we made him nervous haha! I felt so much better and Tanya did too. Sam said there is no point in having two dead bodies to take back to England with her but lovely grass to look at in India. Mum would have been really happy with her!  And she didn’t want her CV ruining she said with a wink. Death looks bad on a CV she told me haha. I know Tanya was dizzy with the heat and was bad but I still laugh about the words she said. Sorry Tanya but it is a funny memory for me an will always make me smile.

 

We then went to city palace.It was so funny as Tanya just walked past the man with the rifle guarding the palace ha ha.

 

There’s a rifle Tanya,

yes there Tanya,

 

Oh well!

 

Wow the palace was huge and had bright colours.

It was being prepared for a wedding as you can hire the building now. Imagine!  I went inside the museum which has really interesting objects and paintings about the history and culture.  Look who became a PA after he had been trained up by Sam and Tanya …..I really enjoyed it. I saw the artwork but I couldn’t believe it because the maharajah had such huge pants wow.He must have eaten a lot.  We also had a bit of fun teasing Saurabh !!

When we arrived back at the hotel  I felt so tired because we had seen so much  but it was a brilliant experience. What an adventure!!!

Fatehpur Sikri

I visited Fatehpur Sikri in India .

I remember the temperature was boiling hot that day and we had to look for shade a lot.

I can’t remember all the history of Fatehpur Sikri because I was so hot and even though I had so much water to drink. I do remember some stories about a king called Akhbar had a pet elephant called Hawa’i. King Akhbar also decided to create a religion of his own from four different religions. But, if any person disagreed with it…..the king would have his elephant torture them and possibly killed. I tried to see the building with elephant’s tusks on it as it was built as a monument to his elephants and maybe to show he was powerful too.  The area is also famous for its water shortage and I am not surprised as it was very hot. Strangely I saw a man who waved for attention and I thought he was throwing himself in and panicked.  He was doing it to get tourists worried  to give him money so he wouldn’t. I told Tanya to let him jump ha-ha. 

 

I also met an older lady originally from England but she now lives in Romania now and works with disabled children. She said she couldn’t wait to go back and tell them she had seen someone who doesn’t let disability stop them from travelling to unique places.

We then went back in the van for a short fifteen minute drive to eat. The building was lovely but the food was not. I met the same lady from Romania there and met a lady from Portugal who spoke to Sam; she was introduced to me as she is a teacher of the Deaf. We compared our signs.

We then went for a long four hour drive and the guide stopped on the way he looked at Sam’s shoes and said come with me. It was difficult to see where they were going as the ground went up and down and they had to cross a train track. But as I watched them climb some small hills I could see camels, brown camels that were difficult to see as they were far away because of the trees.  Sam said she has never seen anything like it. The more she looked at the trees the more appeared they were huge and came out to see who this strange English woman was on their land. She also met a very old man who was rubbing oil into their skin to look after them. As we arrived into Jaipur we watched the sunset our lovely driver pulled over and said “watch this it’s beautiful !“ and it was. The colours! When we finally arrived at the Trident hotel I was absolutely shattered as we had been so busy, hot and had traveled so far.

The Taj Mahal!

This was the day I had been waiting for and had to be ready to be picked up at 5.30 AM to see the sunrise at the Taj Mahal. We had only slept for a short time, it was hot, busy and none of us had eaten before we went although Sam drank lots of coffee and water getting up at 3 a.m reading her notes to interpret. But I do think she is a little crazy to do that! Tanya and I stayed in bed longer and slept and ignored her telling us to drink plenty of water before we went.

We were picked up by our guides and then driven to the area near the Taj Mahal. We then swapped vehicles and went on a golf buggy to get closer to the Taj Mahal. It took us to the entrance; we then went through security checks to go inside the Taj Mahal grounds.

This was an experience I will never forgot it was one of the best of my life so far. The temperature was really hot even though it was early in the morning and we knew it would become hotter as the day went on. I saw the bench that Lady Diana had sat on and I wanted to go there but when I sat there, I didn’t feel safe on my own so I sat with Sam and went back in my manual wheelchair after a photo or two.

 

There were lots of people queuing to sit there I didn’t realise how many people would be visiting from all over the world.

There were so many steps and people hurrying past.   I then came out of my chair to look on a stone platform at the Taj Mahal and listen to the stories. I loved to listen to the guides stories of the love story of the Taj Mahal and its sadness too.

