The life of Aimee

So this last week was anti bullying week. As someone who was bullied throughout school and during adulthood, I know how it feels first hand. I was bullied because I was different, because I struggled with things that others took for granted, because I didn't fit in and because I was seen as weird. During school I was bullied for having bad handwriting and for not being good at P.E.  I had very few friends throughout school as a result of this. When I first came to UCLan I was bullied by my flat mates because I used special adaptation in the kitchen and because I took longer to do some things. Throughout my life I have been bullied for the way I speak, which often gets worse when I am nervous or angry. I have a speech impediemnt and although this has got better over the years , I still struggle with some sounds and words and elongate my words as otherwise I speak to fast. Bullying is unacceptable. I have also been bullied for being seen as weird and for liking things others see as w...

 Dyspraxia is a hidden disability, so when you look at me, you don't know that I have dyspraxia. Over the years I have had many comments about my dyspraxia, some good, some bad, and some that I had to laugh at because it was so stupid. So here is a list of what not to say to someone with dyspraxia, because some people really need to hear it.  1. But you don’t look like you have a disability  Whenever people say this, I just think "but this is my only look.". Hidden disabilities are still heavily stigmatized, this is despite improvements in recent years. It is also tempting to say "and you don;t look ignorant", though people wouldn't like that. Other comments include, "but you look fine", I am not sure if this is meant as a compliment or not but it still seems ignorant to me. I may not look disabled, but I do struggle with some things that for other people find easy. 2. Well you can do *insert task here* fine, so how can you have a disability?  One ...

 Self-care is extremely important, but it is so much more than just bubble baths and face mask. For me self-care is making sure that I brush my teeth every morning and evening. For most people this is such a small part of their day that they don't even have to think about it. But for a person with depression this can be a very difficult thing to do and they often have to make a conscious decision to do it first thing in the morning and last thing at night. I have a reminder on my phone to do it as when I am in a depressive state, I can easily forget to do something as simple as this. Self-care is also making sure that I take my antidepressants every day. Without these my depression can become worse very quickly and this in turn affects my anxiety. Self-care is so basic that most people do not even realise that they are even doing it. It can be as simple as remembering to put your deodorant on so that you don't smell when you leave the house, something that we all do every day. ...

The UK has now banned the sale of single use plastic straws. This has created a huge problem for many people within the disability community. Many disabled people use plastic straws for both hot and cold drinks. The reasons for this varies between disabled people. Personally I only use straws for cold drinks and a a travel cup for hot drinks. There are resuseable straws, but these can actually be inaccessible for disabled people.  Metal straws are not flexible, therefore making it difficult for some people to drink and means adjusting the straw is not possible. They also cannot be used in hot drinks as they can get very hot.  Hard plastic straws again are not flexible and are often not bent at the top, making it harder for some people to drink. They also break easily, creating a choking hazard.  Paper straws disintegrate quickly and some people do not finish their drink before this. The fact it disintegrates so quickly means it can become a choking hazard. Again these str...