I’m a vulnerable adult.

I’ve been thinking a lot recently about what this means.

Maybe it’s because of the pandemic and how often the word ‘vulnerable’ is used: it’s gone viral. In this context vulnerability is presented as an individual problem.…

It’s New Year’s Eve, a time when we take stock of the year that’s been and look ahead to the next. Usually, I write a post about everything that’s happened, but this year I decided to represent it as a drawing instead.…

Tomorrow is Christmas Eve. I’ve got this week off, but I can’t relax quite yet because there’s a load of disability-related admin I need to complete. This includes doing the monitoring for my personal budget, emailing the occupational therapy team about a review, and calling Access to Work about some new equipment I need.…

Almost every year since starting Touretteshero we’ve made a funny Christmas video. My favourites include this animation and this royal message. Last year we kept things simple and shared a heartfelt message of solidarity.

When it came to writing this year’s message, I just wanted to say what was on mind – the unchecked COVID-19 infections and the reality that those of us with additional risk factors are being left behind.…

I’ve just about finished my Christmas shopping. It’s always a complicated process for me because I have to leave deciding who’s going to get what until the last minute so my tics don’t spoil the surprise. But this is obviously harder with very personal gifts.…

I’ve been in a lot of pain this week, in fact not just in pain, but also feeling very sick, which is usually well managed by medication.

Pain and nausea aren’t great on their own, but the combination of both floors me.…

Yesterday was BBC Children in Need day. Schools and workplaces held collections in the lead up to an evening extravaganza of celebrity-led TV fundraising. The money raised will fund life-changing work across the UK.

Children in Need has been around since 1980 – just like me – headed up by Pudsey, the eye-patch-wearing-bear, who I recently learnt was only allowed to smile in 2007 – that’s almost thirty years of non-stop frowning.…

I wrote recently about burn out and the steps we take at Touretteshero to help prevent it. While I’m lucky not to get burnt out by my work as an artist, I’m feeling utterly exhausted by the relentless work of being a disabled person living in the UK.…

We’re starting two weeks of research and development for a new show soon. It’s going to be called Burnt Out In Biscuit Land and in it we’ll be re-visiting the surreal world my tics create around me – the setting for our first stage show back in 2014.…

I’ve waited a couple days before writing this post to let the rage and fury subside so I can write it with the clarity it deserves.

First a warning, this post is about ableist attitudes in theatre, journalism and beyond and I want disabled people to be able to choose whether to engage with it or not.…