Tanya, Sam and I had to work really well together as a team to be able to make sure I could do what I wanted here.  I wanted to walk in the grounds of the Taj Mahal and up the steps to it.

 

I climbed the stairs  and listened and then when it was time to go down the steps I was guided down by my support  I did not realise there was water so near to me and no rails on the steps. If I had of seen them I would have panicked. She made sure I couldn’t see it.

As we looked around the grounds and made our way to the Taj Mahal I said to Sam I thought I had Delhi Belly and I was panicking looking for accessible toilets. She told me not to worry, what I was describing was hunger , I had woken up earlier than my usual routine and we were burning energy climbing up and down the stairs in the heat and we would be just fine, just relax and enjoy the Taj Mahal.  She looked at me with those bossy eyes and told me to drink water and sprayed Tanya and I with her water spray. Then she gave me chocolate spread, I have no idea where it came from but I loved it. Sometimes I think she has strange things in her bag but does have something for every emergency including emergency chocolate situations to keep me alive. Ha Ha, mum had laughed at her packing them in her giant pink suitcase but I was happy we had the spray.

 

We were told we needed shoe protectors in one area as we came closer and when we got to the next section we were told there were no wheelchairs allowed passed this point. We looked at each other and Tanya and Sam said there was no way we would come this far and not all three of us reach the inside of the Taj Mahal.  The guides thought we were crazy. We told them to stand aside and find someone to look after the chair, we were going up!

 

Altogether to reach the top of the Taj Mahal entrance I walked up around 80 steps!!!  We all had to take our time and lots of breaks drinking water, spraying water, leaning on walls in the shade and sitting on the ground as there are no chairs there.

 

 

 

This is a video of the view from the top of the steps closest to the Taj Mahal

I felt shattered! At the top of the final stairs I then went inside the tomb area and listened to the guides story and description.

 

When we were on our way down the steps I was a little bit scared as I don’t like going down and I always worry about the risk. I can have sudden movements and they are hard to control if I am anxious. But Tanya and Sam know my body well and what to expect. People try and be nice by grabbing my hand and saying it’s wonderful to see me going down the stairs but I am deaf, if you grab my hand I will jump and have a sudden movement I cannot control. It was hot, we are all communicating by tactile sign on our bodies and we are trying to get down steps were people are rushing because they have travelled far to see the Taj Mahal.  Tanya and Sam asked the guides to warn people not to push past and stop people from touching my arm, thankfully they did.

When I finally got back in my manual wheelchair I felt so shattered. We then had to wait for the golf car. I felt so proud of myself that I had achieved seeing the Taj Mahal. Tanya said she was proud of me and proud of us for what we had done.  I relied I was hungry!

I then signed to Sam, who looked at me shocked and said please repeat that.  I then said “Yes, my next challenge I plan to go to Amsterdam and I would like to see Ann Franks house and climb all the stairs”

Sam said she couldn’t believe I was already thinking about the next challenge and we had not even returned to the van and we were still in the grounds.   She thought she had been in the sun too long and was hallucinating me signing that, haha!

 

We drove back to the hotel and ate. Tanya and I were worn out we went for a sleep, for 7 hours! In the evening we stayed in the hotel grounds and watched a puppet show as we had no energy for anything else.

Agra Fort

The next morning we were preparing to leave the hotel however we saw there were lots more people there and we were asked to stay in a certain area. The rest of the people were asked to move up the stairs near reception. There were lots of police and security guards. We watched and listened to the radio messages…………. it was the prime minister for Australia! Nobody else was allowed in or out until he came in and the we had to wait until he left!

It looked like the whole of India came to a standstill. Wow he was coming to the same hotel we were just checking out of. I only managed to get one photo as he went through. Traffic was not allowed into the area, there were queues and people waiting around for his visit. This also meant there was a delay for everything happening that morning as there were so many people waiting to move around who couldn’t.

 

We finally drove from Taj Palace in the van for about 5 hours and I slept for a few hours because the temperature was so hot it kept making  me even more tired. In the van the guide explained that some monkeys were naughty in India. They steal sunglasses and run up the tree teasing people with their things. If they are not offered anything they drop the glasses, smashing them on the ground and look like they are laughing. I told Sam I was worried about my glasses and cochlear implant. She joked that I was not to worry as the ones we might see would be on their best behaviour.

