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Waiting To Work

23^rd December 2021

A digital drawing by Touretteshero of her point of view from her profiling bed. The bed has midnight blue covers with yellow twinkly stars printed on them. In the foreground of the image is Jess’s hand holding the remote controls for the bed. Next to this is a tray with a wireless computer keyboard and mouse controlling the screen of the TV which is connected to her computer and is casting an image of white text on a red background that reads ‘Waiting to Work’ A webcam is connected to the end of the bed and pointing at Jess with a continuous green light. A grey hanging rail hangs above the webcam where it is fixed to the bed frame. Monkey, a black and white cat is curled up in a ball at the end of the bed at Jess’s feet. The left of the drawing contains part of a commode and some framed pictures on the wall behind it.

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.…

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Christmas Message 2021

17^th December 2021

A photograph of Jess Thom, a white woman with short curly hair and a very cool wheelchair sitting in front of a large window. This is a still from Jess's 2021 festive message, Jess is wearing a bright blue hoodie and is looking straight into the camera.

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.…

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Making It Personal

15^th December 2021

A colourful digital drawing of a pile of books - on the top of the pile is a book with a cover featuring a white power chair using child and the text - Books for Everyone. Under this are other books featuring disabled children of different ages, backgrounds and using different types of aid including walking frames, communication devices and ear defenders.

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.…

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A Card for Us All

7^th December 2021

Every year since Touretteshero began, we’ve created a Christmas card inspired by a festive tic. We’ve had some amazing guest artists including Jim’ll Paint It, Amber Anderson, Ben Connors and Richard Phoenix.

We usually do a big mail-out and send cards to our partners, collaborators, friends, and allies, but this year we’re doing things differently.…

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Introducing Tickles - Maria Bradley

3^rd December 2021

A digital drawing by Maria Bradley of Tickles Her Tourettes Monster. A purple monster with blue spots and big round black eyes sits in the centre of the image with it's arms outstretched. The background is an opaque pink pattern with gold glitter and black lightning style strokes.

As you probably know, for the last couple of months we’ve been sharing the ideas and creative projects of artists supported by our Young Artist Development Programme. Today it’s the turn of Maria Bradley whose playful illustrations and insightful words communicate her experiences of tics – let’s meet Maria and tickles.…

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Islands of Pain

29^th November 2021

A drawing by Touretteshero of a group of islands surrounded by water backed onto a black background. The biggest island in the centre has many tributaries running through it as well as cracks and forests of trees and flowers. To the east coast of this island some dark waves are rolling in. A giant whirlpool is up above the central island with lots a little islands dotted around it.

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.…

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Transforming The Narrative - Sorcha Pringle

26^th November 2021

Over the last two months we’ve been sharing the work and reflections of creatives supported by our Young Artist Development Programme. This week it’s over to musician and writer Sorcha Pringle.

Hello, my name is Sorcha and I’m a disabled creative activist, community musician, composer, and access consultant based in Dundee.…

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Routine Reimagined

26^th November 2021

A digital drawing by Touretteshero of her visual bedtime routine checklist. At the top of the drawing is black text that reads JT bedtime routine. There are 12 squares each with different coloured backgrounds. Each of the squares contain a drawing that represents a task that needs completing. There are drawings of a catheter bag filled with urine with two hands holding the bag. The next drawing is a silhouette of a cat within the question ‘Cat has food & water?’. The next is of windows on a purple background with the words ‘Door Locked, window secured, garden clear of washing etc.’ The next drawing is of a blue water bottle with a green top on a forest green background with the question: ‘Water by bed?’ The next drawing is a red background with a syringe, a bottle of medication and a hot water bottle with the question: ‘Pain medication required?’ The next drawing is of a heating thermometer on an electric blue background with the question ‘Heating off/down?’. The next drawing is of an alarm clock on a lilac background with the question ‘Alarm in PA room?’ The next drawing is of a bamboo toothbrush with toothpaste on the bristles with the question ‘Teeth brushed?’. The next drawing is of an alarm clock set to 08:30 with the question ‘Wake up time agreed?’ The next drawing is a laptop and ipad on charge on a magenta background with the question ‘Computer & iPad charging?’ The next drawing is of a washing machine with the door open and a sink full of water with the question ‘Washing machine & sink empty?’. The last drawing is a stack of folded washing with the question ‘Clothes prepped for the morning?’

I find transitioning from one activity to another tricky. I struggle with planning my time and understanding and the order in which I need to do things. This is particularly hard when I’m tired, so bedtime is often a flash point.…

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What Do Children Need?

20^th November 2021

A digital drawing of a bright yellow bear, wearing an eye patch with colourful spots on it. The bears expression is neutral and they are wearing a t-shirt with the disability rights slogan Piss on Pity on it.

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.…

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Freak - Emily Heather Bower

19^th November 2021

The word Freak is written in large black lettering across the top of the page in ink. The background is white. There is a portrait of a 12-year-old girl in the centre of the page. She has wild brown curly hair that is shoulder length. She is white and has green eyes. She is wearing a vest and underwear set. The vest and underwear set are a dusky pink with a pink lace trim at the top. There is a white cartoon cat on her vest, bellow the cat her vest says ‘Kitty kat. On the top left corner of her knickers there is a small white cartoon cat head. The drawing of the girl is outlined with black fine line pen and coloured with watercolour pencils. Along the bottom of the page, it says ‘By Emily Heather Bower’ in bold black ink.

For the last few weeks, we’ve been sharing guest posts by creatives supported by our Young Artists Development Programme (YADP). This week we’re showcasing Emily Heather Bower’s poems and images which she’s collated into a powerful zine. Emily takes us through the process.…

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The Blog!

Waiting To Work

Christmas Message 2021

Making It Personal

A Card for Us All

Introducing Tickles - Maria Bradley

Islands of Pain

Transforming The Narrative - Sorcha Pringle

Routine Reimagined

What Do Children Need?

Freak - Emily Heather Bower

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