Simon Minty's recent thoughts and more

A few months ago I was chairing an employment and disability event. There was a panel of youngish speakers, in their early twenties, talking about their experiences of employment and having an impairment. One of them suggested if you don't 'manage' your physical disability or at least address it, might it lead to a mental health problem too? This possibility is something I've been aware of for a long time but it is rare that it's publicly stated. I suspect the avoidance is partly to avoid affirming a stereotype and quite rightly to not suggest it's automatically the case for everyone. By avoiding it though, are we denying it's existence for some? And how do you know if the disability is the issue or just regular bumps in modern life? What sort of support can you get if it is the case? I liked that the twenty something person said it at the conference.  We discuss all this in the latest BBC Ouch show with guests who have both a physical disability and a me...

I was invited to speak at the fantastic Names Not Numbers conference earlier this week. There were some big hitters in attendance from journalism and cultural commentary. I was part of the 'Provocations' section which was a treat as it gave me plenty of space to raise difficult subjects. I asked 'Is it ok to laugh at a disabled person?' and talked about how disability and comedy has evolved since we started Abnormally Funny People. And I got to say it all in church, St James's, Piccadilly. I was preaching to the unconverted. Simon Minty speaking at St James's, Piccadilly Side view of Simon speaking at St James's, Piccadilly