After a very hot morning we arrived in Agra and had a short break at the hotel for few hours. Then we visited Agra Fort. Wow it was interesting, the stories I felt came alive. The elephants riding into battles, the liquids they boiled and poured down the channelled walls.

 

 

There was some sadness too though and I became emotional when I learned about princess Jahanara, daughter of the emperor Shah Jahan who looked after him a lot while he was a prisoner.

 

Shah Jahan  had three children,  two daughters and a son but one daughter was really close to him and she looked after him while he was imprisoned. The king would look out from his prison to see the beautiful Taj Mahal, it must have been emotional, it was for me just to imagine.

 

 

 

I was persuaded out of my wheelchair to look outside and down the walls at the big drop and could see where there had been a moat with crocodiles in and now trees were growing near it and beautiful colourful birds flew about. I looked at the Taj Mahal and knew it would be a good experience the next day as we were visiting at sunrise.

 

 

I was thinking about this as I drove down one of the entrances. The ground was uneven stones like stone flags with different textures. This was because it was built to give the  horses and elephants a better grip when they were fighting enemies and meant burning oil or tar from the channels in the wall would go down towards the enemy. It was also a zig zag shape so they had a better view of who was going to attack.

 

As I was driving my wheelchair Sam signed “Oh look, there’s two monkeys!”  I immediately jumped in my chair and Tanya thought I wanted a photo of them and hurried off to take a picture. I screamed and started waiving my hands about signing ‘Cochlear! Glasses!”  I was so worried they would steal them. Sam quickly took them off me and gave them to the puzzled guide, calmed me down and told me to look at her (I am profoundly deaf without my cochlear in and if I cannot see it, I will not ‘Hear it’)

 

She told me not to worry, the risk was gone and she would keep any monkeys away from me. Tanya then came back, showing me the photo and had no idea what had just happened hahaha!!! I didn’t want the photo, I was scared the monkey would break my cochlear and glasses and they are expensive. When we finally came out of the fort I laughed at what I had done but I made sure we were far away from any monkeys before I would have my cochlear back on.

Accessible Hebden Bridge

Recently my mother asked me to join her on a day out and to blog about access in Hebden Bridge for the organization she runs called Visits Unlimited. I was very keen because I know it is important to show families with disabled children and disabled people were is good for access and to provide that information.

I believe it is important to show families with disabled children and disable people where they can go on a day out that can offer them good asscee. Information really make decisions on where to go.

The day started with a breakfast at the lovely, modern and accessible cafe called Squeeze. I met such friendly staff and they were so nice in making sure I enjoyed my food. I ordered a Veggie brunch. Definitely one of the most delicious vegetarian breakfasts I have had and the Latte reminded me of drinking coffee a few years ago in Sydney, Australia when I was on my world trip. I will be back for sure. 

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The toilet was large and although it was not a Changing Places toilet a lot of thought had gone into making sure it was accessible.

Well, I know that Hebden Bridge is not the easiest place to get around with a wheelchair because of the old fashionable buildings and I am hoping that the Accessible Project will make a difference and changes will happen to improve the town for disabled people. Having the right attitude and going the extra mile will make a difference even if some of the shops are unable to make big adjustments.  

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After brunch I drove down in my electric wheelchair to Calder Holmes Park. Wow, I loved it huge and amazing accessible park I know. The children who were there were loving it! I went on roundabout and I felt dizzy but good job I was not sick ha ha ha! It brought back many memories of being with my brothers and sisters at Manor Heath Park when we were part of the 1Park for All project making parks inclusive in Calderdale.

I did a bit of a walk along Canal. It was really beautiful and good access for a short while but I am nervous next to water and felt a bit scared if I would fall in!

Visits Unlimited were busy filming that day and I went to meet them at the accessible Town Hall. There have a lift, disabled toilet, cafe and a lovely huge space outside with my wheelchair. 

I will be back to Hebden Bridge this summer!

 For more information on:

Squeeze Café https://www.squeezehebden.co.uk

Calder Holmes Park http://www.visitcalderdale.com/attra-calder-holmes-park   

The Town Hall http://www.hebdenbridgetownhall.org.uk/

http://www.visitsunlimited.org.uk/